www.seds.org/Maps/Stars_en/Fig/draco.html

Mythological Background:

This constellation is associated with the dragon slain by Cadmus, the brother of Europa. The father sent Cadmus to find Europa who was kidnapped by Zeus. But though he searched for his sister everywhere he could not find her. Because his father has threatened him not to come back if he failed, he left the country and search for help at the oracle of phoebus. The spell of the oracle send him to a far away place where a terrible monster, a dragon, lived, who killed all the men Cadmus had with him. After he successfully killed that dragon, the goddess Athena instructed him to plant some of the teeth of the dragon. Surpised Cadmus obeyed the goddess and the miracle happened: Armed men grew from the soil; Cadmus, afraid of the new enemy, started to lift his armes, when these people told him not to interfere their internal fights. Immediately they start to fight each other. All but five died and these five helped Cadmus to build a new city. This city was the famaous city called Thebes.
(This story can be found in "Metamorphoses, III" by the latin poet Publius Ovidius Naso (43 BC - 17 AC).)
Mythological Background: