What is a Wyvern?

Jon Solo Sebastian 04/13/2024:

I’ve always had a thing for dragons and dragon-like creatures. I have a Japanese dragon tattooed on my forearm that the artist designed specifically for me. I played Dungeons and Dragons when I was a teenager and a few times in my twenties. Video games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the Dragon Age series by Bioware, The Witcher games, and season one of The Witcher series, along with shows like Game of Thrones, and the film Reign of Fire, are a few of my favorite things that just so happen to have dragons in them. Wyverns aren’t the typical large serpent-like creatures, nor do they breathe fire, but they are a part of the dragon family.

Like all dragons, the Wyvern is a mythical creature that is popular in European culture, folklore, and mythology. They appear in many fantasy books, video games and movies. What separates them from the larger more menacing dragons is they are smaller, have two wings, no arms, and two feet. They have a long serpent-like tail with a pointed tip that is said to be an extremely venomous stinger. “Wyverns are to be found gaping menacingly among carved ornaments of many medieval buildings, writhing themselves around the title pages of early printed books, and flying furiously towards nowhere in particular on the corners of the first, somewhat speculative maps.”

In medieval Europe, Wyvern’s were linked to wars and plagues. Smaller than a dragon, they were still feared beasts (if they existed), and they would send common people into terror if one was reported to be seen. Considering they are predatory creatures, they were blamed for deaths and losses of goats and sheep; sometimes blamed for children going missing. As per usual, these types of things can always have a more realistic explanation, but the thought of a Wyvern roaming your lands could keep people in line.

Battling them in video games, reading about them in fictional stories made me interested in learning more about them, but there isn’t a whole lot outside of them being mostly less dangerous, and smaller than other dragons. Like some of the other creatures I’ve covered, Wyvern’s are used as logos for sports teams in Europe, and they still play a prominent role in fantasy storytelling. If I lived in a world where dragons and Wyvern’s roamed the land, I would certainly take my chances battling a Wyvern over a dragon any day. Not saying the battle would be easy, but I think I’d stand a better chance of survival going up against something closer to my size. Honestly though, if you see a Wyvern… run like the wind!