Graoully. Dragon visionary experience alchemist, symbol chthonic aerial principle.The Graoully of Metz gift of communicating with certain animals. an iconic building was erected where the monster once stood: Metz Cathedral had found its home.

Metz is an absolutely remarkable city. Its history is rich and was marked by different eras, each more exciting than the next. Its architectural style makes it one of the most beautiful cities in France. Its folklore and customs make it a cultural center that is still very much alive.

In short, the city of Metz has something to interest.

Far from being purely historical, the various information that we are going to see here will all be important for understanding the legend of Graoully...

An influential city of antiquity!
If we look back several centuries in the past, to the time of the Romans to be exact, we see that the city of Metz was built on an old oppidum of the Gallic tribe of Médiomatriques. The site was in fact at the crossroads of the Trêves-Lyon and Strasbourg-Reims routes. To put it simply, the territory of this Celtic people includes part of the Grand Est, the country of Messin wedged between the Rhine and the Moselle

Quickly, Metz became an economic hub of the region, welcoming up to 40,000 inhabitants and thus becoming one of the largest cities in Gaul.

Due to its character as a crossroads in the heart of the country, Metz was notably influenced by a whole host of new ideas…

In French folklore, the Graoully (spelled as Graouli, Graouilly, Graouille or Graully) is a creature with the appearance of a dragon. According to legend, it lived in the arena of the Roman amphitheater in Metz, France. Legends state that Saint Clement of Metz fought against Graoully and vanquished the beast. It is believed that the word Graoully derives from the French word "grouiller" meaning "swarm". This has been attributed to the myth that the dragon and the large serpents were like a swarm in the amphitheater. Other origins suggested for the name include the German word "gräulich", which can mean "grayish" or "horrible". The closest English synonym it has is "gruesome" or "macabre". It has been proposed that the word "graula" may have been the origin of the name. It was commonly used in fourteenth century French as a synonym for raven, especially when used to describe ravens as a bad omen. The legend of St. Clement inspired several other legends of dragonslayer Saints. One idea in particular would forever change the face of Europe: Christianity. At the time, Metz was home to one of the first Christian communities in the region.

A well-known man also helped in the conversion of the city. We are talking here about Bishop Saint-Clément, the legendary hero who managed to defeat the Graoully.

Between historical facts and popular legends, it is quite difficult to discern the true from the false about this character who has become semi-legendary.

In short, later in the 5th century, the city was taken by the Franks who installed part of their political authorities there following their annexation. When the empire of Charlemagne broke up between his three sons, the kingdom of Lotharingia (one of the three Frankish kingdoms) made Metz its capital, thereby marking the influence of the city during the centuries to come.

Throughout the medieval period, Metz belonged to the Holy Roman Empire under the special status of "free city". This particular form of organization allowed the city to prosper while retaining its cultural and political particularities.

The Germanic influence was in fact so important at the time that the very name of the creature that interests us today was marked with it: “Graoully” would seem to derive from “gräulich”, which means “terrifying” in German. While Graoully became a symbol of Metz and remains one of the major symbols used by a number of major establishments in the city. Graoully was also used in the local Oscan Games from the twelfth century till the start of the French Revolution. A procession with an effigy of the dragon was held in the city till the nineteenth century. It started in the eleventh century when three banners were carried in the procession of Saint Mark during Rogation days. One of these depicted a dragon's head. During the following century, an effigy of the dragon was constructed and paraded along with the banner. Later on a huge Graoully effigy was used instead of the banners. The French Renaissance writer François Rabelais described the Graoully's effigy during a procession of the sixteenth century: It was a monstrous, hideous effigy, terrifying for small children, with eyes bigger than the stomach, and a head bigger than the rest of the body, with horrific, wide jaws and lots of teeth which were made to clash by the use of a cord, making terrible noises as if the dragon of Saint Clement was actually in Metz.

— François Rabelais, The Fourth Book The Graoully of Metz also possessed the gift of communicating with certain animals, in particular the venomous snakes which lived near him in large numbers, spitting their deadly venom in the face of anyone who dared approach.
The construction of the effigy continued to evolve and in the 18th century, it was constructed as a canvas figure filled with hay and twelve feet high. The jaws did not move, and the forked tongue ended with points of iron. Every baker in front of whom the procession passed, picked up a half-pound white bun and gave it to the bearer of the dragon. A number of writers have stated that the legend of the Graoully is a symbol of Christianity's victory over paganism, with Saint Clement representing religion and paganism represented by the harmful dragon. The oldest known sculpture to date is located at 10 rue Chêvremont, on the maison du serpent. There is also a representation of Graoully on a house in the rue de la Marne in Sarrebourg and in a room in the Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg.[5] A depiction of Graoully from the 16th century is in the crypt in the cathedral of the Saint-Etienne.[6] Another sculpture is suspended in mid-air on Taison street, near the cathedral. The name of the Rue Taison is traced back to a warning from the Graoully: "Taisons, taisons nous, voilà le Graoully qui passe" ( Be silent leave the Graoully alone ). Supposedly Saint Clement had uttered spoken the words "taisons-nous" on his entry into the city. The Groully is also featured on the coats of arms of FC Metz.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graoully

EXPLANATION OF THE GRAOULLY LEGEND
The legend of Graoully as such follows a rather classic narrative pattern.

During the 3ᵉ century therefore, a monstrous creature appeared overnight in the middle of the amphitheater of the city of Metz.

Curious at first, children who lived next door decided to go see what was going on. It cost them their lives: the terrible beast blew out a huge spray of fire, cooking the little ones on the spot, then crunching them with a powerful blow of its scaly jaw.

Many venomous snakes added to the presence of Graoully, no longer any inhabitant dared to pass through the district, and some even began to express the idea of abandoning the city.

