Earth Dragon ~ Druid Animal Oracle Part II

Note ~ The Druid Animal Oracle by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gromm is a tarot that works with the sacred animals of the Druid tradition. The Druids were very early psychologists whom used animal behavior to try and understand the human psyche. By understanding and making a connection with our animal brothers and sisters, we can use these animals as guides, and by doing so we can better understand ourselves.

I have broken the four Druid Dragons (which represent the elements of earth, fire, air, and water) into four blogs. It is much easier to digest these four elemental dragons one at a time. Although dragons can be divided into four elements, most partake in all four elements – originating from water, circling and living around the hills, flying through the air, and/or breathing fire.

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The dragon shall be in the tumulus, old, rich in treasures ~ Beowulf

Earth Dragon (Gaelic name ~ Draig-talamh)

The large chalk figure of the Uffington Horse, located in Oxfordshire, England, has long been thought to represent a dragon instead of a horse. Those who argue that the symbol is a dragon, maintain that St. George once slew a dragon, on a nearby hill called Dragon Hill, and the symbol is a portrait of the dragon. The dragon’s blood poisoned the ground where he was defeated and to this day grass still does not grow in this spot. Although there is still controversy surrounding the symbol, the dragon and the horse share the same symbol of earth energy and with the power of the land.

The Barrow Guardians

In ancient times such places as barrows and hills, stone circles as well as single standing stones were thought to have spiritual powers. When these barrows became a grave for a dead warrior or chieftain and were filled with riches and valuables, a guardian was needed to protect the spot from gravediggers. The Druids would invoke a spirit to guard the treasures. As mythology matured, these spirits became monstrous dragons driven with jealousy and who guarded the treasure with lethal means. Some popular dragon guarded barrows in the United Kingdom are the “Dragon’s Hoard”, in Oxfordshire, the Old Field barrows in Shropshire, the Drakelow barrows in Yorkshire, and a barrow in Walmsgate, where the bones of a slain dragon is said to be buried.

Buried Treasure and the Inner Search

Buried treasure guarded by dragons can also be found in hillsides. Some popular known places are Wormelow Trump in Herefordshire, England and Money Hill on Gunnarton Fell in Northumberland. A hoard of gold can be found in Sussex in the Iron Age hill-fort of Cissbury. The gold is said to be 2 miles inside an underground passage. No one has ever successfully found the gold because it is said to be guarded by two dragons that hide halfway down the tunnel. I wonder if my spelunking skills would help me find that gold. Hmmmm…..

Of all the dragons, earth dragons have minimal contact with human beings and are hunted far less. Earth dragons remain dormant and hidden until provoked. Once provoked they carry a potential threat. As I noted above, Druids were early psychologist whom linked the sacred animals to the human psyche. The Druids believed that each of us have a dragon guardian that protects our inner most “riches” or secrets. This guardian keeps all from violating our innermost self and can even keep our own conscious thoughts from entering. Think of just how dangerous this is and maybe the reason our primal thoughts when acted upon shocks and scares our conscious thoughts.

The earth dragon is not only found in the center of a barrow or hillside, but also wrapped around the hill as well representing a spiral. The spiral is a powerful symbol of spiritual quest and discovery, a representation of the journey of the soul in and out of incarnation. The spiral the dragon creates around the “hill” or around the “treasure” itself, represents aspects of our self. Both positions place the earth dragon as a Guardian of the Threshold. This ‘threshold’ should be respected but challenged as well and sometimes overcome. If we are able to stand up to the dragon-guardian, which is nothing more than an aspect of ourselves, and befriend him, we can then reach into the inner depths to unlock the treasure hidden within and at this point truly understand ourselves. With this understanding will come the power to understand what is in the hearts of those around us and in the Earth herself.