Dragon statue in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Because I’ve been told I’m part Slovenian but know nothing about my homeland, any time I encounter a reference to Slovenia, I’m all over it. I recently found this picture of a Dragon statue in Ljubljana, Slovenia. I don’t know where Ljubljana is, nor how to pronounce it. But since I’m XX% Slovenian, I’m damn proud of it.
I did learn, via Wikipedia, that the Dragon statue is one of four that reside on the Dragon Bridge in Ljubljana–and that Ljubljana is Slovenia’s capital! The bridge is…
…one of the best examples of reinforced concrete bridges and of the Vienna Secession style, the bridge is today protected as a technical monument. It is intended primarily for motorized traffic.
BUT what’s more interesting is the legend behind the bridge and city.
Legend explains the Ljubljana dragons
The story goes that Ljubljana was founded by Jason, the Greek mythological hero who took a crew of Argonauts (which literally means “Argo sailors”) on a quest to find the Golden Fleece. Jason needed the fleece to claim the throne of some land far away from Ljubljana, Slovenia. While on his quest, Jason killed a dragon, reputedly one of the four that reside now on the Ljubljana Dragon Bridge. But here’s the fun part:
According to local legends, when a virgin crosses the bridge, the dragons will wag their tails.
I’m Slovenian, and I’m proud!
