The Dragon's Jaw of Nantes
Location: Parking Viarme, 7 Pl. Viarme, 44000 Nantes, France
Mythical Creatures
by @anton
For centuries, the treasury of Nantes Cathedral preserved a curious relic: the jaw (or skull) of a dragon. Listed in the cathedral inventories until 1773, it was kept alongside the church's most precious treasures. Today, no trace of it remains.
According to the most popular legend, around 1026 a fearsome dragon made its lair in the Forest of Sautron, then extending to the outskirts of Nantes, and preyed upon travellers.
Three knights rode out to slay the monster, mounted on a white, red, and black horse. The rider of the red horse was killed in the battle, but the two survivors succeeded in spearing and beheading the dragon.
They presented the dragon's head to the Bishop of Nantes, who placed it among the treasures of the cathedral, where it remained recorded in the inventories until 1773.
A chapel, later known as the Chapelle de la Miséricorde, was built on the site where one of the knights fell. It stood until the early nineteenth century, when it was demolished to make way for the Miséricorde Cemetery.
Whether the relic truly belonged to a dragon, a giant fish, a crocodile, or another extraordinary creature remains a mystery.
Sources
Part of the legend: Dragons
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