Dragon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dragons are legendary creatures, typically with serpentine or

otherwise reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures.

The two most familiar interpretations of dragons are European

dragons, derived from various European folk traditions and
ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern mythologies, and the
semi-unrelated Chinese dragon. The English word "dragon" derives
from Greek δράκων (drákōn), "dragon, serpent of huge size, water-
snake", which probably comes from the verb δρακεῖν (drakeîn) "to The Ljubljana "Dragon of
see clearly". [1] Slovenia"

Contents
1 Overview
2 Origin and etymology
3 By region
3.1 Greek mythology
3.2 European
3.3 Chinese
3.4 Japanese Carved imperial dragons at Nine-
3.5 Vedic Dragon Wall, Beijing, China
3.6 Indian
3.7 Persian
3.8 Jewish
4 Modern depictions
4.1 Creationists' assertions
5 Cartography
6 See also
7 References
8 Sources
9 Further reading
10 External links

Overview
Dragons are usually shown in modern times with a body like a huge
lizard, or a snake with two pairs of lizard-type legs, and able to emit
fire from their mouths. The European dragon has bat-type wings
growing from its back. A dragon-like creature with no front legs is
known as a wyvern. Following discovery of how pterosaurs walked
on the ground, some dragons have been portrayed without front legs
and using the wings as front legs pterosaur-fashion when on the
ground.
An illustration of a dragon.
Although dragons occur in many legends around the world, different
cultures have varying stories about monsters that have been grouped together under the dragon label. Some
dragons are said to breathe fire or to be poisonous. They are commonly portrayed as serpentine or reptilian,
hatching from eggs and possessing typically scaly or feathered bodies. They are sometimes portrayed as
having especially large eyes or watching treasure very diligently, a feature that is the origin of the word
dragon (Greek drakeîn meaning "to see clearly"). [2] Some myths portray them with a row of dorsal spines.
European dragons are more often winged, while Chinese dragons resemble large snakes. Dragons can have
a variable number of legs: none, two, four, or more when it comes to early European literature.

Dragons are often held to have major spiritual significance in various religions and cultures around the
world. In many Asian cultures dragons were, and in some cultures still are, revered as representative of the
primal forces of nature, religion 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, and are often associated with wells, rain, and rivers. In some cultures, they are also said to be
capable of human speech. In some traditions dragons are said to have taught humans to talk.

The term dragoon, for infantry that moved around on horseback yet still fought as foot soldiers, is derived
from their early firearm, the "dragon", a wide-bore musket that spat flame when it fired, and was thus
named for the mythical creature.

Origin and etymology

Further information: Chaoskampf

The word dragon derives from Greek δρακων, via Latin draco. It is
attested in Middle English from the 13th century, in the context of
medieval bestiaries and legends.

The Greek and Latin term referred to any great serpent, not
necessarily mythological, and this usage was also current in English
up to the 18th century. Today the great komodo lizard Varanus
komodoensis is also known in English as the Komodo dragon. The
King James Bible uses the words "serpent", "dragon" and "Devil" in
a fairly interchangeable manner. Dragon on the Ishtar Gate, ca. 600
BC
The association of the serpent with a monstrous opponent overcome
by a heroic deity has its roots in the mythology of the Ancient Near
East, including Canaanite (Hebrew, Ugaritic), Hittite and Mesopotamian. The Chaoskampf motif entered
Greek mythology and ultimately Christian mythology, although the serpent motif may already be part of
prehistoric Indo-European mythology as well, based on comparative evidence of Indic and Germanic
material.

