WHAT IS A DRAGON?
DRAGON
Webster's Dictionary: drag.on \'drag-en\ n dracon-,draco serpent,dragon, [fr.GK
drakon;akin to OE torht bright,Gk derkesthai to see,look at] 1 archaic: a huge serpent 2:a
fabulous animal usually represented as a monstrous winged and scaly serpent or saurian
with a crested head and enormous claws.
Tormont Illustrated Encyclopedia: drag'en n. 1. a. A fabulous monster,
represented usually as a gigantic reptile breathing fire and having a lion's claws, the tail
of a serpent, wings and scaly skin. b. A figure or other representation of this creature. 2.
Archaic. A large snake or serpent [Middle English drago(u)n, from Old French dragon,
from Latin draco (stem dracon-), dragon, serpent, from Greek drakon, serpent]
MEMBERS OF DRAGON
KIND
Name : pronunciation
Western Dragon : whes-turn drag-en
PHYSIOLOGY: Thick, long bodied, scaly skin, four strong legs, two bat-like
wings, wedge-shaped heads, and long necks. They usually are portrayed as breathing
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 are sometimes
displayed as having a spade or spiked tail. They eat but once a month on a sheep or ox,
or even a human (myth says they prefer virgin maidens). They can be any color, or many
colors, depending on the breed of the dragon.
See the dragon Physiology page
for more info.
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: St. George and the
Dragon
, 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
consumer 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.
Eastern Dragon : ees-turn drag-en
PHYSIOLOGY: These three species of dragons look very similar, but come
from different parts of the world. They all have sinuous serpentine bodies, have four
legs, they do not usually breath fire, usually shown not to have wings, but are illustrated
to have them which is the Adult Imperial Dragon. The dragons are said to be made up of
many different types of animals of the Earth: the body of a snake, scales of a carp (fish),
head of a camel, horns of a giant stag (deer), the eyes of a hare (rabbit), ears like a bull, a
neck like an inguana, belly of a frog, paws like a tigers, and claws like an eagle. Most of
the time they are shown to have a lion-type mane 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. Eastern dragons have 117
scales, 81 infused with yang, the good, and 36 infused with yin, the bad. This evens out
the dragons temper and personality.
There are three families of Eastern dragons: 3 toed, 4 toed, and 5 toed. Three toed
dragons are Japanese. Four toed dragons are Indonesian or Korean. Five toed dragons
are Chinese. They are shown in the colors blue, black, white, red, or yellow. Oriental
dragons are usually shown with a pearl in their mouth, under their chin, or in their claws.
This is apparently where the dragon gets its power, and how it ascends to heaven.
Roasted swallows are the Chinese dragon's favorite food.
HISTORY:
In China dragons are known as Lung. There are four main kinds of Lung: Tien-lung
, The Celestial Dragon: who protect the places of the Gods,
Shen-Lung, The Spiritual Dragon: who control the wind and the rain,
Ti-Lung , The Earth Dragon which control rivers, and water on the Earth, and
Fut's-Lung , The Underworld Dragon which guards precious metals and gems.
Separate dragons control the rivers of the North, South, East and West. The commander
of all the River Dragons is Great Chien-Tang who is blood red, has a firey
mane, and is 900 feet long.
Eastern dragons are portrayed as good, kind, and intelligent. Oriental Dragons have the
most recorded history in the world, especially in China going back thousands of years. In
history they have a very close link to the weather. It is said that some of the worst
flooding in Asia's History were caused when a mortal has upset a dragon. 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. If someone
other than the Emperor was caught wearing the symbol of the 5-toed dragon, he was put
to death.
Eastern dragons are still shown in parades around the world celebrating the Chinese
New Year with the Dragon
Dance.
Learn more about Eastern Dragons, follow these links!
Dragons in Ancient
China
Fanta
stic Chinese Dragons
The Celestial Dragon
Faerie Dragon : fair-ee drag-en
PHYSIOLOGY: Very small dragons, being only 1'-5' long, any color, with large
eyes, and large butterfly-type wings. These dragons are vegetarian as they only eat fruit,
vegetables, nuts, and so on.
HISTORY: These are the rarest of all the dragon, as only a few have ever been
reported. Some myths might come from some large butterflies that are around the world.
