"When the alchemist speaks of Mercurius, on the face of it he means quicksilver (mercury), but inwardly he means the world-creating spirit concealed or imprisoned in matter. The dragon is probably the oldest pictoral symbol in alchemy of which we have documentary evidence. It appears as the Ouroboros, the tail-eater, in the Codex Marcianus, which dates from the tenth or eleventh century, together with the legend ‘the One, the All’. Time and again the alchemists reiterate that the opus proceeds from the one and leads back to the one, that it is a sort of circle like a dragon biting its own tail. For this reason the opus was often called circulare (circular) or else rota (the wheel). Mercurius stands at the beginning and end of the work: he is the prima materia, the caput corvi, the nigredo; as dragon he devours himself and as dragon he dies, to rise again in the lapis. He is the play of colours in the cauda pavonis and the division into the four elements. He is the hermaphrodite that was in the beginning, that splits into the classical brother-sister duality and is reunited in the coniunctio, to appear once again at the end in the radiant form of the lumen novum, the stone. He is metallic yet liquid, matter yet spirit, cold yet fiery, poison and yet healing draught - a symbol uniting all the opposites." — Carl Jung, Psychology and Alchemy, Part 3, Chapter 3.1
The Alchemical Dragon:
"In C. G. Jung Speaking,Jung describes the alchemical process as “difficult and strewn with obstacles; the alchemical opus is dangerous. Right at the beginning you meet the ‘dragon,’ the chthonic spirit, the ‘devil’ or, as the alchemists called it, the ‘blackness,’ the nigredo, and this encounter produces suffering. He goes on to say that in “psychological terms, the soul finds itself in the throes of melancholy locked in a struggle with the ‘shadow.’”
“The Winged Serpent”
The Poisonous Dragon
"I am a poisonous dragon, present everywhere, and to be had for nothing. My water and my fire dissolve and compound; out of my body thou shall draw the green and red lion; but if thou dost not exactly know me, thou wilt with my fire destroy thy five senses. A most pernicious quick-poison comes out of my nostrils, which hath been the destruction of many. Separate, therefore, the thick from the thin artificially, unless thou dost delight in extreme poverty. I give thee faculties both male and female, and the powers both of heaven and earth. The mysteries of my art are to be performed magnanimously and with great courage, if thou wouldst have me overcome the violence of the fire, in which attempt many have lost their labour and their substance. I am the Egg of nature, known only to the Wise, such as are pious and modest, who make of me a little world." — Azoth, sive aureliae occcultae philosophorum, c. 1613 by Basil Valentine
Basil Valentine, through the voice of the Dragon, is describing the raw, unrefined state of the universal substance that is the starting point for the Great Work. It is dangerous but holds infinite potential. It is both the primal chaos and the seed of perfect order. Its mastery requires profound knowledge, spiritual purity, and unwavering courage.
out of my body thou shall draw the green and red lion
- Poisonous Dragon: This refers to the volatile, dangerous, and transformative nature of the Prima Materia. In its crude form, it is chaotic, corrosive, and seemingly destructive. The dragon, ouroboros-like, also signifies cycles, death, and rebirth.
- Present everywhere, to be had for nothing: It is universal, found in all things, yet its true nature is overlooked by the profane, hence "for nothing." It is not a rare substance to be bought, but a principle to be understood. This hints at the alchemical adage: In Stercore Invenitur (It is found in dung), meaning the sacred is hidden in the mundane.
- Water and Fire: These are the fundamental alchemical principles of dissolution (Solve) and coagulation (Coagula), representing the fluid and volatile (water) and the fixed and fiery (fire) aspects of the Prima Materia. The Dragon contains both.
- Green and Red Lion: These are crucial alchemical symbols.
- Green Lion (Leo Viridis): Often refers to the crude, corrosive solvent, the "universal menstruum" or the alkahest, which is derived from the Prima Materia. It is the initial, powerful dissolving agent, associated with the early stages of the Work (like the nigredo and albedo). It can also represent the philosophical mercury in its unpurified state.
