A Wyvern is a small dragon-like creature that mimics the powers and habits of a dragon on a smaller scale. Although not as fierce as their larger cousins, they are highly aggressive and more than capable of killing an unarmed traveler or damaging an unprotected village. Like the Chimera, their existence has meaning for those who seek to follow their story.
Physical Description
The physical resemblance between wyverns and dragons has led many people to believe that these creatures come from the same family. That may be true, but they are still very different species with significant physical differences. First, wyverns have two legs, while dragons have four (or in some ancient descriptions, none).
The smaller serpent’s legs are also more bird-like—long and slender, with widely splayed toes and sharply curved claws—whereas a dragon’s legs are reptilian. Their legs not only give them a unique appearance, but also a unique style of movement, hopping, fluttering, and leaping rather than crawling.
Second, Wyvern tails have a unique spiked end. Some texts claim that this beard is actually a stinger that can deliver a painful dose of venom, giving them a weapon in their arsenal that dragons don’t have! Other texts describe dragons that have adapted to semi-aquatic life by developing a tail more like that of a fish.
Special Abilities
Wyverns share many of the same abilities as dragons. They are excellent flyers and can often be seen circling in the sky as they search for treasure to plunder. When they manage to get their hands on a new trinket, they carry it back to their lairs, where they hide their “treasure.” Their hoards, however, are not as impressive as those of true dragons, which are known to make men sick with greed and envy.
Comically, the little dragons will collect anything shiny, even if it’s nothing more than a cheap spoon. They are fearless fighters, even more so than their calculating cousins, who usually only fight when the odds are in their favor. Wyverns will rush into battle against any enemy, no matter how powerful they may seem.
Whether or not the little serpents can breathe fire is the subject of heated debate. They certainly do not contain an endless supply of fire, as the mighty dragon does, but some texts describe Wyverns throwing small balls of fire at their enemies or at a thatched roof. In some medieval bestiaries, they have even been given the nickname “fire swallowers.”
The most deadly weapon of all Wyverns is their breath. Although they cannot breathe fire, they can breathe something much more dangerous: pestilence. They spread contagious diseases wherever they go, and during the Dark Ages in Europe, they were blamed for spreading the Black Death, a grotesque disease that claimed millions of lives.
Cultural Representation
Although the first depiction of a Wyvern has been lost to history, it is clear from bestiaries and alchemy texts that these small dragons were known throughout Europe as early as the medieval period, in the 5th century AD.
Some scholars have speculated that Wyverns may have originated from Roman war banners, which would have been seen by early Europeans when Rome’s conquering forces began to spread northward. This idea is supported by the fact that the etymology of the word “wyvern” can be traced back, via French, to the Latin word “vipera,” which would have been used by the Romans.
Heraldry
Wyverns are believed to have appeared on English war banners as early as the 8th century, when Wales was represented by a “red dragon” and Wessex by a “gold dragon.” By the 16th century, the popularity of this small dragon as a symbol of courage and strength had earned it a place on the coats of arms of many prominent families in Wales and Wessex. By the 19th century, English companies across the country had begun using the dragonet as their logo, and today, it can be found as a logo or mascot all over the world.
Video games
Outside of heraldry, their largest territory is the realm of video games. With their formidable forms and fierce attitudes, these monsters are an ideal villain for fantasy games, and they have taken the lives of many players in best-selling games such as Final Fantasy, World of Warcraft, and Dragonlance.
Some of these games have incorrectly called their Wyverns “dragons,” even though the monsters only have two legs. Fortunately, mythological purists have taken to the internet en masse to set the record straight for any gamers curious to learn more about the characters in the games.
