The spear is a phallic symbol associated with masculinity, the fire, Yang and it's present in many mythologies. Its vertical position shows the ascending evolution, opposed to the destruction of time and creation. This weapon collides the snake and wolf into a single Dacian totem, establishing the course of evolution from animal to man and more.

In Christian paintings, the lance of Saint Gheorghe is facing downwards, towards the past, while the lance of the Geto Dacians is facing up, towards the future, like a prophecy.

The Hydra is also another creature that appeared in ancient Dacian mythology and is now reflected in the name of a couple of villages in Romania, like Hida (Salaj), Hidis, Hidisel (Bihor). They can be considered the Dacian alternative to the Hidrasund Norwegian settlement, Hidrolandia in Brazil and Hydro in the US and Canada. The hydra is a huge monster resembling a giant snake with seven heads, that once chopped off grew back from the neck.

There geto dacian flag pole was called Dracones, the snake with a wolf's head we’ve mentioned above, and fixed in a pole made out of bronze or silver. Through an ingenious system, using air currents, the flag pole let out a hissing sound that encouraged the soldiers and scared the enemies, specially those who never heard the sound before.

The dragon comes once again into play, as the symbiosis between the snake and the wolf and its main traits are the pride and force, the image of a true warrior. An important aspect of this image is that the Romans were so impressed with the strength of the Dacians’ symbol that they carved it in stone on a monument that lasts till this day and celebrates the victory of the Roman Empire over Dacia (Trajan’s Collumn). How many times have you seen a conquering army celebrating the courage and symbols of the conquered?

The occupation of Dacia didn't mean that the symbol was extinct, since a number of free Dacians still existed (the Carpodacians and Costoboci tribes) and they kept raiding the area, still using the dragon flags and poles. They played a vital part in the great rebellion in 117 and kept attacking the Roman Empire even in 238, together with the Goths, whose joint offensive caused the retirement of the Roman army from Dacia and eventually the breakdown of the Empire.

Author: Alex Stanescu

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