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Dragons ...
Dragons are part of many cultures,
as this brief outline illustrates ...
Asian
Dragons
|
| Indonesian dragon |
Naga or Nogo |
Naga is a mythical animal from Indonesian
mythology, and the myth encompasses almost all of the islands of
Indonesia, especially those who were influenced heavily by Hindu culture
(including Malaya. In fact, the word 'Naga' is a common noun for dragon in
Malay).
Like its Indian counterpart, it is considered as divine in nature,
benevolent, and often associated with sacred mountains, forests, or
certain parts of the sea.
|
| Khmer Dragon |
Neak
|
The Khmer dragon, or Neak is derived from
the Indian Naga. Like its Indian counterpart, the Neak is often depicted
with cobra like characteristics such as a hood. The number of heads can be
as high as nine, the higher the number signifies rank.
Odd-headed dragons
are symbolic of male energy while even headed dragons symbolize female
energy. Traditionally, a Neak is distinguished from the often serpentine
Makar and Tao, the former possessing crocodilian traits and the latter
possessing feline traits.
A dragon princess is the heroine of the creation
myth of Cambodia.
|
| Chinese dragon |
Lóng (or Loong. "Lung"
being an inaccurate, but commonly used, romanization.)
|
The Chinese dragon, is a mythical
Chinese creature that also appears in other East Asian cultures, and is
also sometimes called the Oriental (or Eastern) dragon.
Depicted as
a long, snake-like creature with four claws, it has long been a potent
symbol of auspicious power in Chinese folklore and art.
|
|
|
| Japanese dragon |
Ryū
|
Similar to Chinese dragons, with three claws
instead of four. They are benevolent (with exceptions), associated with
water, and may grant wishes. |
| Philippine Dragon |
Bakunawa
|
The Bakunawa appears as a gigantic serpent
that lives in the sea.
Ancient natives believed that the Bakunawa
caused the moon or the sun to disappear during an eclipse.
It is said that during certain times of the
year, the bakunawa arises from the ocean and proceeds to swallow the moon
whole.
To keep the Bakunawa from completely eating the moon, the natives
would go out of their houses with pans and pots in hand and make a noise
barrage in order to scare the Bakunawa into spitting out the moon back
into the sky.
|
| Korean dragon |
Yong (Mireu) |
A sky dragon, essentially the same as the
Chinese lóng. Like the lóng, yong and the other Korean dragons are
associated with water and weather.
In pure Korean, it is also known as 'mireu'.
|
| Imoogi |
A hornless ocean dragon, sometimes equated
with a sea serpent. |
| Gyo |
A mountain dragon. In fact, the Chinese
character for this word is also used for the imoogi. |
| Vietnamese dragon |
Rồng or Long
(Ly dynasty, Daiviet X)
|
These dragons' bodies curve lithely, in sine
shape, with 12 sections, symbolising 12 months in the year. They are able
to change the weather, and are responsible for crops.
On the dragon's back
are little, uninterrupted, regular fins. The head has a long mane, beard,
prominent eyes, crest on nose, but no horns.
The jaw is large and opened,
with a long, thin tongue; they always keep a châu (gem/jewel) in
their mouths (a symbol of humanity, nobility and knowledge).
|
| Cham dragon |
makara
|
A mythical sea monster with the body of a
serpent, the trunk of an elephant, and a head that can have features
reminiscent of a lion, a crocodile or a dragon. |
| Siberian dragon |
Yilbegan |
Related to European Turkic and Slavic
dragons |
European
Dragons
|
| Catalan dragon |
drac |
Catalan dragons are serpent-like creatures
with two legs (rarely four) and, sometimes, a pair of wings. Their faces
can resemble that of other animals, like lions or cattle. They have a
burning breath.
Their breath is also poisonous, the reason by which dracs
are able to rot everything with their stench. A víbria is a female
dragon.
|
| French dragons |
Dragon
|
The French representation of dragons spans
much of European history, and has even given its name to the dragoons, a
type of cavalry. |
| Sardinian dragon |
scultone |
The dragon named "scultone" or
"ascultone" was a legend in Sardinia, Italy for many a
millennium. It had the power to kill human beings with its gaze.
