All language subtitles for Mythical.Beasts.2018.S01E01.720p.WEB.H264-JFF_track3_[eng]

[ THUNDER CRASHING ]

♪♪

Narrator: THE DRAGON --
A TERRIFYING MYTHICAL MONSTER

WITH SCALES LIKE STEEL,
RAZOR-SHARP TEETH...

♪♪

...AND BREATH OF FIRE.

DRAGONS ARE LITERALLY
THE STUFF OF NIGHTMARES.

Narrator: WHAT WAS
THE REAL-WORLD INSPIRATION

FOR THIS FEROCIOUS
WINGED MONSTER?

THESE BEASTS REPRESENTED

EVERYTHING THAT WAS
WICKED AND EVIL.

Narrator: AND COULD THERE BE
MORE TO THIS LEGEND

THAN WE REALIZE?

TODAY, INVESTIGATORS
USE NEW SCIENCE

AND ARCHEOLOGY
TO UNCOVER THE TRUTH

BEHIND THIS FEROCIOUS BEAST...

THIS IS PROBABLY WHERE
THE LEGEND OF DRAGONS

BREATHING FIRE CAME FROM.

...AND REVEAL WHY OUR ANCESTORS
FEARED THEM FOR SO LONG.

♪♪

[ CREATURE ROARS ]

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

EUROPE -- A MEDIEVAL HOTSPOT
FOR DRAGON MYTHS.

500 YEARS AGO, TALES THRIVED

OF FIRE-BREATHING MONSTERS

INCINERATING ENTIRE TOWNS

AND TERRORIZING
THOSE WHO LIVED HERE.

WHY WERE OUR ANCESTORS SO
CONVINCED THEY WERE REAL?

Reidenberg: DRAGONS HAVE BEEN
AROUND FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

YOU SEE IT IN "HARRY POTTER,"

"GAME OF THRONES,"

"THE HOBBIT."

WE'RE STILL FASCINATED
WITH DRAGONS TODAY.

THERE ARE STORIES OF
DRAGONS TERRORIZING PEOPLE

ACROSS COUNTRIES, AND ACROSS
CULTURES FOR CENTURIES.

IT'S A RITE OF PASSAGE
FOR A HERO TO SLAY A DRAGON,

AND RESCUE A MAIDEN
AT THE SAME TIME.

EVEN THOUGH NOW, WHILE WE'VE
CONQUERED THE ANIMAL WORLD,

OUR FEAR OF THE DRAGON REMAINS.

♪♪

Narrator: WHAT IS THE TRUTH
BEHIND THESE STORIES

OF FIRE-BREATHING DRAGONS?

THE FIRST PLACE
TO LOOK FOR CLUES

IS THE NORSE MYTH OF FAFNIR,

ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS AND
TERRIFYING DRAGONS OF ALL.

ACCORDING TO THE LEGEND,
FAFNIR LIVES IN THE RHINE VALLEY

INSIDE A MOUNTAIN
CALLED DRAGON ROCK.

HE IS A HUGE, MERCILESS BEAST,

WITH DEADLY SPINES, AND AN
ARMOR OF IMPENETRABLE SCALES.

GUARDING A LAIR
FULL OF TREASURE,

FAFNIR IS A BRUTAL KILLER.

ONE DAY, A HERO NAMED SIEGFRIED

DECIDES TO CONFRONT THE BEAST.

HE HIDES IN A PIT
AND LIES IN WAIT.

WHEN FAFNIR PASSES OVER HIM,

SIEGFRIED ATTACKS THE
MONSTER'S SOFT UNDERBELLY

AND ENDS HIS REIGN OF TERROR.

THIS 13th CENTURY SAGA

DESCRIBES A CREATURE OF
ENORMOUS PROPORTIONS,

ONE SO POWERFUL THAT ONLY
A HERO COULD DEFEAT HIM.

♪♪

SO, WHAT COULD HAVE INSPIRED
SUCH A FEARSOME BEAST?

IN SWITZERLAND,
PALEONTOLOGIST BEN PABST

SPECIALIZES IN HUNTING FOR
LARGER THAN LIFE CREATURES.

HE INVESTIGATES SKELETONS MORE
THAN 200 MILLION YEARS OLD

THAT COULD SHED NEW LIGHT
ON THE DRAGON'S ORIGINS.

Narrator: BEN BELIEVES THAT
PREHISTORIC ANIMALS

MAY BE THE INITIAL CAUSE
OF MANKIND'S BELIEF IN DRAGONS.

♪♪

HE HUNTS FOR EVIDENCE AT
THE SWISS VILLAGE OF FRICK.

♪♪

Narrator: BEN'S TEAM MAKES
AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.

Narrator: BEN IDENTIFIES
A POTENTIAL PLATEOSAURUS.

THIS SUPERSIZED CREATURE
ROAMED THESE LANDS

LONG BEFORE DRAGON MYTHS BEGAN.

HE COLLECTS DATA FROM
THE BEAST'S ANATOMY.

ITS DRAGON-LIKE
CHARACTERISTICS ARE STRIKING.

Narrator: BEN THINKS THAT
ANCIENT FARMERS HERE

UNCOVERED BONES LIKE THIS
WHEN WORKING THE LAND.

BUT BEFORE MODERN SCIENCE,
THESE HUGE FOSSILS

WERE SEEN AS CLEAR
EVIDENCE OF DRAGONS.

Reidenberg:
IF YOU'RE DIGGING IN THE GROUND,

AND YOU FIND SOMETHING
FROM A FOSSIL,

YOU'RE GONNA ASSUME THERE
WAS SOMETHING BIGGER AROUND,

AND THAT'S NOT REALLY MYTHOLOGY
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT.

THAT'S JUST RECONSTRUCTING
SOME ANCIENT ANIMAL.

Narrator:
THE LARGE NUMBER AND VARIETY

OF EXTINCT PREHISTORIC GIANTS

THAT LEFT ENORMOUS FOSSILS HERE

PARTLY EXPLAINS WHY EUROPE
BECAME A DRAGON HOTSPOT.

♪♪

THE PLATEOSAURUS IN
SWITZERLAND HAS 6-INCH CLAWS

AND 15 VERTEBRAE
IN ITS TAIL ALONE.

IT SPANS THE LENGTH OF A BUS.

