Dragons on the official emblems of tsarist Russia

Abstract

Dragon is one of the most common symbols in the world. However, its
interpretations differ significantly in European and Asian cultures. This raises
the question of the semiotic status of such an ambiguous symbol in Russian
culture, which occupies a liminal position between the West and the East.
The article attempts to trace the emergence of dragons on the official emblems of
pre-revolutionary Russia, including princely seals and coins, territorial coats of
arms, military insignia, and commemorative badges. The author reveals several
independent dragon images, which differ from each other in composition,
cultural origin and semantics. It is noted that until the 16th century there was
only one type of dragon dominating on Russian emblems that was borrowed
from Orthodox iconography and therefore had a consistently negative meaning.
The subsequent emergence of new dragon images was a direct result of the
extension of Russian territory in the eastern direction and the formation of specialEurasian frontiers – initially in the Volga region, and then in Transbaikalia and
the Amur region. The article focuses on the cultural artifacts related to them,
depicting local dragons, and identifies their semiotic roots and place on the
official emblems of tsarist Russia.
Keywords: dragon, serpent, symbol, emblem, sphragistics, numismatics, heraldry,
faleristics