Dragons, or worms, are present in Germanic mythology and wider folklore, where they are often portrayed as large venomous serpents. Especially in later tales, however, they share many common features with other dragons in European mythology. Origin, appearance and terminology In early depictions, as with dragons in other cultures, the distinction between Germanic dragons and regular snakes is blurred, with both being referred to as Old Norse or Old English from Proto-Germanic *wurmiz. Wyrm has since been borrowed back into modern English to mean "dragon", while the descendent term worm remains used in modern English to refer to dragons, especially those lacking wings. In Fáfnismál, the dragon Fáfnir is described as flightless and snake-like, and is referred to as an . In the later Völsunga saga, however, he has shoulders, suggesting legs, wings or both, and is referred to as both a and an . Similarly, the dragon in Beowulf is referred to as both a and a , although in some sources such as Ketils saga hœngs and the 14th century romance saga Konráðs saga keisarasonar, ormar and drekar are portrayed as distinct beings, with winged dragons sometimes specified as (flying dragons). Old Norse and Old English mean "dragon, sea serpent or sea monster" and are in turn derived from Proto-Germanic *drakō, an early borrowing from Latin draco "huge serpent or dragon". The evolution of wingless and legless worms and lindworms to flying, four-legged romanesque dragons in Germanic folklore and literature is most likely due to influence from continental Europe that was facilitated by Christianisation and the increased availability of translated romances. It has thus been proposed that the description in Völuspá of Níðhöggr with feathers and flying after Ragnarök is a late addition and potentially a result of the integration of pagan and Christian imagery. To address the difficulties with categorising Germanic dragons, the term drakorm has been proposed, referring to beings described as either a dreki or ormr. List of Germanic dragons is a dragon attested in the Eddas that gnaws at the roots of Yggdrasil and the corpses of Náströnd. , also known as the Midgard Serpent, is described as a giant, venomous beast and the child of Loki and Angrboða. is a widely attested dragon that has a prominent role in the Cycle. Fafnir took the form of a dragon after claiming a hoard of treasure, including Andvaranaut, from his father. He was later killed