Antique Dragon Walking Canes

One of the most well known dragons is St. George's. It is found in many artistic representations, including the walking canes. There are a number of distinctive variants of St. George's dragon tales, yet the most popular one is of the dragon terrorized the city of Selene in Libya. This dragon demanded a child every day for its food, and one day the king's daughter was chosen for the sacrifice. Just as the dragon was about to devour her up, a European knight came to rescue the princess. After a long fierce fight, the knight ultimately killed the dragon, and freed the city. People were so grateful that they converted to Christianity under St. George.

In the old English tale of St. George, the dragon named Dadianus is an evil sorcerer who can transform himself into a snake. St. George trapped the evil spirit of Dadianus in the walking cane he carries for eternity to remember the victory of good over evil.

There are a few different artistic representations of St. George's dragon, but the dragon wrapping all around the cane is most popular.

Another well-known dragon in England is Lambton dragon from the legend of the Lambton Worm and Penshaw Hill. This was in the time of the Crusades that John Lambton captured a hideous, black, worm-like creature while fishing. He did not know what to do with it, so he threw it to an ancient well and forgot about it. The years passed, and he joined the Crusades for a very long time. When he returned home, he discovered his village ruined by the worm, which had now evolved into a monsterous dragon. With the assistance of a sagacious old woman, he was able to defeat the dragon, but his house was cursed and for nine generations no head of the family of Lambton would die peacefully
Even though a currently existing reproduction stick with Lambton dragon looks like an Asian dragon, various older pictures display that Lambton dragon is more like a sea serpent monster without legs or scales.

The Henham dragon was first sighted in 1668 in the British village of Henham, Essex. It was portrayed as being nine feet long with small wings. The eyes were ornamented by weird feathers. Countless sightings of the dragon were reported over the next year. Most merely caught a glimpse of it in the distance, while others stated it flew overhead. In 1669, a pamphlet called "The Flying Serpent or Strange News Out of Essex" was circulated and a print of the pamphlet still is available at Saffron Walden library. This dragon was in reality a hoax known as the "Henham Dragon Hoax of 1668." Still, it ignited the imaginations of numerous artists and craftsmen, who created some very nice walking canes.

This dragon lived in a well in Duck's Pool Meadow in Brinsop. It was killed by a local knight, but some people believe that this knight was indeed St. George. Yes, he was a quite busy person! Most drawings identified for this dragon display massive wings which is typical for modern-day pictures. The dragon sculpture on the current reproduction cane is indeed very good looking, although most likely tricky to bring around.

Though they are not British, it is worth mentioning Asian dragons. Unlike in the European counterpart, in Eastern-world legends mythical beasts are generally in pairs, one good and one evil. If a good dragon wins, the village will flourish. If the evil one wins, the village will perish. They are a sort of symbol of the yin-yang relationship. One of most popular dragon tales from China is of a black and a white dragon. A famous wood carpenter was journeying with his son to a faraway country. They walked by one side of an ominous lake, with an island in the middle blanketed by a dark cloud. The son was thirsty and drank water from the lake when, suddenly, a black dragon came out from the cloud, grabbed the son, and vanished. The father ran to the nearby village for aid but no one could do anything. Half-crazed, he started chiselling a dragon from white wood laying around the side of the lake. He carved and carved without meal, without rest. As soon as he removed the final chip from the dragon's eye, instantly the wooden dragon came alive, flew to the black cloud, and started battling with the black dragon. After many hours of fighting, both dragons vanished under the water, the black cloud cleared from the island, and the father found his son sitting on the island.

The Asian dragons have no wings, but always have four legs, a pair of lengthy whiskers and usually a beard. It is quite simple to recognize one from the European dragons.

A dragon-claw cane is a more recent design from fantasy fiction and films. A dragon claw grasping a crystal or silver ball is extremely popular. According to stories, the claws of a dragon was a talisman for many wizards. The sphere held in the dragon's claw represents the world, and he who keeps this talisman will conquer the world. You can buy a number of reproductions in this category. These canes are pretty popular among women attracted in goth and/or vampire fashion than men and may not be as suitable as a gentleman's fashion cane

Although various classic dragon walking canes from the 19th century or earlier were made of wood, bone, and ivory, the presently obtainable dragon walking canes are usually made of pewter, and often manufactured in Italy. Some no-name less costly dragon canes are made in China and India. (Don't discount Indian craftsmanship, however. They make really wonderful walking sticks at a good price.) None of these sticks are for orthopedic use. They are meant only as a gentleman's fashion item, and cheaper ones are for home decorations.