Vintage Austrian Folk Art Scythe Handle Hand Carved and Painted Mythical Dragon

Description

Austrian folk art scythe handle in the shape of a dragon. Perfect piece to hang above the doorway guarding your … more Austrian folk art scythe handle in the shape of a dragon. Perfect piece to hang above the doorway guarding your cabin or chalet. Dated 1939.

hidden compartment: see small metal tab in 3rd photo

31"L x 4"H x 2"D

Local legend tells of the mythical founding of the city Klagenfurt, Austria in a marshy area plagued by a dragon, which made crossing the river Glan a "crossing of wailing" (Klage=lamenting/wailing, Furt=crossing/ford). Allegedly, the local duke built a tower for safety and hired knights to kill it by “fishing” for it with a chain and hook that connected the tower to a bull for bait. After it took the bait, the knights surrounded and killed the creature. The dragon and tower came to symbolize the city of Klagenfurt.

In fact, the earliest coat-of-arms from 1287 shows a mythical creature with the head of a wolf, the body of a bird, and the tail of a snake; this mythical creature embodied the wailing and fears associated with the dangerous water crossing but evolved into a "proper" dragon with four legs a few centuries later.

After finding the skull of a woolly rhinoceros in the 16th century, "proof" of the dragon and the legend was discovered, so the city commissioned the building of a fountain as a memorial. The fountain shown here was built in 1583 from a solid piece of slate from the local Kreuzbergl mountain. It still stands in Klagenfurt's town square today. less