The Green Dragon in History and Literature
Lord of the Rings, American Revolution, and Modern Protests
Dragons are popular these days, appearing in Hollywood films such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. With all the sightings and appearances in the media, it's often difficult to remember that dragons are mythical creatures.
Of special note are green dragons, associated with freedom-loving tavern dwellers and activists.
Three examples are the Green Dragon Tavern in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, meeting place of hobbits; the Green Dragon Tavern in Boston, Massachussetts, meeting place of the Sons of Liberty; and the Green Dragon in New York City, meeting place of the August 2004 political protests against George W. Bush and the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Green Dragon Tavern in the Shire
In the trilogy The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien creates Shire taverns, one called The Ivy Bush, and the other called The Green Dragon. At this watering hole, Frodo and his friends Sam, Merry, and Pippin, meet to have a good time, but later discuss the events related to Mordor and the Dark Lord.
Tolkien himself doesn't spend much ink on describing the tavern. Artists who illustrated the Green Dragon include Jef Murray's depiction of the tavern entrance. The images from Peter Jackson's film show a place filled with chatter, singing, and pipesmoke.
The Green Dragon Tavern in the American Revolution
A green dragon also appears in Revolutionary Colonial America, again at a tavern called The Green Dragon. This time, the Green Dragon alights in Boston, serving as a meeting place for American revolutionaries such as the Sons of Liberty. The Green Dragon is often referred to by historians as the Headquarters of the American Revolution.
The name of the tavern evolved from a copper dragon situated above the tavern door. Because of Boston's climate and proximity to the ocean, the copper turned green, hence the name The Green Dragon.
Here in the tavern met the activitsts of the day, including Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. It was here that many of the decisions were made regarding the legendary dumping of East India Company tea into Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773. It was from here that came John Hancock and Paul Revere's plans to warn the American colonists and minutemen of the British march to Lexington and Concord.
The tavern later burned, and is now rebuilt as an Irish pub.
The Green Dragon at New York City Protests against Bush and the Republican National Committee
The Green Dragon has also appeared in modern times. During an August 30, 2004 protest attended by approximately half a million people in New York City, a group of protesters carried a big paper mache green dragon.
New York City officials had issued strict protest rules, and warned the protesters not to engage in anything that included fire. Nevertheless, the green dragon protesters prepared for flames. Here is an eye-witness account in Aran Venugopal's article "Who's the World's Worst Terrorist?" published on Rediff.com news
"I'd been walking on and off alongside a group of anarchists -- mostly gregarious folk ... singing and dancing around a float of a large papier mache dragon -- "
Then the protesters with the dragon were mysteriously replaced by activists dressed in black, with black masks, an anarchist "black bloc." Just in front of Madison Square Garden, where the Republican National Committee was meeting, suddenly smoke appeared from the green dragon's ears, and then flames. Despite efforts by law enforcement, the green dragon's fire burned bright and hot, creating a spectacle and a direct disobedience of the city's rules of protest.
"As for the anarchists ..., they all seemed to have removed their masks and slipped into the crowd, their mission perfectly and anonymously executed."
The Enduring Green Dragon
Thus, though Dragons might be mythical creatures, in reality Green Dragons appear to have real results in the real world. Tolkien channeled his devasting World War I nightmare into the Shire, where the Green Dragon Tavern was a meeting place for friends who were facing a similar slavery and death from Mordor.
In revolutionary Boston, the Green Dragon Tavern was a meeting place for American colonists who saw slavery and death if they did not rebel against the British monarchy.
And in New York City in August 2004, the Green Dragon was a rebellion by protesters, who disobeyed orders that they considered to be unjust in their protest against tyranny and war.
Where the Green Dragon will appear next is anyone's guess.
References
"Green Dragon Tavern." Boston Tea Party Historical Society.
Murray, Jef. The Green Dragon. Illustration. www.JefMurray.com
"The Mystery of the Green Dragon and the Boston Tea Party."
"Republican Conventioneers Met by Giant Protest March," Environmental News Service
Wagner, Eric. Green Dragon on Fire in front of Madison Square Garden. Courtesy Indymedia)
Venugopal, Arun. "Who's the World's Worst Terrorist?" Rediff.com news. August 30, 2004
The Green Dragon Tavern in the Shire
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New York City's Green Dragon
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