logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2022
29m 7s

From Ancient Ireland to Westeros: A Hist...

FIN DWYER
About this episode

In this special episode brought to you by NOW, I look into why humans are fascinated with dragons. Did you know mythology around dragons is older than organised religion and spiritual beliefs of any kind? Meanwhile images of dragons has been found on all continents in societies from ancient Ireland to China. In this podcast I look at why dragon myths are so old, where did this mythology came from and what does it mean? 


Additional narrations - Aidan Crowe


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Jul 8
Living on the Wrong Side of History: My Family Secrets
Family history is often where the heroic version of the past falls apart.We like to imagine our ancestors standing on the right side of history. Someone in the GPO in 1916 or in the IRA in 1920. We like to think they made brave choice when it mattered. But most people were not he ... Show More
38m 26s
Jun 24
The Irish Crown Jewels Robbery: Ireland’s Crime of the Century?
In the summer of 1907, the Irish Crown Jewels were stolen from the heart of British power in Ireland, under the noses of the police, the military and the political establishment. Worth £50,000 at the time, their disappearance made headlines around the world. It was also deeply hu ... Show More
47m 22s
Jun 19
From White Settlers to Fascists: The IRA’s Troubling Allies
Irish republicans had many natural allies during the War of Independence. Irish communities in the United States offered vital support, while revolutionaries in India and Egypt were also fighting for freedom from the British Empire. But the search for allies also led Irish republ ... Show More
39m 23s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2025
Dragons
Melvyn Bragg and guests explore dragons, literally and symbolically potent creatures that have appeared in many different guises in countries and cultures around the world. Sometimes compared to snakes, alligators, lions and even dinosaurs, dragons have appeared on clay tablets i ... Show More
46m 13s
Feb 2024
Dragons: From the Ancient World to the Hobbit
<p>Take dinosaur bones, snake poison, volcanic lava, fear of the unknown. Mix it all together and you have a dragon!</p><br><p>Today we're finding out about the ancient origins of dragons and why there used to be a much wider variety of dragon types than we see today. Our guide i ... Show More
41m 25s
Oct 2025
Origins of Mythology
From Cinderella to Beauty and the Beast, the roots of fairy tales stretch back thousands of years — to the dawn of Indo-European languages and beyond.In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by author and journalist Laura Spinney to explore the origins of mytholo ... Show More
47m 45s
Jan 2022
Dragons Exist In Nearly Every Culture’s Mythology As a Mirror of Their Fears. What Are Ours?
We live in the golden age of dragons – they appear in Game of Thrones, most film adaptations of the works of J.R.R. Tolkein, and nearly everything tangentially related to fantasy. They date back millennia, appearing in every cultures mythology, from ancient Greece and India to me ... Show More
50m 18s
Jun 2024
461. Dragons
"When dragons flew to war… everything burned. I do not wish to rule over a kingdom of ash and bone." Dragons - the most compelling of mythical beasts - are one of the most vivid creations of all human imagination, and their enduring resonance is captivatingly displayed by their r ... Show More
54m 16s
Nov 2022
Dragons: Is There Anything to This? Or Just Total Fiction?
Can dragons be traced back to dinosaurs? Will Simon ever watch the Hobbit movie? In this episode of Decoding the Unknown, you'll find out the answers to these thrilling questions! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 
1h 13m
Jul 2025
Irish Mythology
Epic heroes, sacred rivers & ancient gods – this is Irish mythology as you’ve never heard it. From Newgrange to the Hill of Tara, Ireland’s myths are rooted firmly in its prehistoric past.In today's episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Anthony Murphy to explore th ... Show More
1h 6m
Oct 2023
Dragons
tail spinning
1h 13m
Sep 2020
Dragons
Before “Lord of the Rings” and “Game of Thrones,” dragons stalked the pages of mythology across the world. The European version became a powerful metaphor for the evils that supposedly stalked mankind. And that's where we get the most iconic European Dragon Story, featuring a man ... Show More
50m 14s
Sep 2020
We Are Not Alone
The world of the djinn is ancient, but where did it all begin? This week's episode explores some of the earlier origin stories about where the djinn came from and exactly who and what they are. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio ... Show More
38m 11s