Firedrakes in English folklore

Lore & Background

Firedrakes appear in various old stories, poetry, and even Shakespeare. In Henry VIII, Shakespeare comically describes a tinker or brazier as a red-nosed 'firedrake', with an extended analogy to a fire-breathing dragon. Around the Renaissance period, the term acquired the meaning of a 'fiery meteor' or a 'will-o'-the-wisp' (ignis fatuus). Lecturer William Fulke in his book Meteors (1563) dedicates a section to what he interchangeably calls 'fire-drake' and 'flying dragon', describing it as caused by vapors ascending to the region of cold, forcibly beaten back and kindled, appearing with a neck, belly, and tail, flying along in the air to the great terror of beholders.

Fulke also tells of an event from around 1515 when a firedrake-phenomenon was thought by locals to be the Devil flying over London. Various poets have used the term firedrake as a kenning or noa-name for Satan or other personification of evil and deceit, including John Gower (1393), John Skelton (1522), George Wilkins (1607), the anonymous 'Tom o' Bedlam' (c. 1620), and George Chapman (1631). Naturalist Edward Topsell in The History of Serpents (1608) writes on the fire-drake phenomenon occurring on both land and sea, and inserts a piece of English folklorical exemplum about a 'fire-drake' appearing before a fisherman and his crew, leading to a story cognate to 'The Pardoner's Tale' in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

Reader's Guide

Firedrakes occupy a unique place in English folklore as a bridge between natural phenomena and supernatural belief. They represent how pre-modern societies interpreted shooting stars and will-o'-the-wisps as dragon-shaped fireballs or sparking streaks of fire, often attributing them to the Devil. The term's etymology, using the indigenous 'drake' rather than the French 'dragon', highlights its deep roots in Old English and Germanic tradition, appearing as early as Beowulf. The firedrake's significance extends into literature, where poets and playwrights like Shakespeare used it as a vivid metaphor for fiery, deceptive, or devilish figures. William Fulke's 1563 work Meteors provides a detailed naturalistic explanation while acknowledging that common people believed the firedrake was the Devil himself. This duality—between scientific explanation and folk belief—makes the firedrake a valuable case study in the history of meteorology, folklore, and religious superstition. Its legacy persists in cognate terms across other languages, such as Swedish elddrake and Russian огненный змей, showing a widespread European phenomenon.

Did You Know?

• The term 'firedrake' uses the indigenous Old English 'drake' rather than the French borrowing 'dragon'.
• William Fulke's 1563 book Meteors describes firedrakes as caused by vapors ascending to cold regions, being forcibly beaten back and kindled.
• Shakespeare in Henry VIII comically describes a tinker as a red-nosed 'firedrake'.
• A firedrake-phenomenon around 1515 was thought by locals to be the Devil flying over London.