A dragonslayer is often the hero in a “Princess and dragon” tale. In this type of story, the dragonslayer kills the dragon in order to rescue a high-class female character, often a princess, from being devoured by it. This female character often then becomes the love interest of the account. One notable example of this kind of legend is the story of Ragnar Loðbrók, who slays a giant serpent, thereby rescuing the maiden, Þóra borgarhjörtr, whom he later marries.
There are, however, several notable exceptions to this common motif. In the legend of Saint George and the Dragon, for example, Saint George overcomes the dragon as part of a plot which ends with the conversion of the dragon’s grateful victims to Christianity, rather than Saint George being married to the rescued princess character.
In a Norse legend from the Völsunga saga, the dragonslayer, Sigurd, kills Fáfnir—a dwarf who has been turned into a dragon as a result of guarding the cursed ring that had once belonged to the dwarf, Andvari. After slaying the dragon, Sigurd drinks some of the dragon’s blood and thereby gains the ability to understand the speech of birds. He also bathes in the dragon’s blood, causing his skin to become invulnerable. Sigurd overhears two nearby birds discussing the heinous treachery being planned by his companion, Regin. In response to the plot, Sigurd kills Regin, thereby averting the treachery.[2]
Mythologists such as Joseph Campbell have argued that dragonslayer myths can be seen as a psychological metaphor:[3]
“But as Siegfried [Sigurd] learned, he must then taste the dragon blood, in order to take to himself something of that dragon power. When Siegfried has killed the dragon and tasted the blood, he hears the song of nature. he has transcended his humanity and re-associated himself with the powers of nature, which are powers of our life, and from which our minds remove us. …Psychologically, the dragon is one’s own binding of oneself to one’s own ego.”[4]
Dragonslayer characters
- Antiquity
According to Campbell, the spiritual poverty of today’s society lies, among other things, in the fact that people no longer want and/or can hear this call. This leads to alienation from our own nature, with all its consequences. “Follow your bliss, really, follow your bliss”, he says, “Find out where it lies and the universe will open doors where there were only walls”. His own life story* is a good example of this.
During his life, Joseph Campbell met Jiddu Krishnamurti, Carl Gustav Jung and Heinrich Zimmer, among others. If he had such a thing, Campbell said, the latter was his guru. Here a subtle line emerges to the tradition of advaita vedanta, because the guru of Heinrich Zimmer ( 1943) was Ramana Maharshi ( 1950).
However, Joseph Campbell’s material is infinitely broader, with approaches and contributions from countless peoples, cultures and times. Mysticism, myths, mystical stories… What are they about? Joseph Campbell says:
“This ancient information (the myths) deals with themes that have supported human life for thousands of years, that have shaped civilizations and that have inspired religions. And that information concerns deep inner problems and mysteries, inner thresholds and inner transformation… “.
“And”, says Campbell, “if it grabs you, then you always draw such a deep, rich inspiring inspiration from these traditions that you will never give up. If you do not know where and what signposts are along the way, you have to figure it out for yourself and find your own way”. Read more here: Myths and Consciousness
This video is a special release from the original Thinking Allowed series that ran on public television from 1986 until 2002. It was recorded in February 1987. Here Campbell describes his overall vision of the role of mythology in culture.
the power of myth
Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth Ep 1 ‘The Hero’s Adventure
Joseph Campbell continues exploring C.G. Jung’s idea of the Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious by looking at Jung’s concept of the Persona/Personae — the aspects of one’s personality that been shaped from outside, by the society in which one lives. In particular Campbell focusses on the ways that Asian and Western societies approach this. The lecture from which this clip was taken has been released as the first program in Mythos I — The Shaping of Our Mythic Tradition (https://www.jcf.org/works/titles/the-…) For more of Joseph Campbell’s thoughts on Jung and the Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious in myth, check out The Portable Jung (https://www.jcf.org/works/titles/the-….
https://www.youtube.com/@JosephCampbellFoundation/playlists
Myth lets you know where you are across the ages of life–at 40 or at 80… This video is a brief excerpt from interviews filmed with Joseph Campbell shortly before his death in 1987, previously unreleased by the Joseph Campbell Foundation – http://www.jcf.org
– Medieval and early Modern legend
- Mamadi Sefe Dekote (Africa)
Etc……
– Kill your dragon
Our only purpose is to give our love, respect and service to Allah but if given the opportunity every person would be a pharaoh. His ego would declare itself the highest lord. We must kill the dragon that is our ego and then we will find Allah with us and around us and within us.