A MEGALOSAUR UNEARTHED
IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

HAS POWERFUL LEGS

AND A MOUTH FULL OF SIX-INCH-
LONG, RAZOR-SHARP TEETH.

♪♪

AND IN ROMANIA,
PALEONTOLOGISTS DISCOVER

A PTEROSAUR, A TERRIFYING
FLYING CARNIVORE

WITH A WINGSPAN OF OVER 40 FEET.

BUT DINOSAURS CAN ONLY EXPLAIN

A VERY SMALL PART OF OUR
ANCESTORS' BELIEF IN DRAGONS.

♪♪

WHAT ELSE WOULD CONVINCE THEM

THAT SUCH CREATURES
ROAMED THE EARTH

AND WANTED TO HURT THEM?

♪♪

INVESTIGATOR DR. MARTA COBB

BELIEVES THE ANSWER COULD LIE
WITH THE CHURCH.

SHE EXPLORES THE
ABBEY OF ST. GALL,

HOME TO ONE OF THE
WORLD'S OLDEST LIBRARIES

TO FIND THE EVIDENCE.

Cobb: I'M REALLY HOPING TO SEE

HOW THE IDEA OF
DRAGONS WAS IMPLANTED

IN THE MEDIEVAL MIND.

♪♪

Narrator: IN MEDIEVAL TIMES,
MOST PEOPLE WERE ILLITERATE.

MARTA SUSPECTS PREACHERS
PLAYED A KEY ROLE

IN FUELING A FEAR
OF FIRE-BREATHING DRAGONS

IN THEIR IMPRESSIONABLE
FOLLOWERS.

SHE LOOKS FOR EVIDENCE
IN MANUSCRIPTS HERE

THAT ARE SO PRECIOUS,
THEY CAN ONLY BE HANDLED

BY SPECIALLY TRAINED STAFF.

OKAY, SO, WE HAVE TWO
9th CENTURY MANUSCRIPTS.

HOW FANTASTIC.

AND THIS IS THE
OPENING OF CHAPTER 27,

WHERE IT TALKS ABOUT
LEVIATHAN SERPENTUM VECTUM,

LEVIATHAN
SERPENTUM TORTUOSUM.

LEVIATHAN,
THE FLEEING SERPENT,

LEVIATHAN, THE WINDING
OR CROOKED SERPENT.

Narrator:
THIS 1,100 YEAR OLD BIBLE

CONTAINS THE EVIDENCE
MARTA IS LOOKING FOR.

THE STORY OF LEVIATHAN,

A HUGE DRAGON-LIKE CREATURE,

PRESENTED AS TERRIFYING FACT.

LEVIATHAN IS THIS
GREAT SEA MONSTER.

IT CAN EAT WHALES,

IT'S GOT FEROCIOUS
SCALES AND TEETH,

JUST A MONSTER.

Narrator: BUT MARTA DISCOVERS
THAT IN SOME VERSIONS,

LEVIATHAN WAS REFERRED
TO BY A DIFFERENT NAME.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE HEBREW
CAPITA DRACONUM IN AQUIS,

IT'S TALKING
ABOUT LEVIATHAN.

BUT COMING FROM THE GREEK,
IT TALKS ABOUT DRAGONS.

"AND HE SEIZES THE DRAGON,
THE SERPENT OF OLD.

THAT IS THE DEVIL.
THAT IS SATAN."

WHAT THIS TEXT IS
TELLING ME HERE

IS THAT THE DRAGON
IS SATAN.

LIKE THE DEVIL, THE DRAGON WAS
OUT TO DESTROY MANKIND.

WE HAVE THE BIBLE,

WHICH IS THE ULTIMATE SOURCE
OF AUTHORITY,

THE ULTIMATE TRUTH,
AND IT IS SAYING

THAT SCALY, SERPENTINE
DRAGON-LIKE MONSTERS

ARE REAL,
THAT THEY EXIST.

♪♪

DRAGONS WERE NO LONGER
THE STUFF OF MERE FOLKLORE.

IF THE CHURCH WAS TAKING
DRAGONS SERIOUSLY,

THEN ORDINARY PEOPLE
DEFINITELY WOULD.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER,
AT THIS TIME,

SATAN IS A REAL BEING,
HELL IS A LITERAL PLACE,

AND, THEREFORE, THE DRAGON,

INTIMATELY CONNECTED
WITH THESE THINGS,

CAN BE SEEN AS A REAL
AND VERY TERRIFYING BEING.

♪♪

EXPERTS ARE STARTING
TO PIECE TOGETHER

THE ORIGINS OF THESE
GIANT SERPENT-LIKE MONSTERS.

BUT WHY DID
OUR MEDIEVAL ANCESTORS

BELIEVE THAT THESE CREATURES
COULD BREATHE FIRE,

AND HOW DESTRUCTIVE WAS THE
DRAGON'S DEADLIEST OF WEAPONS?

WE SEE THE DAMAGE --
HOW HUGE THE FIRE WENT UP.

♪♪

Narrator: DRAGONS --
TERRIFYING MYTHICAL MONSTERS.

MANY OF OUR ANCESTORS THOUGHT
THEY CAME STRAIGHT FROM HELL,

AND WERE OUT TO KILL MANKIND.

BUT IF THE BELIEF IN
DRAGONS WAS INSPIRED

PARTLY BY ANCIENT FOSSILS,

WHAT MADE PEOPLE THINK
THEY COULD BREATHE FIRE?

♪♪

IN THE MEDIEVAL CITY OF LUCERNE,

INVESTIGATOR DR. MARTA COBB
LOOKS FOR ANSWERS.

SHE TRACKS DOWN A REPORT
OF A DRAGON ATTACK

DESCRIBED IN AN EPIC POEM

WRITTEN AT LEAST 700 YEARS AGO.

WHEN I THINK OF
FIRE-BREATHING DRAGONS,

I THINK OF BEOWULF.

THIS IS ONE OF
THE EARLIEST ACCOUNTS

OF A FIRE-BREATHING DRAGON.

Narrator: THE STORY OF BEOWULF
WAS A MEDIEVAL BLOCKBUSTER.

IT RECOUNTS HOW A GIANT DRAGON
GOES ON THE RAMPAGE

LEAVING AN ENTIRE KINGDOM
IN RUINS.