It is said in legend that these dragons sometimes carry faeries from city to city. Since
only a few have ever been seen, the history of these types of dragons are next to
none.
Webster's Dictionary: drag.on \'drag-en\ n dracon-,draco serpent,dragon, [fr.GK drakon;akin to OE torht bright,Gk derkesthai to see,look at] 1 archaic: a huge serpent 2:a fabulous animal usually represented as a monstrous winged and scaly serpent or saurian with a crested head and enormous claws.
Tormont Illustrated Encyclopedia: drag'en n. 1. a. A fabulous monster, represented usually as a gigantic reptile breathing fire and having a lion's claws, the tail of a serpent, wings and scaly skin. b. A figure or other representation of this creature. 2. Archaic. A large snake or serpent [Middle English drago(u)n, from Old French dragon, from Latin draco (stem dracon-), dragon, serpent, from Greek drakon, serpent]
Name : pronunciation
Western Dragon : whes-turn drag-en
PHYSIOLOGY: Thick, long bodied, scaly skin, four strong legs, two bat-like wings, wedge-shaped heads, and long necks. They usually are portrayed as breathing 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 are sometimes displayed as having a spade or spiked tail. They eat but once a month on a sheep or ox, or even a human (myth says they prefer virgin maidens). They can be any color, or many colors, depending on the breed of the dragon. See the dragon Physiology page for more info.
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: St. George and the Dragon
, 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 consumer 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.
Eastern Dragon : ees-turn drag-en
PHYSIOLOGY: These three species of dragons look very similar, but come from different parts of the world. They all have sinuous serpentine bodies, have four legs, they do not usually breath fire, usually shown not to have wings, but are illustrated to have them which is the Adult Imperial Dragon. The dragons are said to be made up of many different types of animals of the Earth: the body of a snake, scales of a carp (fish), head of a camel, horns of a giant stag (deer), the eyes of a hare (rabbit), ears like a bull, a neck like an inguana, belly of a frog, paws like a tigers, and claws like an eagle. Most of the time they are shown to have a lion-type mane 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. Eastern dragons have 117 scales, 81 infused with yang, the good, and 36 infused with yin, the bad. This evens out the dragons temper and personality.
There are three families of Eastern dragons: 3 toed, 4 toed, and 5 toed. Three toed dragons are Japanese. Four toed dragons are Indonesian or Korean. Five toed dragons are Chinese. They are shown in the colors blue, black, white, red, or yellow. Oriental dragons are usually shown with a pearl in their mouth, under their chin, or in their claws. This is apparently where the dragon gets its power, and how it ascends to heaven. Roasted swallows are the Chinese dragon's favorite food.
HISTORY: In China dragons are known as Lung. There are four main kinds of Lung: Tien-lung , The Celestial Dragon: who protect the places of the Gods, Shen-Lung, The Spiritual Dragon: who control the wind and the rain, Ti-Lung , The Earth Dragon which control rivers, and water on the Earth, and Fut's-Lung , The Underworld Dragon which guards precious metals and gems. Separate dragons control the rivers of the North, South, East and West. The commander of all the River Dragons is Great Chien-Tang who is blood red, has a firey mane, and is 900 feet long.
Eastern dragons are portrayed as good, kind, and intelligent. Oriental Dragons have the most recorded history in the world, especially in China going back thousands of years. In history they have a very close link to the weather. It is said that some of the worst flooding in Asia's History were caused when a mortal has upset a dragon. 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. If someone other than the Emperor was caught wearing the symbol of the 5-toed dragon, he was put to death.
Eastern dragons are still shown in parades around the world celebrating the Chinese New Year with the Dragon Dance.
Learn more about Eastern Dragons, follow these links!
Dragons in Ancient China
Fanta stic Chinese Dragons
The Celestial Dragon
Faerie Dragon : fair-ee drag-en
PHYSIOLOGY: Very small dragons, being only 1'-5' long, any color, with large eyes, and large butterfly-type wings. These dragons are vegetarian as they only eat fruit, vegetables, nuts, and so on.
HISTORY: These are the rarest of all the dragon, as only a few have ever been reported. Some myths might come from some large butterflies that are around the world. It is said in legend that these dragons sometimes carry faeries from city to city. Since only a few have ever been seen, the history of these types of dragons are next to none.