- Red Lion (Leo Rubrum): Represents the fully perfected, fixed philosophical sulphur, the final stage of purification, associated with the rubedo and the production of the Philosopher's Stone. The Dragon contains the potential for both.
- "If thou dost not exactly know me, thou wilt with my fire destroy thy five senses.": A dire warning. Without true wisdom and precise knowledge of the Work, attempting to manipulate this raw substance (or inner fire) will lead to disaster – not just physically, but spiritually. It implies madness, delusion, or ruin.
- Separate the thick from the thin artificially: This is the core alchemical operation of Separation (Separatio). It means to separate the pure from the impure, the subtle from the gross, the spiritual from the material, through skilled and deliberate artifice ("artificially"). This is the key to progress in the Work.
- "Unless thou dost delight in extreme poverty": A practical warning. Failure to perform this separation correctly will lead to failure in the Work, resulting in wasted resources, wasted time, and spiritual destitution
"I give thee faculties both male and female, and the powers both of heaven and earth."
- Male and Female (Sulfur and Mercury): The Dragon/Prima Materia contains the full potential of the active (male, fiery, sulfurous) and passive (female, watery, mercurial) principles, which must be united and harmonized.
- Heaven and Earth: It encompasses both the celestial (spiritual, volatile) and terrestrial (material, fixed) realms, bridging the macrocosm and microcosm. The Prima Materia is the medium through which the divine influences the material and vice-versa.
- The Egg of Nature (Philosophical Egg): This is a powerful symbol. The alchemical vessel, where the transformation occurs, is often likened to an egg, containing all the potential for new life. The Prima Materia is the essence within this egg.
- Known only to the Wise, such as are pious and modest: True knowledge of the Prima Materia is not intellectual or worldly, but esoteric, revealed only through initiation, purity of intent, and humility. Pride and ignorance lead to failure.
- Make of me a little world: Through the alchemical process, the alchemist, by transforming the Prima Materia, replicates the divine act of creation. They create their own "little world" – the perfected Stone, a microcosm of the perfected universe, mirroring the "Fiat Lux" within. This also implies the creation of a perfected self, a realized microcosm.
The Black Dragon
The Black Dragon
Death–Putrefaction–Decay
Alchemical Texts
Figure VI THIS SURELY IS A GREAT MIRACLE AND WITHOUT ANY DECEPTION - THAT IN A VENOMOUS DRAGON THERE SHOULD BE THE GREAT MEDICINE. The Mercury is precipitated or sublimed, dissolved in its own proper water, and then once more coagulated.
"A savage Dragon lives in the forest, Most venomous he is, yet lacking nothing: When he sees the rays of the Sun and its bright fire, He scatters abroad his poison, And flies upward so fiercely That no living creature can stand before him, Nor is even the Basilisk equal to him. He who hath skill to slay him, wisely Hath escaped from all dangers. Yet all venom, and colours, are multiplied In the hour of his death. His venom becomes the great Medicine. He quickly consumes his venom, For he devours his poisonous tail. All this is performed on his own body, From which flows forth glorious Balm, With all its miraculous virtues. Hereat all the Sages do loudly rejoice." — Abraham Lambspring, De Lapide Philosophico (1599)
"I am the dragon, venomous, present everywhere, and to be obtained at the smallest price. Upon that which rests above me do I rely, and whoever investigates me within myself shall discover the truth. My water and fire destroy, and by compounding them you will extract from my body the green and the red lion. If you do not know me precisely, you will abuse my fire with your five senses. A scorching venom emerges from my nostrils, which has brought ruin to many. Therefore, carefully separate the coarse from the subtle, and you will rejoice in extreme wealth. I generously bestow upon you the riches of the heavens and the earth, equally for men and women. But the mysteries of my soul must be handled courageously and magnanimously. If you desire to operate in this work, which involves many labors and much wealth, you must subject yourself to the fire of my soul. I am the egg of nature, known to the wise by the sun alone, who have generated from me the pious and modest microcosm. It is prepared by the divine will of the Supreme God, yet granted to very few, even though