The "European dragon" (and its Near Eastern and Indic cognates) myth has quite different characteristics
and origins from those of the Chinese dragon.[citation needed]

Dinosaur and mammalian fossils were occasionally mistaken for the bones of dragons and other
mythological creature; for example, a discovery in 300 BC in Wucheng, Sichuan, China, was labeled as
such by Chang Qu.[3] Adrienne Mayor has written on the subject of fossils as the inspiration for myths in
her book The First Fossil Hunters, and in an entry in the Encyclopedia of Geology she wrote: "Fossil
remains generated a variety of geomyths speculating on the creatures' identity and cause of their
destruction. Many ancient cultures, from China and India to Greece, America, and Australia, told tales of
dragons, monsters, and giant heroes to account for fossils of animals they had never seen alive."[4] In
Australia, stories of such creatures may have referred to the land crocodiles, Quinkana sp., a terrestrial
crocodile which grew from 5 to possibly 7 metres in length, or the 4 tonne monitor lizard Varanus priscus
(formerly Megalania prisca) a giant, carnivorous goanna that might have grown to as long as 7 metres, and
weighed up to 1,940 kilograms, or rainbow serpents (possibly Wonambi naracoortensis) that were part of
the extinct megafauna of that continent.[5]

In the book An Instinct for Dragons [6] anthropologist David E. Jones suggests a hypothesis that humans
just like monkeys have inherited instinctive reactions to snakes, large cats and birds of prey. Dragons have
features that are combinations of these three. Our instinctive fear for these three would explain why dragons
with similar features occur in stories from independent cultures on all continents. Other authors have
suggested that especially under the influence of drugs or in dreams, this instinct may give raise to fantasies
about dragons, snakes, spiders, etc., which would explain why these symbols are popular in drug culture.
The traditional mainstream explanation to the folklore dragons does however not rely on human instinct,
but on the assumption that fossil remains of dinosaurs gave rise to similar speculations all over the world.

By region
Greek mythology
Main article: Dragons in Greek mythology

In Ancient Greece the first mention of a "dragon" is derived from the Iliad where Agamemnon is described
as having a blue dragon motif on his sword belt and a three-headed dragon emblem on his breast plate. [7]
However, the Greek word used (δράκων drákōn, genitive δράκοντοϛ drákontos) could also mean
"snake". δράκων drákōn is a form of the aorist participle active of Greek δέρκομαι dérkomai = "I see",
derkeîn = "to see", and originally likely meant "that which sees", or "that which flashes or gleams"
(perhaps referring to reflective scales). This is the origin of the word "dragon". (See also Hesiod's
Theogony, 322.)
In 217 A.D., Philostratus discussed dragons (δράκων, drákōn) in India in The Life of Apollonius of Tyana
(II,17 and III,6-8). The Loeb Classical Library translation (by F.C. Conybeare) mentions (III,7) that “In
most respects the tusks resemble the largest swine’s, but they are slighter in build and twisted, and have a
point as unabraded as sharks’ teeth.”

According to Aelian's On Animals, Ethiopia was inhabited by a species of dragon that hunted elephants. It
could grow to a length of 180 feet and had a lifespan rivaling that of the most enduring of animals.[8]

European
Main articles: European dragon and Saint George and the Dragon

European dragons exist in folklore and mythology among the

overlapping cultures of Europe. Despite having wings, the dragon is
generally depicted as having an underground lair or cave, making it an
ancient creature of the earth element. European dragons are usually
depicted as malevolent though there are exceptions (such as Y Ddraig
Goch, the Red Dragon of Wales). Dragon effigy, the Graoully, in
Metz, France
Chinese
Main article: Chinese dragon

Chinese dragons (simplified Chinese: 龙; traditional Chinese: 龍;

pinyin: lóng) can take on human form and are usually seen as
benevolent. Dragons are particularly popular in China and the five-
clawed dragon was a symbol of the Chinese emperors, with the
mythical bird fenghuang the symbol of the Chinese empress. Dragon
costumes manipulated by several people are a common sight at
Chinese festivals.

Japanese Dragon sculpture on top of

Longshan Temple, Taipei, Taiwan.
Main article: Japanese dragon

Japanese dragon myths amalgamate native legends with imported stories about dragons from China, Korea
and India. Like these other Asian dragons, most Japanese ones are water deities associated with rainfall and
bodies of water, and are typically depicted as large, wingless, serpentine creatures with clawed feet. Gould
writes (1896:248), [9] the Japanese dragon is "invariably figured as possessing three claws".

Vedic
In the early Vedic religion, Vritra (Sanskrit: व"# (Devanāgarī) or Vṛtra (IAST)) "the enveloper", was an
Asura and also a "naga" (serpent) or possibly dragon-like creature, the personification of drought and
enemy of Indra. Vritra was also known in the Vedas as Ahi ("snake"), and he is said to have had three
heads.