Kill your dragon
Transcript
We are sitting here for the sake of Allah, the Lord of heavens and earth. We are asking from His divinely love, to carry everyone in His divinely love ocean.
From His endless love to His servants, Allah Almighty asking His servants to ask more love in Himself.
He is not asking anything else. You may ask from your children love and respect.
And love brings respect.
Therefore, Allah Almighty, the Lord of mankind, sending His Prophets to His servants to teach them that He Almighty asking from His servants love and respect.
I don’t think that any religion through their Prophets just bringing another message.
Heavenly messages all full with love and respect. We are not lecturers. I am not a lecturer.
I am a humble servant sitting here and, as it is mentioned through whole holy books, when servants of Lord meeting, gathering for the sake of their Lord’s love, Allah Almighty opening from His endless mercy oceans on them. Only that hope making me to be with you here.
And also, as I am an obedient servant for the real servants of our Lord, and they are ordering me to be here and to address to the servants of the Lord Almighty Allah. And I am only a transmitter. Transmitter.
What coming to my heart, I am trying to give to you. Therefore, we are not going to be imprisoned through one subject. Our plane unlimited. We may run like this, like that, like straight background, anywhere. It is a wide plane. We may move in it. We are free to reach everyone that may be here. We may reach. No one can escape.
If they can escape, finally we are catching. Yes. I saw a documentary vision in TV that
hunters on wilds, wilds hunters. They are hunting, they are throwing this harpoon on them and that [one] thinking that it may escape. Making like this, like that but then catching him. No one present in here and may escape from my hand.
May ask to escape but from truth two years they may escape. I am declaring truth on behalf of the Lord Almighty Allah, on behalf of His Prophets, on behalf of His Beloved,
Seal of Prophets, Muhammad, peace be upon him and upon them, on behalf of whole saints, all awliyas. My words, they are correct. Therefore, I don’t think that they are going to leave me to speak to you false, batil, wrong, or to carry you away from truth.
No. Therefore, someone’s ego going to be unhappy. Doesn’t matter. We can look after that ego to cut it down, to save that person from the hands of that dragon.
Here in England, in London, I am looking St. George’s Wood. St. George Wood, I mean to say about Saint George.
There is a statue nearby to central mosque. People running around and coming but they are not taking wisdom. What is that? What Saint George doing? What he mean to say?
He is killing a dragon, showing people “O people, all of you you must be killer of dragons.” Everyone has a dragon.
And that is their… That dragon who that dragon which was refusing whole Prophets.
Same dragon attacking on Adam.
Same dragon just attacked on Noah.
Same dragon was attacking on Moses.
Same dragon attacking on Abraham. Same dragon attacking on Jacob.
Same dragon attacking on Solomon and David
and on Zakariya, on… Same dragon attacking to Jesus Christ.
And same dragon attacking also on the Seal of Prophets.
And same dragon’s attacking on believers. Everyone has a dragon.
And that Saint George showing – “O people, you must kill it. If you are not killing it, no rest, no peace, no mercy, no justice, no love, no respect to you. Kill it, O mankind.” Calling through that statue.
But people running around, looking what is that. Yes. And we are feeding that dragon. Instead to kill it, we are feeding.
We are… Every morning we are awakening and making like this “O my Lord, what you are asking? You’re asking smoking? Ready. Asking wine? Ready.
Asking something else? It’s ready. I am under your command. Everyday I am your slave.” – People saying to their dragons. Feeding, very carefully saying “I am your obedient worshipper. I never leaving you. I am never getting disobedient to you. I am not rebellion or rebellious to you. Always you are finding me obedient one.”
Yes. Why no peace on earth? Because you are feeding dragons.
You are looking after it so carefully. Never listening the Lord’s command. No one going to be obedient to the Lord of heavens and earth. Why people attacking on Prophets? Do you think that they are bad people? If they are not accepting now, good ones, they are fighting. But what about for Prophets?