It was a
sort of basilisk, lived in the bush and was immortal.
|
| Scandinavian & Germanic dragons |
Lindworm
(early Vandal) |
Lindworms are serpent-like dragons with
either two or no legs. In Nordic and Germanic heraldry, the lindworm looks
the same as a wyvern.
The dragon Fafnir was a lindworm.
|
| Speaking of dragons, what about
trying your hand at writing a fantasy novel? Now you can use the same
techniques J K Rowling uses in her Harry Potter books ... just by
investing in this natty little program. When you've had a bit of a look at
the program, don't forget to sign up for their Guide
on Writing Great Prose
and Guide to getting Published. |
| English dragons |
Wyvern
|
Wyverns are a heraldic device in shape of a
dragon with expanded wings, with only two legs and the pointed tail of a
scorpion.
Sometimes they are depicted as dragons with serpentine or
lizard-like bodies, four legs and bat-like wings, and usually have horns
and can breathe fire.
They are generally evil, and hoard treasure captured
from raids on castles.
The dragon that Beowulf fought has been depicted as
a wyvern. In modern fantasy, Smaug, the dragon from J.R.R. Tolkien's The
Hobbit, was a wyvern.
|
| Welsh dragons |
y ddraig goch
|
In Welsh mythology, after a long battle
(which the Welsh King Vortigern witnesses) a red dragon defeats a white
dragon.
Merlin explains to the Vortigern that the red dragon symbolizes
the Welsh, and the white dragon symbolizes the Saxons - thus foretelling
the ultimate defeat of the English by the Welsh.
|
| Hungarian dragons (Sárkányok) |
zomok |
A great snake living in a swamp, which
regularly kills pigs or sheep. A group of shepherds can easily kill them. |
| sárkánykígyó |
A giant winged snake, which is in fact a
full-grown zomok. It often serves as flying mount of the garabonciás
(a kind of magician).
The sárkánykígyó rules over storms and
bad weather.
|
| sárkány |
A dragon in human form. Most of them are
giants with multiple heads. Their strength is held in their heads. They
become gradually weaker as they lose their heads.
In contemporary Hungarian the word sárkány
is used to mean all kinds of dragons.
|
| Slavic dragons |
zmey, zmiy, żmij, змей,
or zmaj, or drak, or smok
|
Similar to the conventional European dragon,
but multi-headed. They breathe fire and/or leave fiery wakes as they fly.
In Slavic and related tradition, dragons symbolize evil. Specific dragons
are often given Turkic names (see Zilant, below), symbolizing the
long-standing conflict between the Slavs and Turks.
However, in Serbian
and Bulgarian folklore, dragons are defenders of the crops in their home
regions, fighting against a destructive demon Ala, whom they shoot with
lightning.
|
| Romanian dragons |
Balaur |
Balaur are very similar to the Slavic zmey
being very large, with fins and multiple heads. |
| Chuvash dragons |
Vere Celen |
Chuvash dragons represent the pre-Islamic
mythology of the same region. |
| Asturian dragons |
Cuélebre |
In Asturian mythology the Cuélebres are
giant winged serpents, which live in caves where they guard treasures and
kidnapped xanas.
They can live for centuries and, when they grow really
old, they use their wings to fly. Their breath is poisonous and they often
kill cattle to eat.
Asturian term Cuelebre comes from Latin colŭbra,
i.e. snake.
|
| Portuguese dragons |
Coca |
In Portuguese mythology coca is a female
dragon that fights with Saint George. She loses her strength when Saint
George cuts off one of her ears. |
| Greek dragons |
Drakōn - δράκων
|
Cadmus fighting the dragon is a legendary
story from the Greek lore dating to before ca. 560–550 BC. |
| Tatar dragons |
Zilant
|
Really closer to a wyvern, the Zilant is the
symbol of Kazan. Zilant itself is a Russian rendering of Tatar yılan,
i.e. snake. |
| Turkish dragons |
Ejderha or Evren |
The Turkish dragon secretes flames from its
tail, and there is no mention in any legends of its having wings, or even
legs. In fact, most Turkish (and later, Islamic) sources describe dragons
as gigantic snakes. |
|
|
Click to read how
to write a fantasy here!
And see some Dragons
closer to home on the Redcliffe Peninsula!
This article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on
"Dragons."
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