Indian

The following detailed account comes from the Life of Apollonius of Tyana by Flavius Philostratus: [10]

The whole of India is girt with dragons of enormous size; for not only the marshes are full of
them, but the mountains as well, and there is not a single ridge without one. Now the marsh
kind are sluggish in their habits and are thirty cubits long, and they have no crest standing up
on their heads, but in this respect resemble the she-dragons. Their backs however are very
black, with fewer scales on them than the other kinds; and Homer has described them with
deeper insight than have most poets, for he says that the dragon that lived hard by the spring in
Aulis had a tawny back; but other poets declare that the congener of this one in the grove of
Nemea also had a crest, a feature which we could not verify in regard to the marsh dragons.

And the dragons along the foothills and the mountain crests make their way into the plains
after their quarry, and prey upon all the creatures in the marshes; for indeed they reach an
extreme length, and move faster than the swiftest rivers, so that nothing escapes them. These
actually have a crest, of moderate extent and height when they are young; but as they reach
their full size, it grows with them and extends to a considerable height, at which time also they
turn red and get serrated backs. This kind also have beards, and lift their necks on high, while
their scales glitter like silver; and the pupils of their eves consist of a fiery stone, and they say
 that this has an uncanny power for many secret purposes. The plain specimen falls the prize of
the hunters whenever it draws upon itself an elephant; for the destruction of both creatures is
the result, and those who capture the dragons are rewarded by getting the eyes and skin and
teeth. In most respects they resemble the largest swine, but they are slighter in build and
flexible, and they have teeth as sharp and indestructible as those of the largest fishes. Now the
dragons of the mountains have scales of a golden colour, and in length excel those of the plain,
and they have bushy beards, which also are of a golden hue; and their eyebrows are more
prominent than those of the plain, and their eye is sunk deep under the eyebrow, and emits a
terrible and ruthless glance. And they give off a noise like the clashing of brass whenever they
are burrowing under the earth, and from their crests, which are all fiery red, there flashes a fire
brighter than a torch. They also can catch the elephants, though they are themselves caught by
the Indians in the following manner. They embroider golden runes on a scarlet cloak, which
they lay in front of the animal's burrow after charming them to sleep with the runes; for this is
the only way to overcome the eyes of the dragon, which are otherwise inflexible, and much
mysterious lore is sung by them to overcome him. These runes induce the dragon to stretch his
neck out of his burrow and fall asleep over them : then the Indians fall upon him as he lies
there, and despatch him with blows of their axes, and having cut off the head they despoil it of
its gems. And they say that in the heads of the mountain dragons there are stored away stones
of flowery colour, which flash out all kinds of hues, and possess a mystical power if set in a
ring, like that which they say belonged to Gyges. But often the Indian, in spite of his axe and
his cunning, is caught by the dragon, who carries him off into his burrow, and almost shakes
the mountains as he' disappears. These are also said to inhabit the mountains in the
neighbourhood of the Red Sea, and they say that they heard them hissing terribly and that they
saw them go down to the shore and swim far out into the sea.

—Flavius Philostratus, The Life of Apollonius of Tyana

Persian

Aži Dahāka is the source of the modern Persian word azhdahā or ezhdehā ‫( ﺍﮊﺩﻫﺎ‬Middle Persian azdahāg)
meaning "dragon", often used of a dragon depicted upon a banner of war. The Persians believed that the
baby of a dragon will be the same color as the mother's eyes. In Middle Persian he is called Dahāg or
Bēvar-Asp, the latter meaning "[he who has] 10,000 horses." Several other dragons and dragon-like
creatures, all of them malevolent, are mentioned in Zoroastrian scripture. (See Zahhāk).