THE KING, BEOWULF, LEADS AN ARMY

TO THE DRAGON'S LAIR
TO SLAY THE BEAST,

BUT WHEN THE HERO
AND HIS MEN ARRIVE...

[ CREATURE SNARLING ]

...THE MONSTER GREETS THEM
WITH JETS OF ITS FIERY BREATH.

♪♪

ALL BEOWULF'S
SOLDIERS DESERT HIM

EXCEPT THE BRAVE WARRIOR WIGLAF.

HE STANDS HIS GROUND
AND PLUNGES HIS SWORD

DEEP INTO THE DRAGON'S BELLY.

HIS STRIKE EXTINGUISHES
THE SOURCE OF FIRE,

AND THE BEAST BECOMES EASY PREY.

THE MYTH TELLS HOW DEADLY FIRE

SHOOTS OUT FROM DEEP
WITHIN THE DRAGON'S BELLY.

WAS THIS PURE FANTASY,

OR WAS THERE SOMETHING
REAL BEHIND IT?

♪♪

COMPARATIVE ANATOMIST
JOY REIDENBERG

SEARCHES FOR ANSWERS
IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.

♪♪

THERE ARE NO ANIMALS
IN NATURE THAT BREATHE FIRE,

BUT THAT INSPIRATION
FOR THE DRAGON

MUST HAVE COME FROM SOMEWHERE.

THIS...IS ARIEL.

LOOK AT THAT TONGUE.
IT'S FORKED.

AND THE REASON IT'S FORKED IS

IT'S ACTUALLY PICKING UP ODORS
OUT OF THE AIR

SO THAT IT CAN DETECT
WHICH WAY TO TRAVEL,

TO GO GET TOWARDS THE PREY.

Narrator:
JOY THINKS THE UNUSUAL SHAPE

OF A SNAKE'S TONGUE
COULD BE A CLUE

TO THE ORIGIN OF THE
DRAGON'S FIERY BREATH.

SO, WHAT WE HAVE
HERE IN FRONT OF ME

IS A PAGE FROM A MEDIEVAL
BOOKED CALLED THE BEASTIARY.

THIS IS ESSENTIALLY A DICTIONARY

OR AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ALL
THE ANIMALS OF THE WORLD.

AND RIGHT OVER HERE,

YOU SEE SOMETHING
THAT'S VERY SNAKE-LIKE.

IT'S GOT ITS BODY WOUND AROUND,

JUST THE SAME WAY ARIEL'S
WOUND AROUND MY ARM.

AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT TONGUE

FLICKING IN AND OUT,
IT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE A FLAME

GOING IN AND OUT OF ITS MOUTH.

BUT, IT'S REALLY,
ESSENTIALLY, A SNAKE.

SO, THIS IS PROBABLY
WHERE THE LEGEND

OF DRAGONS BREATHING
FIRE CAME FROM.

Narrator:
JOY THINKS BOOKS LIKE THIS

PLAYED A BIG ROLE IN FUELING
THE FIRE-BREATHING MYTH.

Reidenberg: WE HAVE TO REMEMBER
THAT MEDIEVAL PEOPLE

MOSTLY DIDN'T READ OR WRITE,

ONLY THE VERY WELL
EDUCATED COULD DO THAT.

SO, THINGS MIGHT HAVE BEEN
WRITTEN DOWN IN BOOKS,

SOMEONE MAY HAVE READ
IT ALOUD AS A STORY,

SOMEONE TAKES THAT STORY,
DESCRIBES IT TO SOMEONE ELSE,

WHO THEN MAYBE DRAWS
A PICTURE OF IT,

AND YOU END UP ADDING

A LITTLE MORE FANTASTIC FEATURES

UNTIL IT MORPHS FROM A SNAKE

TO SOMETHING MAGNIFICENT
LIKE A DRAGON.

Narrator:
MEDIEVAL TEXTS AND ILLUSTRATIONS

PRESENTED FEROCIOUS DRAGONS
AS INDISPUTABLE FACT.

♪♪

BUT WHAT INSPIRED
THE IDEA OF THESE MONSTERS

USING FIRE TO RAZE
VILLAGES TO THE GROUND?

♪♪

MARTA THINKS A CHURCH IN
THE SWISS VILLAGE OF HERGISWALD

MAY PROVIDE A CLUE.

NOW THAT
IS SOMETHING.

SHE TRACKS DOWN A CARVING

THAT INTRODUCED A NEW
AND TERRIFYING CONCEPT

TO MEDIEVAL PEOPLE --
THE FIRES OF HELL.

JESUS DOESN'T HAVE
A LOT TO SAY ABOUT HELL.

THAT REALLY TOOK
THE THEOLOGIANS TO DEVELOP

AND EXPLORE
THIS CONCEPT OF HELL

AS A PLACE WHERE THE DAMNED
WILL BURN FOREVER.

Narrator:
THIS IDEA OF ETERNAL FIRE

WAS USED TO WARN PEOPLE
OF THE PERILS OF SIN

AND THE DANGERS OF BEING TEMPTED
BY THE DEVIL.

IMAGES LIKE THIS ARE
MEANT TO TEACH LESSONS,

"DO WHAT THE CHURCH TELLS YOU,
OR YOU WILL GO TO HELL,

AND YOU WILL BE THERE FOREVER."

Narrator:
BELIEF IN HELLFIRE

AND FIRE-BREATHING MONSTERS
BECAME MAINSTREAM.

♪♪

SATAN BECOMES INCREASINGLY
ASSOCIATED WITH HELL,

THIS PLACE OF BURNING FLAME.

SO, IT IS REALLY NOT SURPRISING

THAT THE DRAGON BECOMES
ASSOCIATED WITH FIRE.

Narrator:
HISTORIAN MANUEL MENRATH

BELIEVES FIRE WAS ONE OF
THE MOST TERRIFYING ASPECTS

OF MEDIEVAL LIFE.

HE'S COME TO LUCERNE
TO INVESTIGATE

THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE
CAUSED BY A RECENT BLAZE

AT A 700-YEAR-OLD HOTEL.

Menrath: THEY ARE VERY OLD
BUILDINGS FROM THE MIDDLE AGES.

