ABSTRACT
Among the many striking images associated with the Arthurian and Grail romances is that of the serpent or dragon. In a famous illuminated manuscript of 1290 Arthur is depicted in battle under a windsocklike banner in the shape of a serpent (or dragon). 1 Frequently echoed in illuminations of medieval horsemen (see plate 13), this image has some remarkable parallels in the ancient Sarmatian tradition, both in the steppes and in Britain.