many fruitlessly desire it. It has been given that the poor may be enriched by my treasure, but let them not fix their souls on perishable gold. I am called Mercury by the philosophers, my spouse is gold (the Philosophical Stone). I am the ancient dragon, present everywhere on the earth, father, mother, youth, and elder. I am the strongest and most subtle, visible and invisible, hard and soft, mortal and rejuvenating. I descend to the earth and ascend to the heavens, the highest and the lowest, the heaviest and the lightest. In the natural order, I am often found in color, number, weight, and measure, containing natural light, both obscure and luminous. Emerging from the earth, I am known and am as though nothing at all, and yet I bring forth all colors to shine, and metals are perfected through the rays of the sun: the solar carbuncle, the most noble earthly matter, by which copper, iron, tin, and lead are transmuted into gold." — Azoth, sive aureliae occcultae philosophorum, c. 1613 by Basil Valentine
“The dragon, a mythological beast, appears frequently in alchemical manuscripts generally, the dragon is a symbol for philosophical mercury, or the Matter that needs to be transformed in the Great Work. In other words, it is another symbol for your self, or you inner world. because the dragon is an animal, it can also be taken for the lower, animalistic nature of man, furthermore because the dragon is sometimes taken to represent the Earth, that is the body. The dragon needs to be killed, and then signifies the stage of putrefaction. that is, coming into contact with your lower nature and transforming it. The image of the dragon was widely used by alchemist, probably because it represented a wild, untamed animal, and thus comparable with the untamed emotions of a normal person.”
- The Secret of Hermetic Alchemy, by Dirk Gillabel
“In a few tales where the dragon is conquered and made tame, he is penetrated by a lance with an iron point. Iron was always regarded a special metal, as it was found in meteorites. As the metal associated with Mars, iron has an active, destructive force. The lance, as a phallic symbol, is the alchemical ‘secret fire’. The penetration of ‘the body’ (here the dragon) with a lance is the penetration of physical matter with the alchemical fire. In the same manner the Greek god of the sun, Apollo, penetrated the Python of Delphi, with arrows, and let the Python rot away next to the temple. Since then this place is called Pytho (putrefaction). Putrefaction is the first phase of the great Work.”
- Dirk Gillabel, c. 1988
The dead dragon undergoes a transmutation. The dead dragon is not an end, but the beginning of the Great Work. From the dead dragon, vapors and volatile substances arise, often seen in alchemical images. In other terms, the earth is partly being transformed into water, it ascends as vapor.
- Dirk Gillabel, c. 1988
Some sources say that in the head of the dragon is a stone, a clear reference to the rough stone, or ‘prima materia’ (first matter). Killing the dragon also refers to a cosmic happening. It is the penetration of the ‘prima materia’ as primal ocean, or primal chaos by the secret fire or the divine spirit. The fiery serpent emanated fire and light into the primal waters. When the dragon (or serpent, as the cat of Ra the sun god cut off the head of the serpent Apophis), is killed, the original chaos ceased and the process of cosmic evolution started. In Greek mythology the hydra of Lerna was also a kind of dragon with similar symbolism. Hercules killed the hydra in the second of his twelve works. The hydra of Lerna lived in a swamp, the residence of primal instincts, passions, lusts, desires. Anyone who gets involved with these emotions gets into a swamp in which he drowns. Therefore Hercules shot fiery arrows (the alchemical fire) to get her out of her hiding place. First he cut off the hydra’s heads, but they grew back. A energetic approach is not the right way. Then his nephew Joales comes to rescue. He starts to singe the cuts with flaming tree trunks, so new heads cannot be formed. It is a systematically, patient, reflective and profound attitude that is required.
- Dirk Gillabel, c. 1988
Dragons in Alchemical Lore
The Hesperian Dragon
In the excerpt from The Hermetic Arcanum, the Hesperian Dragon guards the Philosophers’ Garden, where the fountain of clear water (wisdom and life) flows. This dragon must be confronted, fed, and transformed:
- Drinking Thrice Seven Times: This act symbolizes the repeated purification and harmonization of the elements within the alchemical process.
