The Dragon Stone

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Location:
Europe

Description:
Wyverns are dragons with one pair of wings and one pair of legs (usually front legs). In the past, there was more confusion about the number of wings and legs. Some authors used wyvern, cockatrice and lindworm interchangably, or to mean different things. This eventually standardised into the wyvern that is recognised today.

These dragons are common in heraldry. They can symbolise envy, war, pestilence and viciousness.

Wyverns are not restricted to heraldry. They make an appearance in other dragon art and a number of dragon myths. See the 'related dragons' for stories where the dragon is sometimes a wyvern.

Related Dragons:

• Mordiford Dragon - The most popular appearance for this dragon is a wyvern.
• Saint George and the Dragon - The dragon is sometimes shown as a wyvern in art. Paolo Uccello's painting is a good example of this.

Other Dragon Stone Pages:

• Heraldry - Draconic Creatures

Selected References: Cooper, J.C. (1995); Pennick, Nigel (1997)

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