Narrator:
COULD THIS HELP EXPLAIN

WHY FIRE-BREATHING DRAGONS
WERE SO FEARED?

NOW WE SEE THE DAMAGE --
HOW HUGE THE FIRE WENT UP.

IF THIS BUILDING CAUGHT
FIRE IN THE MIDDLE AGES,

THE OTHER BUILDINGS WOULD
HAVE CAUGHT FIRE, TOO.

Narrator: THEO HANNEMANN,
LUCERNE'S FIRE CHIEF,

WAS FIRST ON THE SCENE.

♪♪

THE FIRE STARTED HERE IN A PAN,
THEN WENT INTO THE VENTILATION.

BE CAREFUL.

Menrath: WHAT IS THE THING
THAT BURNED THE MOST?

Hannemann:
IT'S THE MODERN STRUCTURE,

AND ALSO HERE, I MEAN,
YOU KNOW THAT IN THE ROOFS,

THAT THE WOOD IS
REALLY VERY, VERY DRY.

Narrator:
IN THE MIDDLE AGES,

THESE WOODEN BUILDINGS
INCINERATED INSTANTANEOUSLY.

BUT EVEN WORSE, THEY DIDN'T HAVE
THE EQUIPMENT OR TECHNOLOGY

TO PUT OUT THE BLAZE.

THERE IS NO WAY,
IN THE MIDDLE AGES,

TO EXTINGUISH
THESE FIRES.

IF A WHOLE STREET
CAUGHT FIRE,

THEY LOST
EVERYTHING THEY HAD.

IT WAS JUST A DISASTER.

MEDIEVAL CITIES AND FIRE
WERE A DEADLY COMBINATION.

IN THE YEAR 1212,
A BLAZE STARTED IN SOUTH LONDON

AND BURNED SWIFTLY THROUGH
THE STREETS OF WOODEN HOUSES.

HOT EMBERS DRIFTED
ACROSS THE THAMES RIVER,

IGNITING THE STRAW ROOFS
ON THE OTHER SIDE.

♪♪

FLAMES THAT SPREAD
AT THE SPEED OF A FLYING DRAGON

AND CITIES LEFT DEVASTATED
IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

MIGHT EXPLAIN WHY PEOPLE
ASSOCIATED DRAGONS WITH FIRE.

Nubia: FIRE WAS THE MEANS
BY WHICH HUMAN BEINGS

OBTAINED SUPREMACY
OVER OTHER CREATURES.

SO, THE IDEA THAT AN ANIMAL

COULD ALSO MASTER FIRE

WOULD CAUSE FEAR
AMONGST HUMAN BEINGS.

Narrator:
TERRIFIED BY THE IDEA

OF FIRE-BREATHING
MONSTERS AT LARGE,

MEDIEVAL EUROPEANS
LOOKED FOR A SAVIOR.

Cobb:
WITH SO MANY DRAGONS ABOUT,

IT'S NOT SURPRISING THAT
PEOPLE WANTED THE PROTECTION

OF A DRAGON-SLAYER
LIKE ST. GEORGE.

Narrator:
BUT WHY DID THEY BELIEVE

ONLY A SAINT COULD
KILL SUCH A MONSTER?

FOR HUMAN BEINGS TO LIVE,

THE DRAGON NEEDED
TO BE DESTROYED.

Narrator:
AND WHAT INSPIRED THE IDEA

THAT DRAGONS COULD
TAKE TO THE SKIES

AND CONTROL THE WEATHER?

♪♪

[ THUNDER CRASHING ]

Narrator: THE DRAGON --
A MONSTROUS DEMONIC BEAST.

IT COULD INCINERATE TOWNS
WITH ITS FIERY BREATH.

♪♪

BUT FIRE WAS NOT THE ONLY WAY

DRAGONS WERE THOUGHT
TO TERRORIZE MEDIEVAL PEOPLE.

♪♪

[ THUNDER CRASHES ]

THEY WERE ALSO BELIEVED
TO BRING DEVASTATING STORMS.

DR. MARTA COBB LOOKS
FOR REASONS WHY

AT THE SPREUER BRIDGE
IN LUCERNE.

A 500-YEAR-OLD ACCOUNT
ABOUT THIS RIVER

OFFERS CLUES TO THE REAL WORLD
INSPIRATION FOR THIS BELIEF.

THIS IS A PICTURE
FROM A CHRONICLE

DEPICTING SOMETHING
THAT HAPPENED HERE

AT THE TURN OF THE 15th CENTURY.

[ CREATURE ROARS ]

Narrator: THE ACCOUNT TELLS HOW
ON ONE NIGHT IN MAY, 1499,

A TREMENDOUS STORM SWEPT IN
FROM NEARBY MOUNT PILATUS.

♪♪

FLOODWATERS WASHED
THROUGH THE CITY,

A HUGE RAGING TORRENT.

♪♪

THE NEXT MORNING,
AMONG THE CARNAGE,

PEOPLE ON THE BRIDGE
OVER THE LAKE

WITNESS THE TERRIFYING SIGHT
OF A GREAT DRAGON

THAT THE FLOOD HAD WASHED DOWN
FROM THE MOUNTAIN.

♪♪

EVEN TODAY, ABNORMALLY
FIERCE STORMS HERE

SEEM TO COME FROM MOUNT PILATUS.

MARTA SUSPECTS
THE WEATHER COULD EXPLAIN

WHY PEOPLE THOUGHT DRAGONS
ONCE CONTROLLED THE SKIES

FROM REMOTE MOUNTAIN TOPS.

[ THUNDER CRASHES ]

♪♪

SHE HEADS TO THE SUMMIT
TO INVESTIGATE.

AT ALMOST 7,000 FEET HIGH,

MOUNT PILATUS TOWERS
ABOVE LUCERNE.

♪♪

YOU CAN IMAGINE THE
DRAGONS OF MOUNT PILATUS

IN THEIR LAIR, LOOKING DOWN
ON THE CITY BELOW.

Narrator:
IN THE MIDDLE AGES,

THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A DIFFICULT
AND DANGEROUS JOURNEY.

WITHOUT MODERN EQUIPMENT,
PILATUS IS INACCESSIBLE,

SO HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO,

IT WOULD HAVE SEEMED
QUITE REMOTE AND MYSTERIOUS.

