The Garden of the Hesperides

Chrétien Legouais , 1325
Bibliothèque municipale de Rouen, Ms O 4 fdeg 126, détail
Photo © Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Another dragon, Ladon, guarded the Garden of the Hesperides and its precious golden apples. Many stories have placed dragons in the role of protector of a priceless treasure to be conquered, especially in Germanic mythology. Siegfried faced Fafnir, a dwarf turned into a dragon for taking the cursed gold; the dragon faced by Beowulf was furious because his riches had been touched. Tolkien was an expert on the legend of Beowulf: his dragon, Smaug, is also the guardian of a dangerous hoard of gold which brings violence, greed and misfortune.
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© BnF, Éditions multimédias, 2020