Jewish
In Jewish religious texts, the first mention of a dragon-like creature is in the Biblical works of Job (26:13),
and Isaiah (27:1) where it is called Nachash Bare'ach, or a "Pole Serpent". [11] This is identified in the
Midrash Rabba to Genesis 1:21 as Leviathan from the word Taninim (‫" )תנינים‬and God created the great
sea-monsters." [12] In modern Hebrew the word Taninim is used for Crocodiles but this is a 20th century
usage unconnected with the original Biblical meaning. [citation needed]

In Jewish astronomy this is also identified with the North Pole, the star Thuban which, around 4,500 years
ago, was the star in the Draco constellation's "tail". [11] However this can also have been either the celestial
pole or the ecliptic pole. The ancient observers noted that Draco was at the top of the celestial pole, giving
the appearance that stars were "hanging" from it, and in Hebrew it is referred to as Teli, from talah ( ‫ )תלה‬-
to hang. [13] Hebrew writers from Arabic-speaking locations identified the Teli as Al Jaz'har, which is a
Persian word for a "knot" or a "node" because of the intersection of the inclination of the orbit of a planet
from the elliptic that forms two such nodes. In modern astronomy these are called the ascending node and
the descending node, but in medieval astronomy they were referred to as "dragon's head" and "dragon's
tail".[14]

Rahab, as described in Psalms 89:9-10 and Isaiah 51:9-10, also has "dragon-like" characteristics.

The Merthyr Synagogue features a dragon on the front gable.[15]

Modern depictions
In the early 20th century sculpture of the Norwegian artist Gustav
Vigeland, inspired by Medieval art, dragons are a frequent theme—
as symbols of sin but also as a nature force, fighting against man.

There are numerous examples of dragons in modern literature,

especially the fantasy genre. In the 1937 fantasy novel The Hobbit
by J.R.R. Tolkien, the major antagonist is a dragon named Smaug.
Smaug hoards a great treasure but is ultimately shot down with an
arrow by an archer who was told about a soft patch in Smaug's
underbelly armor. Other dragons appearing in Tolkien's works Toy dragons, on sale in a California
include Glaurung, the "father of dragons" created by Morgoth, along gift shop, 2005
with Ancalagon the Black and Scatha. Also, in Tolkien's Farmer
Giles of Ham, a dragon named Chrysophylax Dives is encountered.

Dragons also appear frequently in the Harry Potter novels by J. K. Rowling, and are described in the Harry
Potter related book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by the same author.

Dragonriders of Pern is an extensive science fiction series of novels and short stories created and primarily
written by Anne McCaffrey. Since 2004, McCaffrey's son Todd McCaffrey has also published Pern novels,
both in collaboration with Anne and on his own. The Pernese use intelligent firebreathing creatures called
"dragons" who have a telepathic bond with their riders, formed by mental impressions which the dragons
receive when they hatch from their eggs.

Some modern pseudo-biological accounts of dragons give them the generic name Draco, although the
generic name Draco is used in real-world biology for a genus of small gliding agamid lizard. An infectious
disease called Dracunculiasis, caused by infection with the Guinea worm which grows up to 3 feet (0.91 m)
long before emerging from its host, also derives its name from dragons (literally "infestation with little
dragons"), based on the burning pain experienced by sufferers.

Creationists' assertions
Some creationists, including Kent Hovind and Bill Cooper, believe that dragons were a form of dinosaur
and still exist albeit they are in hiding,[16] Although more serious creationists believe that Dragons of
mythology were actually dinosaurs, and that they died out with other creatures around the end of the ice
age. [17][18]

Cartography
There is a widespread belief that earlier cartographers used the Latin phrase hic sunt dracones, i.e., "the
dragons are here", or "here be dragons", to denote dangerous or unexplored territories, in imitation of the
infrequent medieval practice of putting sea serpents and other mythological creatures in blank areas of
maps. However the only known use of this phrase is in the Latin form "HC SVNT DRACONES" on the
Lenox Globe (ca. 1503-07). [19]

See also
Bat (heraldry)
Ichneumon (In medieval zoology)
Komodo Dragon
List of dragons in mythology and folklore
List of dragons in literature
Saint George and the Dragon

