Dragon

From Free net encyclopedia

For other uses, see Dragon (disambiguation).

Image:Dragon chinois.jpg A dragon is a legendary creature, typically depicted as a large and powerful serpent or other reptile, with magical or spiritual qualities. Mythological creatures possessing some or most of the characteristics typically associated with dragons are common throughout the world's cultures. Western representations typically have wings, whereas Eastern ones typically do not.

1 Overview
2 Symbolism
- 2.1 In Christianity
3 Possible historical bases for dragons
4 Dragons in world mythology
5 Notable dragons
- 5.1 In myth
- 5.2 Notable dragons in modern literature and culture
6 See also
7 Further reading
8 References
9 External links

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Overview

Image:Zmey.jpg The various figures now called dragons probably have no single origin, but were spontaneously envisioned in several different cultures around the world, based loosely on the appearance of a snake and possibly fossilized dinosaur and Tertiary mammal megafauna remains.

Although dragons (or dragon-like creatures) occur commonly in legends around the world, different cultures have perceived them differently. Chinese dragons (Template:Zh-stp), and Eastern dragons generally, are usually seen as benevolent, whereas European dragons are usually malevolent (there are of course exceptions to these rules). Malevolent dragons also occur in Persian mythology (see Azhi Dahaka) and other cultures.

Dragons are often held to have major spiritual significance in various religions and cultures around the world. In many oriental cultures dragons were, and in some cultures still are, revered as representative of the primal forces of nature and the universe. They are associated with wisdom—often said to be wiser than humans—and longevity. They are commonly said to possess some form of magic or other supernatural power. In some cultures, they are said to be capable of human speech.

Dragons are very popular characters in fantasy literature and video games today, especially in role-playing games.

The term dragoon, for infantry that move around by horse, yet still fight as foot soldiers, is derived from their early firearm, the "dragon", a wide-bore musket that spit flame when it fired, and was thus named for the mythical beast.

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Symbolism

In medieval symbolism, dragons were often symbolic of apostasy and treachery, but also of anger and envy, and eventually symbolised great calamity. Several heads were symbolic of decadence and oppression, and also of heresy. They also served as symbols for independence, leadership and strength. Many dragons also represent wisdom; slaying a dragon not only gave access to its treasure hoard, but meant the hero had bested the most cunning of all creatures. In some cultures, especially Chinese, or around the Himalayas, dragons are considered to represent good luck.

Image:Stgeorge-dragon.jpg

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In Christianity

The Latin word for a dragon, draco (genitive: draconis), actually means snake or serpent, emphasising the European association of dragons with snakes. The Biblical identification of the Devil and the serpent thus gave a snake-like dragon connotations of evil. The demonic opponents of God, Christ, or good Christians have commonly been portrayed as dragons.

In the Book of Job Chapter 41, the sea monster Leviathan, which has some dragon-like characteristics, is described as God talks about the "king of beasts" that lived upon the Earth at a former time.

In Revelation 12:3, an enormous red beast with seven heads is described, whose tail sweeps one third of the stars from heaven down to earth (held to be symbolic of the fall of the angels). In some translations, the word "dragon" is used to describe the beast.

In iconography, some Christian saints are depicted in the act of killing a dragon. This is one of the common aspects of Saint George in Egyptian Coptic iconography [1], on the coat of arms of Moscow, and in English and Aragonese legend. In Italy, Saint Mercurialis, first bishop of the city of Forlì, is also depicted slaying a dragon.[2]

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Possible historical bases for dragons

Some believe that the dragon may have had a real-life counterpart from which the legends around the world arose—typically dinosaurs are mentioned as a possibility—but there is no evidence to support this claim. Another less common claim is that they are based upon some sort of flying machines possessed by some ancient, unknown culture. Both of these hypotheses are widely considered to be pseudoscience.

Somewhat more plausibly, dinosaur fossils were once thought of as "dragon bones"—a discovery in 300 BC in Wucheng, Sichuan, China, was labeled as such by Chang Qu.<ref>http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s1334145.htm</ref> It is unlikely, however, that these finds alone prompted the legends of flying monsters,<ref>http://www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/dragonabs.html</ref> but may have served to reinforce them.

In 2005 researchers from Ohio State University proposed that primitive humans in Africa—specifically the Taung child—were the prey of large eagles.<ref>Were human ancestors hunted by birds?</ref> Studies have shown that it is possible over several generations to breed an instinctive fear into a population.<ref>Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies W. W. Norton & Co. (2005) ISBN: 0393061310 (hardback); ISBN: 0393317552 (paperback)</ref> This early predation may therefore account for the universality of dragon legends, as well as the relatively common fear of birds, ornithophobia.

Herodotus, often called the "father of history", visited Judea c.450 BC and wrote that he heard of caged dragons in nearby Arabia, near Petra, Jordan. Curious, he travelled to the area and found two living, winged dragons that had been caught and held in an iron cage. He described them as ferocious beasts that would wipe out all of humanity if released.Template:Citeneeded

According to Marco Polo's journals, Polo was walking through Anatolia into Persia and came upon real live flying dragons that attacked his party caravan in the desert and he reported that they were very frightening beasts that almost killed him in an attack.Template:Citeneeded Polo did not write his journals down — they were dictated to his cellmate in prison—and there is much dispute over whether this writer may have invented the dragon to embellish the tale.Template:Citeneeded Polo was also the first western man to descibe Chinese "dragon bones" with early writing on them. These bones were presumably either fossils (as described by Chang Qu) or the bones of other animals.