Touched by the distress of the city, a Christian bishop living in Rome decided to come and lend a hand to the inhabitants: as you can imagine, we are indeed talking about Saint Clement here.

He then met a delegation from the city and offered them this simple deal: if the inhabitants agreed to be baptized, he would find a way to rid Metz of the threat hanging over them.

When he arrived in front of the Graoully, the brave man stared the dragon straight in the eye. The monster was so surprised that a simple man could stand up to him that he was amazed for a few moments.

This left the brave bishop with the opportunity to throw his shawl around his neck, then holding the head of the beast which, roaring with fiery flames, could not however touch the hero.

Saint Clément then dragged the beast to the Seille (a river that crosses the city of Metz). By reaction of the Graoully's skin or by divine action, the fact is that the water began to boil.

Being too fat to run away (remember, the Graoully can't walk), he slowly sank to the bottom of the Seille, so that the people of Messins would never hear of him again.

To celebrate its demise, an iconic building was erected where the monster once stood: Metz Cathedral had found its home.

THE PLACE OF THE DRAGON IN THE CHRISTIAN IMAGINARY
The dragon is a very complex symbol that has long fascinated Christians.

Halfway between a snake, a bird and a lion, the dragon is generally associated with evil. This is verified in our case with the figure of Graoully de Metz.

In fact, there are dozens and dozens of knight stories altogether that feature pious heroes prey to evil dragons.

For historians, this undoubtedly stems from the place occupied by these beasts in the Bible. Most notably, there are two creatures in the description that match our idea of dragons.

The first, known as "Leviathan", serves to express the power of God and to remind men that they are far from being the most powerful:

“Flames shoot out of his mouth, sparks of fire escape from it. 12 Smoke issues from his nostrils, as from a boiling pot or an overheated cauldron. 13 Its breath kindles coals, out of its mouth comes a flame. 14 Strength lies in his neck. In front of him we leap in terror. -Job 41:11-14

The second is found in the Book of Revelation and is neither more nor less than a representation of the great accuser. More particularly, the dragon of the Apocalypse will show the material power of violence of the devil:

“Another sign appeared in the sky; it was a great fire-red dragon, which had seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads seven diadems. Its tail dragged a third of the stars from the sky and threw them to the earth. The dragon placed himself in front of the woman who was about to give birth, in order to devour her child as soon as it was born. - Revelation 12:3-4

A FIGHT BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL
This idea can be guessed when we see the place of dragons (and a fortiori of Graoully) in the Bible: the struggle of the hero against the beast symbolizes that of good against evil.

By “slaying the dragon,” the ideal knight simply slays the sins that lived within him.

Sometimes also, the fight against dragons will serve as an allegory for the conquest of new territories, or the acquisition of treasures (whether material or spiritual).

As a general rule, however, the correct interpretation will be that of the fight against evil.

If we place ourselves in the historical context of the city, we can go further and link the legend of Graoully de Metz to his evangelization.

The dragon symbolizes the visionary experience of the alchemist as he works in his laboratory and “theorizes.” The dragon in itself is a monstrum—a symbol combining the chthonic principle of the serpent and the aerial principle of the bird.
Before the arrival of Saint Clement, the inhabitants indeed followed ancient pagan religions (whether Gallic or Roman), therefore living a form of sin.

From a Christian point of view, and particularly for medieval authors, this can very well be seen as an evil worthy of being represented by a dragon.

By overcoming Graoully, the hero of our story would thus achieve victory over the beliefs of the past.

When in addition we know that our monster lived in the middle of a building emblematic of Roman power (the amphitheater) and that he could not move (allegory of immobility and the weight of habits), everything becomes clear and the deeper meaning of the legend seems to be revealed.

la-porte-du-bonheur.com/blogs/blog/la-legende-du-graoully...

Alchemy Dragon
In alchemical symbolism dragons are associated with fire and the primal chaotic material. The Western concept of dragons is to portray them as fire animals spewing fire. Something to be hated, feared, and destroyed. However, in the Far East these negative traits are minimized and the symbolism is ambivalent. In iconography, for example, two dragons are depicted as facing each other, and especially in European and Islamic hermeticism this confrontation is depicted as being similar to the serpents of the caduceus. This is the neutralization of opposing tendencies, of alchemical sulfur and mercury; while immanent, undeveloped nature is portrayed as in the ouroboros, the dragon biting its tail.
Even in the Far East the dragon possesses different aspects, in that it is simultaneously a creature of water, of Earth, of the underworld, and of the shy. This makes it akin to the Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec, plumed serpent. Symbolism from Carl G. Jung’s Mysterium Coniunctions: Dragon is personification of Sulphur and is by far the male element. Since the dragon is said to impregnate himself by swallowing his tail, then the tail is the male organ and the mouth is the female organ. The dragon consumes its entire body into his head. Thus, partaking of his most dangerous and evil nature turning it into the inner fire of Mercury.

This evil dragon nature which sulphur shares is frequently called the «dragon’s head» (caput dragonis), which is a «most pernicious poison,» a poisonous vapor breathed out by the flying dragon.

However, the «winged dragon» that stands for quicksilver becomes a poison-breathing monster only after it unites with the «wingless dragon» which corresponds to sulphur.

In psychological terms these two dragons represent the opposites; the winged dragon tries to prevent the wingless dragon from flying. They are always in confrontation until the wingless dragon flies, symbolizing the conquering of an obstacle, or obstacles, preventing total individualization.

In other words, the winged dragon represents personal obstacles that must be overcome to insure a more-perfect being; thus, leading to the saying: «You conquer the dragon or he will conquer you.» A.G.H.

www.themystica.com/dragon/

Taken on: August 23, 2023

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