References
1. ^ Δράκων (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?
doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Ddra%2Fkwn2) , Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A
Greek-English Lexicon, at Perseus project
2. ^ Wiktionary.org (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dragon)
3. ^ "Dinosaurs And Cave People" (http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2005/04/14/1334145.htm) . Abc.net.au.
2005-04-14. http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2005/04/14/1334145.htm. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
4. ^ Adrienne Mayor in Encyclopedia of Geology, ed. Richard Selley, Robin Cocks, and Ian Palmer. Elsevier:2004
5. ^ Mackness, B.S. 2009. Reconstructing Palorchestes (Marsupialia: Palorchestidae) — from Giant Kangaroo to
Marsupial ‘Tapir’. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 130: 21-36.
6. ^ David E. Jones (2000). An Instinct for Dragons (http://books.google.com/books?
id=P1uBUZupE9gC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=&f=false) . New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-92721-8.
http://books.google.com/books?id=P1uBUZupE9gC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=&f=false.
7. ^ p.79, Drury, Nevill, The Dictionary of the Esoteric (http://books.google.com.au/books?id=k-
tVr09oq3IC&pg=PA79&lpg=PA79&dq=earliest+mention+of+dragon&source=web&ots=fxq_n3SLTa&sig=zKfmIXx1BT3nQAZq3I0vkx9akhM&hl=en)
, books.google.com
8. ^ Theoi.com (http://www.theoi.com/Thaumasios/DrakonesAithiopikoi.html)
9. ^ Gould, Charles. 1896. Mythical Monsters" (http://books.google.com/books?
id=YKEAAAAAMAAJ&dq=mythical+monsters&pgis=1) . W. H. Allen & Co.
10. ^ Flavius Philostratus, The Life of Apollonius of Tyana, translated by F. C. Conybeare, volume I, book III.
 chapters VI, VII, VIII, 1921, pp. 243- 247.
11. ^ a b p. 233, Kaplan
12. ^ p.51, Freedman
13. ^ p. 1670, Jastrow ref to Genesis 38:14, Y.Sot.I 16d (bot.)
14. ^ p. 235, Kaplan
15. ^ Kadish, Sharman (2006) Jewish Heritage in England: an architectural guide. Swindon: English Heritage ISBN
190562428X; p. 203
16. ^ Bill Cooper, BA (1995). After The Flood, The Early Post-Flood History of Europe. New Wine Press.
17. ^ Unlocking the secrets of creation by Dennis R. Peterson
18. ^ The Genesis Flood by John C. Whitcomb Jr.
19. ^ Erin C. Blake (1999). "Where Be "Here be Dragons"?" (http://www.maphist.nl/extra/herebedragons.html) .
MapHist Discussion Group. Maphist.nl. http://www.maphist.nl/extra/herebedragons.html. Retrieved February 10,
2006.

Sources
Drury, Nevill, The Dictionary of the Esoteric, Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 2003 ISBN 8120819896
Freedman, Rabbi Dr. H. (translation), Simon M., editor, Midrash Rabbah: Genesis, Volume one, The
Soncino Press, London, 1983
Littleton, C. Scott. Mythology: The Illustrated Anthology of World Myth and Storytelling. Thunder
Bay Press (CA). ISBN 1571458271.
Rosanna M. Giammanco Frongia; Giorgi, Rosa; Giammanco Frongia, Rosanna M.; Zuffi, Stefano
(2005). Angels and demons in art. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum. ISBN 0892368306.

Further reading
Knight, Peter. "Sacred Dorset - On the Path of the Dragon", 1998.
Manning-Sanders, Ruth (1977). A Book of Dragons. London: Methuen. ISBN 0416581102.
Mayor, Adrienne (2000). The First Fossil Hunters: Paleontology in Greek and Roman Times.
Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-08977-9.
Shuker, Karl (1995). Dragons: a natural history. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0684814439.

External links
Chinese Dragons in the news (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6171963.stm) , BBC
The Evolution of the Dragon (http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/22038) , by G. Elliot Smith, 1919, from
Project Gutenberg
From Many Imaginations, One Fearsome Creature, (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?
res=9501E3D7133DF93AA15757C0A9659C8B63&sec=health&spon=&pagewanted=2) New York
Times, April 29, 2003

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Categories: Dragons | Cryptids | Heraldic beasts | Mythological hybrids | Greek loanwords

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