What was their sins? No sins for Prophets. Prophets, they are innocent people.
They are pure people, clean people, perfect people. Why common people attacking them, trying to kill them? And they killed thousands of thousands of Prophets. Murdering martyrs, thousands of Prophets. And they killed, martyred so many saints. Why? They were bad people? They were devils, or people they were devils? Yes. We must look once again to ourselves. What we are doing? For what we are working?
For the Lord, for the sake of Lord? To make Him pleased or to make our egos, our dragons pleased? You say to yourself. Don’t say to me.
When you are alone nighttime, you may say to yourself “Oh I am… Just I worked for my Lord today”. If you are saying this, you are very happy person, very lucky. But you must be true.
First, you must be true to yourself before becoming true to others.
But it is so difficult to be true even for yourself. Because that dragon should prevent you to say truth. Yes. Ask yourself.
When people sleeping, and you’re alone – “O James, or John or Ahmad or Abdullah. Are you here, Abdullah? Our name’s Abdullah, the servant of the Lord. But you must ask do you think that you’re really servant of your Lord. Tell me, to whom you served today?”
Yes. Be sincere. Everyone must be sincere.
Or this world going to be destroyed.
Because devils taking chance from insincere people, taking courage, taking power and trying to make people insincere. Yes. Therefore, I don’t think that any religion… Because their source is heavens, from heavens coming every religion to establish through the conscience of mankind the love and respect towards their Lord.
If anyone knowing another thing, may say. That is, up today I learnt, as a summary.
From whole books, from whole religions I have that summary that every Prophet coming with divinely messages to make people more in love and in respect for their Lord Almighty Allah.
That is our mission. And that is most precious mission and that is most acceptable mission in Divine Presence. You can’t find more than this respected job for mankind.
Most respected job in Divine Presence [is] to call people in love and in respect to their Lord Almighty Allah. And we are finding hindrance, biggest veil for reaching to that station.
Our egos too jealous, too jealous. Asking every respect to himself, asking every love to himself, asking every obedience to himself, asking everything for himself, not for anyone else, either for the Lord of heavens and earth or for others.
The night journey – what a strange translation? Power of night or night journey. What is? Miraj.
You are doing so strange translations. That night that the Seal of Prophets Muhammad, peace be upon him, he invited to Divine Presence and the Lord of heavens and earth addressing to him “O Muhammad, Beloved one, if I am leaving My servants, if I am giving to everyone power or ability, you should find everyone like Pharaoh.”
Everyone should be one Pharaoh, that that Pharaoh, he finds himself all power through in his hands and people – slaves. And he was saying “I am your greatest lord.” He wasn’t agree to be an ordinary one. He was claiming to be the greatest one. Because people, Allah Almighty just made whole people to be slaves. When he was looking that people are slaves, he was saying “I am your greatest lord.”
But Allah Almighty taught him a lesson he never forgetting. That Pharaoh, who was saying “I am your greatest lord” the Lord of heavens taught him a lesson, yet he is never forgetting. And it is impossible to forget.
When he was sank, sinking through the Red Sea’s red waves, he was knowing what he was.
Allah Almighty leaving His servants, giving power and testing them. And He was saying “O Muhammad, if I am giving a chance what I just gave to Pharaoh, all of them going to be Pharaoh to claim that they are Lord.”
And same characteristic with all mankind. Therefore, when you are finding someone they have been given a little bit power, going to destroy others.
Therefore, when I am saying, ego asking to be everything only for himself, not to be partner, as Pharaoh was saying “I never accepting any partner. I’m the greatest.” And every ego, nafs that we have [is] on same characteristic, never changing.
But a seed, seed… There is flowers now growing up.Red, white, what is that? Not rose. Full now whole London. What is it? Daffodils. They have small onions. If you are not planting, not opening. Maybe through shops a little bit opening. But never bringing this flower.
Because must be planted. Outside now. Therefore, our egos, if never finding its field, never growing up to be a Pharaoh.
And Allah Almighty giving from divinely wisdoms to the Seal of Prophets “Beware from ego. Make your nation My servants, beware from their ego.”
