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Location:
Arcadia, Greece, Europe
Description:
Pliny the Elder wrote in his 'Naturalis
Historia' about this story. It is a retelling of one told by Democritus. The tale
says that a boy called Thoas, in the Arcadia region of Greece, raised a serpent.
The serpent grew to huge sizes, which frightened his father. His father solved
this by taking the serpent into the desert and leaving it there. Later in life,
Thoas was attacked by thieves in the desert. The serpent recognised his voice
and came to his aid.
The Pliny version does not give enough detail to decide if this is a dragon
or a large common snake. This did not stop later authors translating it as a
dragon. Edward Topsell, in his 1608 retelling, clearly calls the animal a dragon.
He describes it as having teeth and claws, implying it has legs. The story setting
is also different, with the dragon being left in woodland.
Selected References: Topsell, Edward (2006)
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