The dragon has been part of human culture and imagination since prehistoric times. It seems to have originated in the east, and was commonly associated with water and water deities. In China, the phoenix was the foremost of air creatures; the ki-lin or unicorn the foremost of the land creatures, and the dragon the foremost among water creatures.

Earliest recorded religions contain references to dragon-like creatures; from the Babylonian Tiamat, symbol of chaos and darkness, the serpent in the Biblical garden of Eden, the Egyptian monster Apep who swallowed the sun, to the Indian naga. However, Eastern and Western dragons are very different from one another, both in appearance and personality.

Eastern dragons tend to be longer and thinner than Western ones, with horse-like, whiskered heads and two horns instead of ears. They are rarely winged. Western dragons often have bat-like wings.

Western dragons are generally evil, with fiery breath. They were used, nevertheless, as symbols of the kings of England, Egypt, Babylon and Rome. In the times before the crusades, the English don't seem to have thought of dragons as quite so evil as many other European countries did. They tended to appear occasionally as portents of things to come. For example, Uther was supposed to have seen a vision of a flaming dragon in the skies, foretelling his future rise to the throne. It was because of this vision that he took the name "Pendragon" or "dragon head". In China, everything belonging to the emperor was marked with a dragon.

Western dragons generally haunted wells, springs, rivers, or other important sources of water. They would refuse to allow people to use the water unless they sacrificed something--usually young maidens--to the dragon. Medieval Christians associated dragons with Satan, and thus they could be overcome by Christian saints such as Saint George, or by faith.

According to one Rhine legend, a dragon cult demanded the continual sacrifice of young maidens. One such woman was so beautiful that a prince who belonged to the cult pled for her release. However, the powerful priests in control of the cult refused to allow this. The woman, however, was unfazed by being brought before the dragon. She merely held up her crucifix in front of the monster, which fled into the Rhine river and drowned. The cultists, including the young prince, were converted by her faith.

A similar tale is told on the Rhone river, only this time it was Saint Martha who delivered the people by sprinkling the dragon with holy water and holding up her crucifix. The animal was thus tamed. The people of one of the towns continued to have dragon parades into this century to commemorate the event. The word "gargoyle" apparently is derived from the name of one famous dragon, called "Gargouille".

Both Eastern and Western dragons like to collect great wealth. Western dragons, however, hoard it for themselves. Eastern dragons use it to adorn their beautiful underwater/underground palaces.

The German Niebelungenleid throws some interesting light on dragons. In this story, there is a huge treasure on the bottom of the Rhine river, carried there by Alberich the dwarf, and guarded by the Rhine maidens.

At one point, Odin stole it to pay the Giants for building Valhalla.

Alberich was understandably upset, and cursed the gold and all people who would ever own it. Fafnir, one of the Giants, killed his father and exiled his brother so that he alone would possess the treasure. He watched over it for years, day and night, without sleeping. Eventually he turned into a dragon. Similarly, in C. S. Lewis' Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Eustace turns into a dragon while coveting a dragon's treasure. In the Niebelungenleid, however, there is no happy ending. Siegfreid kills Fafnir, and we learn something new about dragons; by bathing in Fafnir's blood, Seigfreid makes himself invincible, except for one spot where a leaf fell on him and the blood didn't cover. (Just like Achilles' heel.) He drinks the blood as well, and by doing this he is suddenly able to understand the languages of birds, and many other mysteries.

It seems that both Eastern and Western dragons have wisdom beyond that of mortal man.

The Eastern dragon is much kindlier toward humans. They tend to share their wealth rather than just hoard it. They are more like water spirits or deities than water hoarders who would prevent humans from having drinking water. They are often the symbol of hidden wisdom or knowledge, the teachers of sages and kings. Perhaps they have less need of wings than Western dragons, because in a single bound they could leap from earth to heaven.

Eastern dragons tended to have undersea palaces, made of crystal with pillars of jade, coral, pearls, and filled with precious stones. They are often associated with magic pearls, or with a ball which they are always grasping for but is just out of reach. The ball is probably either the moon or the sun.

Eastern dragons breathe clouds rather than fire, and they cause rain when they breathe out clouds and then jump on them. Their voices are "like the jingle of copper pans", and lightning flashes from their eyes. Dragons can cause severe storms and floods when they are angered.

The wisest and bravest fish might become dragons, if they can jump upstream at the "dragon gate" (Lung Men) in Honan.

Chinese dragons have set up their own government, with departments such as the Treasury of Waters, Supreme Council, Body of Dragon Ministers, Ministry of Salt Waters, and Department of Sweet Waters. They cause the water cycle to function properly.

If there was a drought, people would carry a dragon made of wood and paper, or even an embroidered banner, through the town. At each house, they would sprinkle it with water. Beside this procession, someone would run along sprinkling water from a willow branch onto the ground and proclaiming "Here comes the rain!" To prevent floods, people would throw offerings and written prayers into local bodies of water.

Apparently dragons love to eat sparrows, and if you eat sparrows you shouldn't go near water for fear of a dragon jumping out and eating you.

Like fairies, dragons are easily offended, and dangerous when so disturbed. They cause storms and floods when angry. However, they also are subject to heaven and may be punished for extreme storms or floods.

Eastern dragons often appeared as humans. They usually have wide mouths and long green beards, sometimes still having their horns. In one such story, they wore purple and carried a jade tablet. They can also alter their size, going from the size of a caterpillar to big enough to fill heaven and earth.

A dragon's lifespan is 10 000 years.

The Indian Naga is similar in many ways to the Chinese dragon. There are four types of Naga, and four types of dragons:

Heavenly Nagas uphold and guard heavenly palace
Divine Nagas cause clouds and rain
Earthly Nagas clear out and drain off rivers
Hidden Nagas guard treasures

Celestial Dragons guard and support mansions of gods
Spiritual Dragons cause winds and rain
Earth Dragons marks out the courses of rivers and streams
Hidden Treasure Dragon watches over wealth concealed from mortals

There are also four dragon kings, each ruling over one of four seas which border the habitable earth.

last updated by Strawberry April 11, 2000