Beware dog. And instead beware dog, you must try to beware ego. Sleeping? Open your eyes.
Beware your ego – most dangerous, terrible dragon, more than dragon of Chinese. Chinese people, they are keeping that dragon not from love, but from fear.
They are old people with old wisdoms. But now they are using it as a figure design. But really they are signing with that dragon – teaching people “O people, beware from that dragon
that it is with you.” Therefore, whole religions, whole religions taking methods for protecting people, protecting followers from their egos.
One of the most important protection for believers is fasting.
Without fasting, no one can be able to control that dragon and to protect himself from that dragon. You should find same fasting through every religion from old religions, beginning from Adam. He fast first 30 days without eating and drinking. Because he ate from prohibited wheat
in paradise, from prohibited tree. When he ate, he has been sent on earth. And till that, going from him he was fasting 30 days without eating anything. But the Lord Almighty Allah
giving permission to his children to fast from morning up to night, up to evening.
And it was through Moses’ holy book, through Jesus Christ’s holy book, and through David’s psalms, through Abraham’s orders and through Noah’s heavenly orders. Every Prophet just came with fasting. But we did it, we changed.
Christians doing 50 days. It was before correct fasting. It is now – there are only a few people keeping even that order for Christianity. Even they can’t carry to be patient not to eat what prevented for them through that period.
They are doing as fasting – not to eat fat or meat or such things. Even for that, now they are not keeping that order. And it was before fasting. And in our days anyone who asking a protection from their dragons, from their terrible egos, they must practice fasting.
Yes. It is not something to be hungry, to be thirsty.
People may say “What is the benefit from being hungry or thirsty?”
But whole power on it to be able, when your ego rushing to eat, you are saying that “There is 5 minutes more, be patient.” And it was attacking, and we are saying “There is 1 minute more. You must be patient.” That is training for ego and to protect yourself and to be able to cut it.
We have… When we are going to be enough powerful to catch that dragon, we have a method for cutting it. Because a small one can’t catch a sheep and cut it, slaughter.
No. Must be enough power to keep and to cut. And don’t think that only that fasting you may be enough powerful to slaughter your dragon. No. We have another methods.
When you are going to be prepared for that purpose, we have 40 days. 40-days seclusions in Islam also, that every Prophet they did it. As it is mentioned through Holy Qur’an, 40 days for Moses before going to mount Sinai. And the Seal of Prophets, he was using that seclusion before his prophecy on the mountain of Nur. Jabali Nur, mount of lights.
And don’t think that you can be able when you are living with people to cut it. No.
You must take it out. of communities. Whole saints, they were cutting it – out of communities, countryside, through deserts, through lonely mountains.
That is the reason Christians, they are using monasteries on silent deserts, on mountains. But now it is also lost.
Whom they were in monasteries, they are not going to be there to feed their egos. No, but to cut it.
And finally, we are asking forgiveness from Allah Almighty and asking good understanding.
Everyone through their religions, through their beliefs, and every religion coming on same point to give more love, more respect to Allah Almighty. But in front of you, your ego preventing. Take it away. Kill it.
And open, then you should find your Lord in front of you, in you, with you, around you.
Astaghfirullah. Astaghfirullah.
Astaghfirullah. Alhamdulillah.
Alhamdulillah. Wa shukrulillah.
Walhamdulillahi Rabbi l-alameen. Wa salatu wa salamu ‘ala rasulina Ziyadatan li sharafi Nabi, sallAllahu alaihi wa salam…
Fatiha.
It’s a fascinating new experience: Me! Years go by, life experience accumulates. We slowly discover that our self-entity exists within an atmosphere of aloneness and separation. Our first instinct is to break out of the isolation with a lot of grasping and pos-sessing—friends, lovers, food, cars, money, land, whatever. We try to dull the ache with entertainment, understand it with philosophy, or accept it in therapy. No matter. Nothing quite delivers the abiding wholeness we sense is really the way we ought to be.
The Prayer is a deep psycho-logical force field to help us over-come our mole-like resistances to the light. The Prayer is an unfolding series of archetypal motions and gestures that appear in endless variation throughout all the devotional practices of the human family.
Path to the Maypole of Wisdom 