Free Online Talk · The Benevolence of Dragons: Serpentine Powers of Creation, Healing and Elemental Transformation with Jason Lahman
Thursday, June 5, 2025
7pm ET (NYC time)
PLEASE NOTE: A recoding of this talk will be archived for our Patreon members. Become a Member HERE.
Ticketholders: A Zoom invite is sent out two hours before the event to the email used at checkout. Please check your spam folder and if not received, email hello@morbidanayomy.org.
This talk will introduce the class Lore of Sacred Serpents: Dragons, Magic Snakes and Other Scaly Wonders with Cultural Historian Jason Lahman, beginning June 22; more here.
Dragons and other mythical serpents often connote dangerous or destructive powers. In Western cultures, they are usually slain by heroes who, in this way, restore order to the world. But there are just as many stories and traditions around the world that celebrate the dragon and its scaly kin as sources of life, healing and even goodness.
In this lecture—a sneak peek atLahman's upcoming class "The Lore of Sacred Serpents"—the benevolence of the dragon and its kin will be explored. We will focus on four key species: the wise elemental dragons of the Daoists that control weather and bring luck, the healing snakes of Judaic and Greek folklore that cure maladies of soul and body, the French snake-nymphs Vouivre and Melusine treasure guardian and mother to kings, and the Rainbow Serpent from Aboriginal traditions who creates and preserves the world. In each case, the serpent is the source of benefit and a form of regeneration—one of the most important aspects of the snake, and perhaps its most potent metaphor.
Jason Lahman is an artist and cultural historian of science, technology and the occult who has taught several courses for Morbid Anatomy.
Thursday, June 5, 2025
7pm ET (NYC time)
PLEASE NOTE: A recoding of this talk will be archived for our Patreon members. Become a Member HERE.
Ticketholders: A Zoom invite is sent out two hours before the event to the email used at checkout. Please check your spam folder and if not received, email hello@morbidanayomy.org.
This talk will introduce the class Lore of Sacred Serpents: Dragons, Magic Snakes and Other Scaly Wonders with Cultural Historian Jason Lahman, beginning June 22; more here.
Dragons and other mythical serpents often connote dangerous or destructive powers. In Western cultures, they are usually slain by heroes who, in this way, restore order to the world. But there are just as many stories and traditions around the world that celebrate the dragon and its scaly kin as sources of life, healing and even goodness.
In this lecture—a sneak peek atLahman's upcoming class "The Lore of Sacred Serpents"—the benevolence of the dragon and its kin will be explored. We will focus on four key species: the wise elemental dragons of the Daoists that control weather and bring luck, the healing snakes of Judaic and Greek folklore that cure maladies of soul and body, the French snake-nymphs Vouivre and Melusine treasure guardian and mother to kings, and the Rainbow Serpent from Aboriginal traditions who creates and preserves the world. In each case, the serpent is the source of benefit and a form of regeneration—one of the most important aspects of the snake, and perhaps its most potent metaphor.
Jason Lahman is an artist and cultural historian of science, technology and the occult who has taught several courses for Morbid Anatomy.
Thursday, June 5, 2025
7pm ET (NYC time)
PLEASE NOTE: A recoding of this talk will be archived for our Patreon members. Become a Member HERE.
Ticketholders: A Zoom invite is sent out two hours before the event to the email used at checkout. Please check your spam folder and if not received, email hello@morbidanayomy.org.
This talk will introduce the class Lore of Sacred Serpents: Dragons, Magic Snakes and Other Scaly Wonders with Cultural Historian Jason Lahman, beginning June 22; more here.
Dragons and other mythical serpents often connote dangerous or destructive powers. In Western cultures, they are usually slain by heroes who, in this way, restore order to the world. But there are just as many stories and traditions around the world that celebrate the dragon and its scaly kin as sources of life, healing and even goodness.
In this lecture—a sneak peek atLahman's upcoming class "The Lore of Sacred Serpents"—the benevolence of the dragon and its kin will be explored. We will focus on four key species: the wise elemental dragons of the Daoists that control weather and bring luck, the healing snakes of Judaic and Greek folklore that cure maladies of soul and body, the French snake-nymphs Vouivre and Melusine treasure guardian and mother to kings, and the Rainbow Serpent from Aboriginal traditions who creates and preserves the world. In each case, the serpent is the source of benefit and a form of regeneration—one of the most important aspects of the snake, and perhaps its most potent metaphor.
Jason Lahman is an artist and cultural historian of science, technology and the occult who has taught several courses for Morbid Anatomy.