Tradition: Norse Mythology
Alternative Names: Dragon of Odainsaker
Category: Dragon
The Myth
A great dragon lay stretched across the stone bridge leading toward the mysterious land of Odainsaker. It rested there with its jaws opened wide, blocking the only apparent path across the river and guarding the way into the wondrous country beyond.
Erik, a Norwegian prince who had sworn to seek out Odainsaker, eventually reached the bridge after travelling with his Danish companion through distant lands. They had passed through Syria and India and then entered a strange, dark country where the stars could be seen even during the day. At last they came to a river crossed by a vaulted stone bridge. Beyond it lay a beautiful plain filled with sweet fragrance, and Erik believed the river to be the Pison, said to rise in Paradise.
The dragon lying upon the bridge terrified Erik’s Danish companion, who urged him to turn back. He believed that no man could overcome such a beast or pass the bridge. Erik, however, refused to abandon his quest. He seized a weapon and confronted the dragon, determined to reach the land beyond.
The dragon swallowed Erik and his companion whole. Inside the monster they expected to find death, but instead they discovered themselves surrounded by smoke. The smoke soon cleared, and astonishingly they were unharmed. They had somehow passed through the dragon and emerged upon the magnificent plain beyond the bridge.
The land before them was unlike anything they had known. It was bathed in perpetual sunlight, covered with flowers, and crossed by rivers of honey. The air was still except for gentle breezes carrying the fragrance of the flowers, and nothing cast a shadow. The two travellers continued onward until they discovered a strange tower suspended in the air, with no foundation or pillars to support it. There they rested before eventually learning that they had reached Odainsaker, the wondrous land where sickness and old age could not touch those who entered.
Sources
Rydberg, Viktor. Teutonic Mythology: Gods and Goddesses of the Northland. Edited and translated by Rasmus Björn Anderson, with James W. Buel. London, New York, etc.: Norrœna Society, 1906.