Myth and Legends on Dragons

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CHINESE DRAGONS There are many ways to organize all of the Chinese dragons. In the oriental tradition of opposites, the dragon is correlated with the masculine yang power while the phoenix, the bird of rebirth, is associated with the feminine yin force. The Chinese dragon like the Indian Naga's, are often associated with water and rain and lakes and rivers. And so dragons are not as the European model of destruction but are instead life-giving, honored and very powerful. Most often these dragons are associated with royalty and the emperors are closely aligned with the image of dragon. Before history began, China's first emperor, Fu Hsi was said to have a dragons tail and his successor, Shen Nung, was said to have a dragon as father. The Imperial Dragon or lung has five claws instead of four. The ordinary dragon or mang depicts temporal power instead of spiritual prowess. The lung, or Dragon King issued orders for the Emperor by moving in four directions simultaneously. The fifth direction (in connection with the fifth claw) is the center where he remains. Even into recent times dragons pervade within the body and movements of the emperor. There is the Dragon Throne, Dragons pace (the Emperors stately stride), Dragon face (his visage), and Dragons Pearl (the Emperors words). When an Emperor died it was said that he had ascended to heaven on the back of a Dragon. The T'ien Lung, or Celestial Dragon lives in the sky and guards the gods to keep them from falling out of the clouds. The Fu-tsang guards hidden treasure. WELSH DRAGONS Wales is symbolized by a red dragon. In the Mabinogion the tale of Lludd and Llewelys speaks of the struggle between this red dragon and the white dragon. It was long ago in the days of the Saxon invasions that this story takes place and it is no wonder that the white dragon is the invader, the Saxons, come to battle the red. As the symbolic struggle comes to a close, the two opposing dragons become drunk with mead. It is in this drunken state that they are both buried in a large stone coffin and placed to rest in the center of the island of Britain. The story goes that so long as the pair remain buried beneath Oxford the island will be protected from invasion. The dual burial is a symbol of the latent power within the combined strength of the Anglo-Saxons people. Therefore the double burial is key to their reconciliation. The bloody relations have been calmed and the dragons wait to rise together in protection of the island. THE ETHIOPIAN DRAGON It has been reputed that several dragons have lived on the coast of Ethiopia from time to time. These huge monsters were reported to be twenty cubits in length (over 30 ft. long!) and had two or sometimes four wings. These dragons were both feared and held in awe for their skill at killing elephants. It was only when the ready supply of food on the coast was exhausted that the dragons would search further afield for nourishment. And so the four or five dragons of this variety would twist themselves together like a rope before setting off to Arabia with their heads held high. It is from the brain of the Ethiopian dragon that the stone, Dracontias is derived. This magical stone could make a house prosperous and healthy. Unfortunately it would only work if taken from a living dragon. This, as you might well imagine, was a tricky process. It was necessary to prepare a special drugged grass to fool the dragon into eating. Cunning and grass were the only tools used in this dangerous adventure. GREEK DRAGONS Myths are fun and entertaining for us to read today but in the ancient days, it played a vital role in shaping the ways of their lives. Myths are the product of their huge imaginations and they are used as explanations for unpredictable events and phenomenon. The gods are the personification of perfect humans. The Greek gods were described to hold to power to everyone and everything. They control your life in every way including love and luck. Anger the gods and you will know their wrath. The myths are not only just entertaining stories but they also have a moral to them. The stories are passed down from generation to generations through story telling. They teach lessons to those who understands the myths and they are just mere entertaining stories to those who doesn't understand them as well. They could also be as stories to scare the little children. Mythological creatures with many different heads ran around eating up humans. Each one of the stories has their own meaning and morals. It all depends on what you make of it. MIDDLE AGES DRAGONS According to a legend of the Middle Ages there once lived in a distant pagan land a dreadful monster called a dragon. The flapping of its great bat like wings could be heard for miles around. With a single blow of its terrible claws it could fell an ox. From its nostrils came clouds of smoke and flame that brought death to those who breathed it. Every year a young girl was offered to it to prevent it from rushing upon the city and destroying all the inhabitants. One year the lot fell to Princess Sabra, daughter of the king. She was saved by the valiant St. George, youngest and bravest of the seven champions of Christendom. With his magic sword Ascalon, he wounded the monster so badly that the princess was able to put her sash about its head and lead it to the marketplace of the town. There St. George slew it with one blow. Won over to the Christian faith by this deed of its champion, the people were baptized. LEGENDS DRAGONS There are so many myths and legends about dragons or that include dragons in their tales. Here's just a few samplings of those mythical names from history, and even some that still apply today. Some of the items listed in this index link to an expanded version of the legend. You can click on the items with the underlined names to read more about their lore and myth. Apocalyptic beast. ~ {Biblical - Book of Revelation} A creature mentioned in the Book of Revelation in the Bible. It has two horns, speaks like a dragon, and bears the mystical number of the devil. Cadmus ~ {Greek} The brother of Europa in Greek mythology; sowed dragon's teeth which became men who helped him create city of Thebes. Cecrops ~ {Greek} The mythical founder of Athens; first king of Attica; represented as half human, half dragon; credited with inventing writing and establishing marriage and burial customs. Drachenfels ~ {Germany} Dragon's rock; a mountain in Germany, 10 mi (16 km) s.e. of Bonn, on the Rhine River, 1,065 ft high (325 m); medieval ruins on its crest. Draco ~ {Greek} A constellation in the north containing the star of the north pole of the ecliptic. Legend states this constellation was named after the Athenian statesman and lawgiver Draco or Dracon, who's harsh code of laws were extremely severe and often times cruel. Fafnir ~ {Norse mythology} A dragon; guardian of the treasure later known as the Nibelung hoard. Gram ~ {Norse mythology} A magical sword used by Siegfried to slay the dragon Fafnir. Hydra ~ {Greek mythology} A gigantic monster resembling a dragon with several heads (usually nine, though the number varies), the center one of which is immortal. It is said to haunt the marshes of Lerna near Argos. The destruction of the hydra was one of the 12 labors of Hercules. When one of the hydra's heads was cut off two grew in its place. Leviathan ~{Bible, Job ix, 13 and Isa. xxvii, 1} Hebrew name for sea monster; also dragon of turmoil which contested against God Ryu ~ {Japanese} A dragon able to live in the air, in water, and on land. It was considered one of the four sacred creatures of the Orient. Ryu symbolizes rain and storms. Siegfried ~ {Norse} Sigurd, better known as Siegfried, was one of the great heroes depicted in the early European Teutonic and Old Norse literature. Whether he was a historical figure or merely a legendary one is unknown. Some scholars believe that behind the legends there was a real person who lived sometime during the Merovingian Dynasty (481-750) in what is now France. In most stories in which he appears he is the leading character, a triumphant, dragon-slaying hero of courage and strength. Tatzlwurm ~ {Germanic legend} A winged, fire-breathing dragon monster. Uther Pendragon ~ {English} Kind of England during 400 or 500 A.D. and father of the legendary King Arthur. Believed to have fooled his enemies and consort with the wife of the Duke of Cornwall due to a spell cast by Merlin the Magician upon the breath of the dragon. Wivern ~ {U.K.} A winged, two-legged dragon with a barbed tail. The wivern often appears on heraldic shields and symbolizes guardianship.

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