♪♪

Narrator:
AT THE PEAK OF MOUNT PILATUS
IS AN EXTENSIVE CAVE SYSTEM.

[ CREATURE SNARLS ]

IT LOOKS LIKE A DRAGON'S LAIR.

♪♪

IN STORIES ABOUT DRAGONS,

THE LAIR CAN BE
IN DIFFERENT PLACES.

IT'S ALWAYS REMOTE.

IT'S ALWAYS AT THE
FRINGES OF CIVILIZATION,

SO, IN A WAY, THE DRAGON'S LAIR
REPRESENTS THE UNKNOWN.

♪♪

Narrator:
BUT WHY DID PEOPLE BELIEVE

DRAGONS WERE RESPONSIBLE
FOR TERRIBLE STORMS?

TO FIND OUT, MARTA WORKS
WITH METEOROLOGISTS

YVES-ALAIN ROULET
AND MICHAEL KOPP

TO INVESTIGATE THE MOUNTAIN'S
VOLATILE WEATHER SYSTEMS.

♪♪

Narrator: WINDS OF NEARLY
A HUNDRED MILES AN HOUR

HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO BATTER
THE PEAKS OF MOUNT PILATUS.

Narrator:
TOWERING HIGH INTO THE SKY,

THE MOUNTAIN NOT
ONLY ATTRACTS STORMS,

IT DIRECTS THEIR FORCE
ONTO THE TOWN OF LUCERNE BELOW.

SO, THIS MOUNTAIN ACTUALLY
TRIGGERS THUNDERSTORMS?

Narrator: MARTA BELIEVES
THAT MEDIEVAL PEOPLE

DIDN'T UNDERSTAND
WHAT CAUSED STORMS,

SO DRAGONS BECAME
THE REASON BEHIND THEM.

[ THUNDER CRASHING ]

Cobb: DRAGONS MAY SEEM LIKE

A RATHER FRIGHTENING
EXPLANATION FOR THIS,

BUT SOMETIMES
A FRIGHTENING EXPLANATION

IS BETTER THAN
NO EXPLANATION AT ALL.

A LOT OF TIMES,
MYTHS CAME FROM A NEED

TO UNDERSTAND
THE WORLD AROUND US,

OR TO RATIONALIZE AND EXPLAIN
WHAT WAS GOING ON.

Kerr:
MYTHS ARE OFTEN REFLECTING

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES
LIKE WHY IT RAINS

OR WHAT'S BEHIND AN EARTHQUAKE,

AND THAT MAKES MYTHS ENDURE,

BECAUSE WE'RE ALWAYS
GOING TO BE STRUGGLING

WITH THESE UNIVERSAL
QUESTIONS OF SURVIVAL.

Narrator: EUROPE WASN'T THE ONLY
CONTINENT TO BELIEVE IN DRAGONS.

CHINA IS ANOTHER
DINOSAUR FOSSIL HOTSPOT.

HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO,

GIANT BONES HELPED
INSPIRE THE IDEA

OF HUGE SCALY
CREATURES HERE TOO.

BUT IF THE INSPIRATION
WAS THE SAME,

WHY WERE CHINESE
DRAGONS VERY DIFFERENT?

WHY WERE THESE BEASTS REVERED,
NOT FEARED?

AND AS DRAGON FEVER
REACHED ITS PEAK IN EUROPE,

WHO DID PEOPLE THINK
COULD FINALLY RID THEM

OF THESE FIRE-BREATHING
MONSTERS?

Cobb: THEY BELIEVED THAT
ONLY A SAINTLY HERO

COULD DEFEAT THE DRAGON.

AND THERE IT IS.

IT'S THE STATUE OF ST. GEORGE.

♪♪

Narrator: DRAGONS --
MONSTROUS FIRE-BREATHING BEASTS.

[ CREATURE ROARS ]

MEDIEVAL EUROPEANS THOUGHT
THAT DRAGONS CAME FROM HELL

TO TERRORIZE THE SKIES.

FOR MEDIEVAL PEOPLE,
THERE WASN'T SUCH A BARRIER

BETWEEN THE PHYSICAL WORLD
AND THE SPIRITUAL WORLD.

EVIL COULD INHABIT
A PHYSICAL FORM.

Narrator:
AROUND THE WORLD,

EXPERTS INVESTIGATE THE TRUTH

BEHIND THE DRAGON MYTHS.

IN CHINA, DINOSAUR BONES

ALSO TRIGGERED
A BELIEF IN DRAGONS.

WHAT'S AMAZING IS THAT

CHINA'S DISCOVERY
OF DINOSAUR BONES

MIGHT HAVE INSPIRED
THEIR DRAGON MYTHS

COMPLETELY INDEPENDENTLY
OF EUROPE.

[ CREATURE SNARLS ]

Narrator: CHINESE DRAGONS
WERE VERY DIFFERENT

FROM THEIR EUROPEAN
COUNTERPARTS.

WHY?

GABRIELLE FLEXER THINGS
SHE CAN FIND A CLUE

ON A PRECIOUS ARTIFACT
UNCOVERED IN A DIG IN CHINA.

♪♪

THIS IS A CHINESE VESSEL

AND WE'RE GONNA X-RAY IT
IN ORDER TO FIND OUT

IF THERE'S ANY CRACKS
OR WEAKNESSES

IN THE SURFACE
AND THE STRUCTURE.

Narrator: AT HER LAB, GABRIELLE
BEGINS RESTORATION WORK

ON THE 3,000-YEAR-OLD ARTIFACT.

THE CHINESE VESSEL APPEARS
TO HAVE DRAGON DECORATIONS,

PARTICULARLY ROUND THE HANDLES,

AND SO BY CONSERVING IT TODAY,

WE'RE HOPING TO GET
A MUCH BETTER UNDERSTANDING

OF WHAT THE DRAGONS
ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE.

♪♪

Narrator: AS GABRIELLE REMOVES
THE IMPURITIES,

SHE IDENTIFIES
A VERY DISTINCT BEAST.

NOW I'VE CLEANED UP THE OUTSIDE,
THE DETAILS, WE CAN CLEARLY SEE

THAT THE EMPEROR'S VESSEL
IS DEFINITELY DECORATED

WITH DRAGON HANDLES.

