dragonfly.gif (5488 bytes)dragonfly.gif (5488 bytes)East vs. West

 

 

edragon.gif (22217 bytes)Eastern Dragon wdragon.jpg (17700 bytes)Western Dragon
PHYSIOLOGY: These three species of dragons look very similar, but come from different parts of the world. They are all wingless, with sinuous serpentine bodies, have four legs, and they do not usually breath fire. Most of the time they are shown to have a lion-type main around its neck, on its chin, and on each elbow. They have two antler-type horns decorating their wide-mouthed head, and two long "feeler" whiskers spreading out from their snout. There are three families of Eastern dragons: 3 toed, 4 toed, and 5 toed. Three toed dragons are Japanese. Four toed dragons are Indonesian. Five toed dragons are Chinese. They are shown in the colors black, white, red,or yellow. In China dragons are known as Lung. There are four main kinds of Lung: Tien-lung: Celestial Dragon, Shen-Lung: Spiritual Dragon, Ti-Lung: Earth Dragon, and Fut's-Lung: Underworld Dragon.

HISTORY: Oriental Dragons, have the most recorded history in the world, especially in China. In Chinese history, the 5 toed dragon is the symbol of power, and are considered "Imperial Dragons". Long ago, it became law in China that only the Emperor could have a five-clawed dragon displayed on his robes or illustrated on anything the Emperor owned. It was usually a Yellow dragon, thought to be the most superior of all the colored dragons. Dragons today in China are still shown in parades celebrating the Chinese New Year. Eastern dragons are portrayed as good, kind, and intelligent.

PHYSIOLOGY: Thick bodied, scaly skin, four strong legs, two bat-like wings, wedge-shaped heads, and long necks. They usually breathed fire. Some breeds of these dragons have been known to be shape changers, and others have the chameleon power to change color of their background. They eat but once a month on a sheep or ox, or even a human (myth says they prefer virgin maidens).

HISTORY: When most people think "dragon" they most likely think of the Western dragon. Western dragons are usually portrayed as evil, mean, and bloodthirsty. They were also known to have huge hoards of gold and jewels hidden in their lairs. The most famous dragons are portrayed as Western-type dragons: George and the Dragon and Beowulf and the Dragon, and Draco in the movie DragonHeart. Some stories have the western dragon as the Devil in Christianity. Other stories in legend say that eating a dragons' heart will give the eater the power of understanding birds, eating the dragons' tongue enables the person to win any argument, and rubbing the dragons' blood on skin will protect against stab wounds. Another myth references Vlad Drakul to mean Son of the Dragon, or Devil.The end of the dragon came with Christianity, and knights that were eager to prove their faith. The knights quickly discovered that dragon-hunting was very profitable, and soon most the dragons in the world were destroyed in a very short time. Vikings had dragon figureheads on the prow of their ships. The dragons on the ships were believed to endow keen site and cunning to the Viking warriors. Today the Welsh flag still has a red dragon on a green/white background, and the red dragon is their national symbol.

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