European dragon than with a lizard-like or dinosaur-like body as in later belief (though the dragon of Beowulf does show several features that would later become popularized with dragons–namely, it breathes fire–lives underground, and collects treasure). The most famous lindworm in Norse and Germanic mythology is Fafnir The Germanic stories of lindworms have them guarding a treasure hoard. The Fafnir lindworm guarded earthen mounds full of ancient treasure. The treasure was cursed and brought ill to those who later possessed it. Sea serpents are also called orms in Nordic languages, wyrms in Old English and worms in Middle English. These "dragons" are
Sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology term for a sacred place was . The Proto-Germanic masculine noun , which developed into Old Frankish ('holy grove'), similarly either developed from, or is otherwise connected to, Gaulish , Latin and Old Irish 'holiness'. Another Proto-Germanic masculine noun, or , has given rise to words with a variety of meanings in various Germanic languages, including Anglo-Saxon , 'meadow', Middle Low German , 'bush', and Old High German , , 'grove, copse, bush'; it is cognate with Latin , 'sacred grove'. Scandinavian placenames occur with the name of a deity compounded with , 'grove', or , 'wood'. Sacred trees and