It has also been suggested by proponents of catastrophism that comets or meteor showers gave rise to legends about fiery serpents in the sky.

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Dragons in world mythology

The ancient Mesopotamian god Marduk and his dragon, from a Babylonian cylinder seal

Dragon carving on Hopperstad stave church, Norway

Saint George slaying the dragon, as depicted by Paolo Uccello, c.1456

The red dragon of Wales, Y Ddraig Goch, on the Flag of Wales

Asian dragons
Chinese dragon	lóng	Lóng have a long, scaled serpentine form combined with the attributes of other animals; most are wingless. They are rulers of the weather and water, and a symbol of power.
Japanese dragon	ryū	Similar to Chinese and Korean dragons, with three claws instead of four. They are benevolent (with exceptions) and may grant wishes; rare in Japanese mythology.
Korean dragon	yong	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.
	yo	A hornless ocean dragon, sometimes equated with a sea serpent.
	kyo	A mountain dragon.
European dragons
Scandinavian & Germanic dragons	lindworm	A very large winged or wingless serpent with two or no legs, the lindworm is really closer to a wyvern. They were believed to eat cattle and symbolized pestilence. On the other hand, seeing one was considered good luck!
Slavic dragons	zmey, zmiy, or zmaj	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.
Romanian dragons	balaur	Balaur are very similar to the Slavic zmey: very large, with fins and multiple heads.
Romanian dragons	zmeu	Derived from the Slavic dragon, zmeu are humanoid figures that can fly and breathe fire.
Tatar dragon	Zilant	Really closer to a wyvern, the Zilant is the symbol of Kazan. Stories differ on whether there were one or more zilants.
Welsh dragon	Y Ddraig Goch	The red dragon is the traditional symbol of Wales and appears on the Welsh national flag.
American dragons
Meso-American dragon	Quetzalcoatl	Feathered serpent deity responsible for giving knowledge to mankind, and sometimes also a symbol of death and resurrection.
African dragons
African dragon	Amphisbaena	Possibly originating in northern Africa (and later moving to Greece), this was a two headed dragon (one at the front, and one on the end of its tail). The front head would hold the tail (or neck as the case may be) in its mouth, creating a circle that allowed it to roll.
Dragon-like creatures
Basilisk		A basilisk is hatched by a cockerel from a serpent's egg. It is a lizard-like or snake-like creature that can supposedly kill by its gaze, its voice, or by touching its victim. In the book, "Dragon Rider" by Cornelia Funke, basilisks are portrayed as being a great enemy of dragons. Their appearance is portrayed as a yellow bird-like creature with a crown of spikes surrounding its head. They are said to have a very foul odor. It is said that to destroy one, all that has to be done is to hold a mirror in front of it and let it get a look at itself in the mirror. They are so hideous that at the sight of even their own reflection they will die.
Cockatrice		Similar to, and often confused with, a basilisk, a cockatrice is hatched from a chicken egg incubated by a toad on a hill of dung. It has a rooster's head and legs and a scaly body.
Griffin		A griffin has an eagle's head, wings, and talons with the hindquarters of a lion (and possibly the tail of a dragon).
Leviathan		In Hebrew mythology, a leviathan was a large, crocodile-like creature with fierce teeth; in the Bible, the leviathan can breathe fire. Over time, the term came to mean any large sea monster; in modern Hebrew, "leviathan" simply means whale. A sea serpent is also closely related to the dragon, though it is more snakelike and lives in the water.
Wyvern		Much closer to a dragon than the other creatures listed here, a wyvern is a winged serpent with either two or no legs (as opposed to a dragon's four).

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Notable dragons

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In myth

Azhi Dahaka was a three-headed demon often characterized as dragon-like in Persian Zoroastrian mythology.
Similarly, Ugaritic myth describes a seven-headed sea serpent named Lotan.
The Hydra of Greek mythology is a water serpent with multiple heads. When one was chopped off, two would regrow in its place. This creature was vanquished by Heracles and his cousin.
Smok Wawelski was a Polish dragon who was supposed to have terrorized the hills around Krakow in the Middle Ages.
Y Ddraig Goch is now the symbol of Wales (see flag, above), originally appearing as the red dragon from the Mabinogion story Lludd and Llevelys.

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Notable dragons in modern literature and culture

Dragons remain fixtures in fantasy books, though portrayals of their nature differ. For example, Smaug, from The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, who is a classic, European-type dragon; deeply magical, he hoards treasure and burns innocent towns. In Anne McCaffrey's Pern series, however, "dragons" (really genetically modified fire-lizards) feature prominently as workhorses, paired with so-called dragonriders to protect the planet from a deadly threat.

Likewise, dragons have been portrayed in several movies of the past few decades, and in many different forms. In Dragonslayer (1981), an intense, fairly realistic "sword and sorcerer"-type film set in medieval Britain, a dragon terrorizes a town's population. In contrast, Dragonheart (1996), though also given a medieval context, was a much lighter action/adventure movie that spoofed the "terrorizing dragon" stereotype. Reign of Fire (2002), also dark and gritty, dealt with the consequences of dormant dragons reawakened in the modern world.

Dragons are common (especially as non-player characters) in Dungeons & Dragons and other fantasy role-playing games.

On the lighter side, Puff the Magic Dragon was first a poem, later a song made famous by Peter, Paul and Mary, that has become a pop-culture mainstay. The poem tells of an ageless dragon who befriends a young boy, only to be abandoned as the boy grows up.

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