Western Dragons

    Most Western dragons were described as evil, malevolent, dangerous creatures. This may be because of Christian influences. The Celts associated the dragon with the horned god Cernunnos. What few carvings of Cernunnos survive picture him standing with a bag of gold at his feet, and a ram-headed dragon on his belt. Norse mythology contains many dragons. The hero Sigurd slayed the dragon Fafnir. Sigurd accidently swallowed a drop of the dragon's blood and could thereafter understand the language of birds. He was also bathed in the dragon's blood. This made him invulnerable to weapons, except where a leaf covered a spot (this was later his downfall).
   The Midgaard Serpent, who encircled the world, was described as a dragon. So was Nidhogg, who dwelt in Nilfhelm. Nidhogg chewed on the roots of Ysdraggil (the Tree of Life), causing it to wither a little more each day. The Norns (the Fates) sprinkled the roots of the tree with water from a magical well to slow this decay.