♪♪

[ CREATURE ROARS ]

Narrator: UNLIKE THE FEARSOME
AND AGGRESSIVE EUROPEAN DRAGONS,

CHINESE DRAGONS ARE
BENEVOLENT MAGICAL SPIRITS.

LONG AND SNAKE-LIKE,
THEY CAN FLY WITHOUT WINGS,

AND THEY CAN CHANGE COLOR
TO FIT THEIR SURROUNDINGS.

IN CHINA, DRAGONS ARE
PART OF THE SPIRIT WORLD

AND VERY RARELY REVEAL
THEMSELVES TO PEOPLE.

THEY ALSO HAVE CONTROL
OVER THE FORCES OF NATURE.

CHINESE DRAGONS WOULD NOT
HAVE BEEN BREATHING FIRE

OR TERRORIZING TOWNS.

INSTEAD, THEY WERE MUCH
MORE ASSOCIATED WITH WATER,

RAIN, AND BRINGING THE RICE
CROPS THAT WERE SO NEEDED.

♪♪

Narrator:
AN ANCIENT INSCRIPTION

REVEALS MORE CLUES ABOUT
THE KIND OF RELATIONSHIP

CHINESE PEOPLE HAD WITH
THIS BENEVOLENT BEAST.

IT TRANSLATES AS
[SPEAKING CHINESE].

"MAY THIS HONORED GUI VESSEL
BE USED IN PRAYER

FOR A VIGOROUS OLD AGE.

MAY XI'S SONS AND GRANDSONS

FOREVER VALUE AND EMPLOY IT
FOR A MYRIAD YEARS."

THE RELATIVES OF THE FAMILY
ARE CONTINUING TO USE THE VESSEL

INTO THE FUTURE
TO HONOR THEIR ANCESTORS

AND THEIR DEAD RELATIVES.

Narrator:
THE INSCRIPTION REVEALS

THAT WHILE EUROPEANS
LIVED IN FEAR OF DRAGONS,

THE CHINESE INVITED THEM INTO
THEIR MOST SACRED CEREMONIES.

♪♪

IN THE MUSEUM OF EAST ASIAN ART,

DR. NICOLE CHIANG SEARCHES
FOR THE REASONS WHY.

SHE FINDS AN ARTIFACT
ALMOST 300 YEARS OLD

ONCE OWNED BY EMPEROR
YONGZHENG OF CHINA.

THIS BOWL IS DECORATED
WITH NINE RED DRAGONS,

AND YOU CAN SEE THE DRAGONS'
HEADS RIGHT HERE.

Narrator: NICOLE REVEALS
THAT THE CREATURES

EUROPEANS THOUGHT
OF VICIOUS AND EVIL,

THE CHINESE REVERED
AS NOBLE AND PROTECTIVE.

DRAGONS SYMBOLIZED
POWER AND AUTHORITY.

THEY HAVE CONTROL
OVER THE WEATHER,

THE OCEAN, RAINFALL,
AND SO THEY'RE VERY POWERFUL

MYTHICAL CREATURES.

Narrator: NOT ONLY DID
THE CHINESE LOOK UP TO DRAGONS,

THE EMPEROR HIMSELF EVEN HAD
HIS OWN SPECIAL TYPE.

NICOLE IDENTIFIES CLUES.

SO, THESE NINE DRAGONS
HAVE FIVE CLAWS.

THAT'S A SYMBOL
OF IMPERIAL POWER

AND THE SYMBOL OF EMPERORS
AT THE TIME

IN THE 18th CENTURY.

♪♪

THE DRAGONS,
THEY APPEAR AROUND WAVES,

OCEAN WAVES AND CLOUDS,

AND THAT'S BECAUSE DRAGONS
ARE OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH WATER.

Narrator: NICOLE THINKS
THE WATER AND CLOUDS

REFER TO AN ANCIENT
CHINESE STORY ABOUT A FLOOD

AND THE ROLE DRAGONS
PLAYED IN IT.

THE YELLOW RIVER
ONCE BURST ITS BANKS,

TURNING THE LAND INTO A SEA,

FORCING PEOPLE FROM THEIR HOMES

AND UP INTO THE MOUNTAINS.

DETERMINED TO TAME THE WATER
AND PROTECT HIS PEOPLE,

THE DEMIGOD YU
COMES TO THE RESCUE

WITH A GREAT BENEVOLENT DRAGON.

TOGETHER, THEY DIG DEEP CANALS
TO DRAIN THE WATER,

AND BUILD STRONG DAMS
TO TAME THE MIGHTY RIVERS.

NOW, PEOPLE CAN
RETURN TO THEIR HOMES

AND BE SAFE FROM FLOODS.

YU BECOMES EMPEROR OF CHINA,

AND THE DRAGON,
A SYMBOL OF PROTECTION.

Nubia: THE DRAGON WAS
STRONGLY ASSOCIATED

WITH THE BIRTH
OF CHINESE CULTURE.

THE DRAGON WAS THERE
AT THE BEGINNING OF TIME,

AND THE EMPERORS OF CHINA
OFTEN STYLED THEMSELVES

AS DESCENDANTS OF THE DRAGON.

Narrator: IN CHINA, LIVES WERE
ENRICHED BY PROTECTIVE DRAGONS.

♪♪

BUT IN EUROPE, PEOPLE
WERE STILL LIVING IN FEAR.

SOMEONE HAD TO
COME TO THE RESCUE.

WHAT INSPIRED THE IDEA
THAT ONLY A NOBLE KNIGHT

COULD SLAY THESE BEASTS?

AND WHY WOULD SOME PEOPLE

TRY TO HARNESS THESE
MONSTERS TERRIFYING POWERS

TO PERFORM MIRACLE CURES.

[ CREATURE ROARS ]

♪♪

Narrator: DRAGONS --
HELLISH FLYING MONSTERS

THAT PLAGUED MEDIEVAL EUROPE
FOR CENTURIES.

PEOPLE FINALLY
NEEDED TO BE RESCUED.

IT WAS TIME FOR THE DRAGON
SLAYER TO TAKE UP ARMS.

♪♪

BUT WHO WERE THE PEOPLE
WHO COULD KILL SUCH MONSTERS?

IN THE ALPS, DR. MARTA COBB
HUNTS FOR ANSWERS.

SHE TRACKS DOWN THE MOST
FAMOUS DRAGON SLAYER OF ALL.

AND THERE IT IS,

IT'S THE STATUE
OF ST. GEORGE.

Narrator: THIS MONUMENT WAS
ERECTED 500 YEARS AGO.

IT HONORS THE MAN WHO
COULD FINALLY FREE EUROPE

FROM MERCILESS DRAGONS.

WITH SO MANY DRAGONS ABOUT,

IT'S NOT SURPRISING THAT PEOPLE
WANTED THE PROTECTION

OF A DRAGON SLAYER
LIKE ST. GEORGE.

BUT HE ORIGINATED
A LONG WAY FROM HERE.

♪♪

[ CREATURE SNARLS ]

Narrator: IN ONE ACCOUNT,
ST. GEORGE IS IN NORTH AFRICA.

HERE, A VENOMOUS WATER DRAGON
THREATENS TO POISON A TOWN.

THE CITIZENS OFFER A PRINCESS
AS A HUMAN SACRIFICE,

BUT A PASSING SOLDIER
COMES TO THE RESCUE.

HE NOT ONLY WOUNDS,
BUT TAMES THE DRAGON

SO THE PRINCESS CAN
LEAD HIM HOME LIKE A PET.

THE SOLDIER VOWS
TO KILL THE CAPTIVE BEAST

IF THE CITIZENS CONVERT
TO CHRISTIANITY.

[ SLICE! ]

THE DRAGON'S FATE IS SEALED,

AND THE SOLDIER
BECOMES ST. GEORGE.

BUT HOW DID THIS STORY
BECOME SO CLOSELY LINKED

TO RELIGION AND THE CHURCH?

♪♪

DR. CAMPBELL PRICE THINKS
THE ANSWERS COULD LIE IN EGYPT.

HE BELIEVES THE IDEA
OF A NOBLE DRAGON SLAYER

DIDN'T ORIGINALLY COME
FROM CHRISTIANITY,

BUT FROM THE ANCIENT GODS
PEOPLE WORSHIPED HERE.

♪♪

THIS WALL CARVING SHOWS TWO
OF THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN GODS

WHO WERE CONSTANTLY FIGHTING.

THERE'S HORUS, THE FALCON
HEADED GOD OF KINGSHIP,

AND SETH, THE GOD OF CHAOS,

A DEMONIC NONDESCRIPT
HYBRID CREATURE.

Narrator: THESE EGYPTIAN GODS
REPRESENT GOOD BATTLING EVIL.

♪♪

IN THE MYTH, SETH AND HORUS
FIGHT A SERIES OF BATTLES

TO DETERMINE WHO WILL
BE KING OF EGYPT.

THE FINAL CONTEST
IS A BOAT RACE.

WHEN SETH'S VESSEL SINKS,

HE'S ENRAGED
AND PLOTS TO DECEIVE HORUS

BY TRANSFORMING INTO
A VICIOUS RIVER MONSTER.

THE BEAST ATTACKS
HORUS IN HIS BOAT,

BUT THE GOD FIGHTS THE MONSTER
OFF WITH HIS SPEAR.

♪♪

CAMPBELL BELIEVES THAT THIS MYTH
CHANGED OVER THE CENTURIES,

BECOMING MORE LIKE
THE STORY OF ST. GEORGE

AND THE DRAGON
THAT WE KNOW TODAY.

SO, THIS IS A CARVING OF HORUS
FROM THE 4th CENTURY A.D.,

BUT THIS TIME,
HE'S WEARING ARMOR,

AND HE'S ON THE BACK OF A HORSE.

HERE HORUS IS SPEARING SETH,

WHO'S DEPICTED AS A CROCODILE.

THIS IS AN IMAGE VERY SIMILAR

TO THOSE DEPICTING GEORGE
SLAYING THE DRAGON.

Narrator: BUT HOW DID A STORY
THAT BEGAN IN EGYPT

TAKE HOLD IN SUCH
A DIFFERENT FORM IN EUROPE?

ST. GEORGE WAS KNOWN
THROUGHOUT EUROPE

IN THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES,

BUT NOT AS A DRAGON SLAYER,
JUST AS A MARTYR.

THE DRAGON SLAYING PART
OF HIS STORY GOT ADDED

BY CRUSADERS RETURNING
FROM THE MIDDLE EAST.

WITH MEDIEVAL EUROPE BELIEVING

IT WAS UNDER ATTACK
FROM DRAGONS,

TALES OF ST. GEORGE'S
SLAYING DEEDS IN THE EAST

BECAME HUGELY POPULAR.

THE PEOPLE FINALLY
HAD THEIR HERO.

WHEN ST. GEORGE
KILLED THE DRAGON,

HE ALSO SAVED MANKIND FROM SIN.

FOR HUMAN BEINGS TO LIVE,

THE DRAGON NEEDED
TO BE DESTROYED.

Narrator: NOW, DRAGONS COULD BE
HUNTED DOWN AND KILLED,

BUT THIS WAS NOT
THE END OF THEIR STORY.

DEAD DRAGONS ALSO
HAD GREAT POWERS.

HOW DID SOME PEOPLE
TRY TO HARNESS THEM

TO PERFORM MIRACLES?

IS THIS
THE DRAGONSTONE?

NOW THAT IS
SOMETHING ELSE.

♪♪

Narrator: NOW THAT DRAGONS
COULD BE SLAUGHTERED,

WHAT WOULD THE PEOPLE OF
MEDIEVAL EUROPE DO WITH THEM?

COULD THEY HARNESS THE POWERS
OF THESE MIGHTY BEASTS?

ACCOUNTS REVELED
THAT MANY PEOPLE TRIED

AND WERE THOUGHT
TO HAVE HAD SUCCESS.

IN THE SUMMER OF 1420,

A FARMER IS WORKING
IN HIS FIELD

WHEN A FIRE BREATHING DRAGON
FLY'S ACROSS THE SKY ABOVE HIM.

AS THE DRAGON SWOOPS DOWN,

THE FARMER SEE'S
HIM DROP SOMETHING.

HE FINDS A STONE
COVERED IN DRAGON BLOOD.

THE FARMER TAKES THE ROCK

BACK TO THE NEARBY CITY
OF LUCERNE,

WHERE FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS,

IT BRINGS GREAT HEALING POWERS
TO THE PEOPLE.

