First of all, good work Anon. This is the kind of stuff I like to see.
Secondly, I don't know if it's my computer or what, but I can't get to the site. :P
As to the Germans getting this particular myth from the Romans, that I have some problems with. According to what I've read (mainly Bruce Lincoln's Priests, Cattle, and Kings, part of the source material for my 'Werewolves of Indra' article) the dragonslayer is a universal figure in Indo-European myth. It goes at least as far back as the Indo-Iranian maryannu warriors who invaded India about 1600 BC or so, and shows up among the early Greeks, the Hittites, and the very earliest Germanic/Teutnoic myths (you can find more on all this in Mircea Eliade's Encyclopedia of Religion).
As for Mithras the Dragonslayer, the Roman Mithras (borrowed from Persian Mithra; archaeologists found an altar dedicated to him in the mounatins of Kurdistan that dates to about 1600-1400BC) never slew a dragon. According to my readings in the book Persian Mythology, he slew the Bull of Heaven. The Persian dragon figure, Azhi Dahak/Zahak, was slain by the Iranian primal king Keresaspa.
Anon, please don't take my words here as a criticism of what you've done. When I get to read the article it may well nullify all my arguments; but an initial reading makes it sound to me like this Professor Beistle is just another one of those 'Classical Civilization was the source of everything, the Germans were ignorant beasts' type of scholars.
On the other hand, at least folks are reading the Classical works with some respect again.
If anyone out there has any evidence to show me wrong, please let me know.
First of all, good work Anon. This is the kind of stuff I like to see.
Secondly, I don't know if it's my computer or what, but I can't get to the site. :P
As to the Germans getting this particular myth from the Romans, that I have some problems with. According to what I've read (mainly Bruce Lincoln's Priests, Cattle, and Kings, part of the source material for my 'Werewolves of Indra' article) the dragonslayer is a universal figure in Indo-European myth. It goes at least as far back as the Indo-Iranian maryannu warriors who invaded India about 1600 BC or so, and shows up among the early Greeks, the Hittites, and the very earliest Germanic/Teutnoic myths (you can find more on all this in Mircea Eliade's Encyclopedia of Religion).
As for Mithras the Dragonslayer, the Roman Mithras (borrowed from Persian Mithra; archaeologists found an altar dedicated to him in the mounatins of Kurdistan that dates to about 1600-1400BC) never slew a dragon. According to my readings in the book Persian Mythology, he slew the Bull of Heaven. The Persian dragon figure, Azhi Dahak/Zahak, was slain by the Iranian primal king Keresaspa.
Anon, please don't take my words here as a criticism of what you've done. When I get to read the article it may well nullify all my arguments; but an initial reading makes it sound to me like this Professor Beistle is just another one of those 'Classical Civilization was the source of everything, the Germans were ignorant beasts' type of scholars.
On the other hand, at least folks are reading the Classical works with some respect again.
If anyone out there has any evidence to show me wrong, please let me know.
Ardashir