When it comes to bestiary beasties, the dragon - along with the related worm, wyvern, et cetera - is overladen with metaphorical freight. Where European mythology is concerned, it's kind of an all-purpose symbol of evil. But one recurring theme is its fondness for hoarding and guarding treasure; this is certainly true of the dragon in the epic poem Beowulf, and the Fafnir of Norse legend is a human (or humanoid) who has metamorphosed into a dragon during his years of jealous gold-hoarding. In other words, the dragon originates in the lust for treasure, so the motif here is inspired by an artist known for his fondness for gold decoration.
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