♪♪

COULD THERE BE ANY TRUTH AT ALL

IN THE DRAGONSTONE'S
HEALING QUALITIES?

MEDIEVALIST DR. MARTA COBB
IS NOW ON THE HUNT

FOR THE ORIGINAL DRAGONSTONE
DESCRIBED IN THE MYTH.

WE NEED TO APPRECIATE
THAT THIS A TIME

THAT HAD A VERY
DIFFERENT CONCEPTION

OF WHERE THE BOUNDARIES
BETWEEN MAGIC,

BETWEEN MEDICINE,
AND BETWEEN RELIGION LAY.

♪♪

Narrator: MARTA'S DESTINATION
IS LUCERNE'S

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM.

SO, IS THIS
THE DRAGONSTONE?

OHH.

THIS ROCK WAS BELIEVED TO BE
A MIRACULOUS CURE FOR EVERYTHING

FROM POISONING TO NOSEBLEEDS
AND THE PLAGUE.

COULD IT CONTAIN ANY SUBSTANCES

THAT HAVE HAD
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES?

AND WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?

GEOLOGIST BENEDICT HOTZ USES

AN X-RAY FLUORESCE ANALYZER
TO FIND OUT.

♪♪

THE LEGEND TELLS HOW THE
DRAGONSTONE FELL FROM THE SKY,

SO BENEDICT SUSPECTS THIS
COULD BE A METEORITE FRAGMENT.

IF IT IS, IT WILL CONTAIN
LARGE AMOUNTS OF NICKLE.

OKAY.

Narrator: IF IT'S NOT PART
OF A METEORITE, WHAT IS IT?

SO THIS IS
A MAN-MADE OBJECT?

THE DRAGONSTONE
MAY BE A FAKE.

Narrator: BUT IF THE STONE HAS
NO OBVIOUS MEDICINAL QUALITIES,

WHY WOULD PEOPLE THINK
IT COULD HEAL THEM?

MARTA BELIEVES
THAT IT COULD BE SIMILAR

TO THE IDEA BEHIND
RELIGIOUS RELICS.

SHE HUNTS FOR FURTHER CLUES
AT THIS SWISS CHURCH IN WIL.

NOW HERE'S SOMETHING
I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE.

Narrator:
THE REMAINS OF ST. PANCRATIUS

HAVE BEEN ON DISPLAY HERE
FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS.

AND THERE HE IS.

NOW THAT IS SOMETHING ELSE.

HE'S A FULL SKELETON
IN A SUIT OF ARMOR,

AND HE REALLY IS MAGNIFICENT.

IN THE MIDDLE AGES,
THERE WAS A BELIEF

THAT RELICS COULD WORK MIRACLES.

IF YOU PRAYED TO A SAINT,,
AND TO THE RIGHT SAINT,

PERHAPS THAT SAINT
COULD HELP YOU,

PERHAPS THAT SAINT
COULD GIVE YOU HEALING.

Narrator:
MANY CHURCHES IN THE MIDDLE AGES
SHOWCASED THE RELICS OF SAINTS.

HERE IN SWITZERLAND, SIMILAR
POWERS WERE TRANSFERRED

ONTO DRAGON RELICS, AS WELL.

Cobb: SO, IT WAS A WAY
OF DEALING WITH THE UNKNOWN,

OF SEEKING HELP FOR PROBLEMS
YOU COULDN'T SOLVE YOURSELF.

Narrator: FOR CENTURIES,
PEOPLE TRIED TO HARNESS

THE HEALING POWER
OF DRAGON RELICS.

BUT WHEN AND WHY DID
THIS BELIEF STOP?

♪♪

AT THIS MUSEUM IN BASEL,

HISTORIAN MARTIN KLUGE
TRACKS DOWN

SOME OF THE EARLIEST
PHARMACEUTICAL ITEMS

IN SWITZERLAND.

MARTIN BELIEVES THE CONTENTS
OF THIS 300-YEAR-OLD CONTAINER

CAN HELP SOLVE THE MYSTERY.

Narrator: JUST LIKE
THE DRAGONSTONE OF LUCERNE,

THIS BLOOD WAS THOUGHT
TO HAVE HEALING POWERS.

IN PARTICULAR IT WAS PLACED
ON WOUNDS TO STOP BLEEDING.

BUT KNOWLEDGE AND SCIENCE

WERE STARTING TO
KILL OFF THE DRAGON.

Narrator: INCREASINGLY,
PEOPLE RECOGNIZED DRAGON RELICS

AS THE BONES OF EXTINCT ANIMALS
OR CLEVER IMITATIONS.

THE DRAGON'S DAYS WERE NUMBERED.

IT WAS MODERN CIVILIZATION
THAT ENDED IT ALL

FOR THE MYTH OF THE DRAGON.

EVEN THOUGH SCIENCE TELLS US

THAT THE DRAGONS DID NOT LIVE,

THIS FASCINATION
WITH DRAGONS REMAINS.

Narrator: THE DRAGON --

ONE OF THE MOST FEARSOME
MYTHICAL BEASTS OF ALL --

CAPABLE OF GENERATION
HORRIFYING STORMS,

BURNING WHOLE VILLAGES
TO THE GROUND,

AND TERRIFYING THE PEOPLE
OF EUROPE FOR CENTURIES.

THESE BEASTS WERE
CREATED TO HELP EXPLAIN

SEEMINGLY INEXPLICABLE
PHENOMENA

FROM GIANT BONES
TO BOLTS OF LIGHTNING.

THE DRAGON IS AN EMBODIMENT
OF OUR BIGGEST FEARS,

AND BY WRITING STORIES
WHERE WE CAN FIGHT THEM,

IT GIVES US A FEELING
OF CONTROL OVER THOSE FEARS.

Narrator:
BORN FROM THE FIRES OF HELL,

THEY REPRESENT ONE OF MAN'S
GREATEST ENEMIES

THAT ONLY OUR
SUPERHEROES CAN KILL.

♪♪

IT'S THE DRAGON'S POWER,
STRENGTH, AND SAVAGE BEAUTY

THAT STILL FASCINATES US TODAY.

AND WHY THEIR MYTH
WILL NEVER DIE.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