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I've only known or seen "There be Dragons" as interchangeable with "Here be Dragons" as in the context of internet meme maps that make fun of countryside areas. Like this one. However, In a different post on ELL I found an answer with "There be Dragons" in a context I couldn't quite figure out. From the proficiency of the written answer I am assuming this usage of "There be Dragons" has a distinct meaning that isn't an anomaly specific to that particular English user.

"These terms have comparative (darker, fairer) and superlative (darkest, fairest) forms and can be used of people of any complexion. So you could describe a white person with brown hair as being darker than a redhead.
So you could, if you had reason to, describe someone as simply a very dark African-American (though "African-American" is really not very common outside of America). Although it is worth noting that there be dragons. However, it is not necessarily politically incorrect or offensive at all and such terms can obviously be very useful if discussing racial politics or prejudice or whatever."

Community
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Benjamin
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  • What's wrong with e.g. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/here_be_dragons? (Found by typing define "There be Dragons" into my favorite search engine.) – Nathan Tuggy Jul 22 '15 at 05:44
  • The wiktionary article forgot to say how they explain the subjunctive "be". – rogermue Jul 22 '15 at 17:10

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"There be" is not current in modern English. The author is alluding to contexts in which quoting this phrase from old maps occurs. It's a facetious or quaint way of saying "This is a contentious subject and some people may take offense. Proceed with caution." When to use it? Whenever pirate talk is appropriate.

TimR
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If i understand well, he uses there instead of here because he talks about a land outside of where he is so here would not fit in this particular context.

But the meaning is exactly the same.

Also for a more in-depth explanation of the expression you can check here be dragons on wikipedia or as @Nathan Tuggy suggested in the comments the wikitionnary page

seg-s
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Medieval mapmakers used to draw dragons, sea serpents, and various other creatures in dangerous unexplored territory on maps. "Here there be dragons" is a phrase meant to be humorous referring to that, saying that this territory (usually metaphorical) is too dangerous for further exploration. "There be" is a conjugation that is no longer frequently used; it's used here as a reference to the era of the Dark Ages because it sounds old. The phrase is also occasionally used jokingly in programming, usually right before a section of particularly difficult or complicated code.

Deusovi
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