- Shedding Garments: The dragon’s transformation reflects the alchemist’s own spiritual and material purification.
- ”The entrance of the Philosophers’ garden is kept by the Hesperian Dragon, which, being put aside, reveals a fountain of the clearest water proceeding from a sevenfold spring. This fountain flows forth on every side of the garden’s entrance. Within this sacred space, make the Dragon drink thrice the magical number of seven, until, having drunk, he puts off his hideous garments. Then, may the divine powers of light-bringing Venus and horned Diana be propitious unto thee. *Three kinds of most beautiful flowers are to be sought and may be found in this Garden of the Wise: Damask-coloured Violets, the milk-white Lily, and the purple and immortal flower of love, the Amaranth. Not far from the fountain at the entrance, fresh violets will first greet thee. These violets, watered by streams from the great golden river, take on the most delicate colour of the dark sapphire. At this point, Sol will give thee a sign. Thou shalt not sever such precious flowers from their roots until thou makest the Stone. For when freshly cropped, they contain more juice and tincture. Carefully pluck them with a gentle and discreet hand. If the Fates do not frown, this will follow easily. One white flower being plucked, the golden one will not be wanting. Let the Lily and the Amaranth follow with still greater care and longer labour. Philosophers have their sea as well, wherein small fishes, plump and shining with silver scales, are generated. He who entangles and captures them with a fine and small net shall be regarded as a most expert fisherman. *The Philosophers’ Stone is said to be found in the oldest mountains and flows from everlasting brooks. Those mountains are of silver, and the brooks are even of gold. From these, gold, silver, and all the treasures of kings are produced. *Whoever wishes to obtain the Philosophers’ Stone must resolve to undertake a long pilgrimage. It is necessary to journey to both the Indies, so as to gather the most precious gems and the purest gold from those distant lands. *Philosophers extract their Stone out of seven stones, the two chief among them being of diverse natures and efficacies. One infuses invisible Sulphur, the other spiritual Mercury. The former induces heat and dryness; the latter, cold and moisture. By their combined influence, the strength of the elements is multiplied within the Stone. The first stone is found on the Eastern coast, while the second is found in the Western. Both possess the power of colouring and multiplying, and unless the Stone takes its first tincture from them, it will neither colour nor multiply." — The Hermetic Arcanum, c. 1623
Red vs Green Dragon
- The Red Dragon (Sulfur) vs. the Green Dragon (Mercury): A struggle between fiery and watery principles, symbolizing the reconciliation of opposites.
Red Dragon: Represents Sulfur, the fiery principle of passion, willpower, and transformation.
- Green Dragon: Represents Mercury, the volatile, fluid, and dissolving principle.
- Their battle and eventual reconciliation embody the alchemical coniunctio, the sacred marriage of opposites that produces the Philosopher’s Stone.
The Fight of the Red and Green Dragons represents the struggle between Sulfur and Mercury, the fiery and watery principles. Their reconciliation brings forth the purified Salt, the foundation of all matter.
Winged vs. Wingless
- The Winged Dragon vs. the Wingless Dragon: The volatile vs. the fixed aspects of the alchemical process. Their union signifies the culmination of the opus.
The Winged and Wingless Dragons
- The Winged Dragon signifies the volatile forces that rise and dissipate, while the Wingless Dragon represents stability and fixation.
- Their union symbolizes the perfect balance of volatility and stability, a central goal in alchemy.
Dragon Pathworking
Visualize the dragon as the embodiment of your unrefined potential. In meditation:
Ritual
Ritual Work with the Dragon 4. Create a ritual where you symbolically confront and feed the dragon: * Prepare a symbolic “drink” for the dragon (e.g., consecrated water or wine) and offer it as part of the transformative process. * Use fire (candles or a cauldron) to represent the dragon’s internal flame, which will be tamed and harnessed.
Add Dragon statue or figurine to my altar to remind me of the inner power that I gain by slaying and taming the dragon within me
invoke the dragon as a guardian and guide
Resources
The Dragon in Alchemical Lore https://www.alchemywebsite.com/emb\\_dragon.html