Introduction: What are Dragons?
--Many cultures around the world have dragon stories in some form. Some cultures tellof huge wingless serpents. Others are more like the traditional western picture of heavy bodied lizards with wings. Some dragons have four legs, some have two, and some are shown with no legs at all. Some dragons had arrowhead pointed tails, while others had spiked knobs on their tails. Their blood was said to be very poisonous and corrosive, but also very magical. They could be either benevolent or malevolent, depending on where they lived and the humans around them. But no matter what the description, the dragon exists in thousands of folk stories. It is easy to see by ancient writings that there are many subspecies within the species of dragon. Each subspecies may have had differences in appearance, but all retain the traits common to all dragons.
--In western culture, the word "dragon" comes from the Greek drakon and the Latin draco. Drakon means to see, look at, or flash. The word "dragon" has been used in many fields, such as astronomy, astrology, magic, alchemy, psychology, and the study of dreams. Dragons have been mentioned since the beginnings of recorded history.
--Some cultures referred to full initiates in magic as dragons or snakes. Priests of Egypt and Babylon were called Sons of the Serpent-God or Sons of the Dragon. Even the Druids of the Celts were spoken of as snakes. Mexican priests of Quetzalcoatl were of the race of the Dragon. In Welsh, the word draig, or dragon, was used to label a leader, hero, warrior, or prince. Arthur and Uther Pendragon, of the Arthurian legends, used a dragon as their emblem. Today, the royal Welsh banner has a red and gold dragon depicted on it.
--The dragon began to represent evil and the Devil after the Christian church gained power. Attempts to suppress the beliefs of the Pagans included the spread of propaganda referring to the Devil as the Dragon. Fear of eternal punishment allowed the early Christian church to gain control of rulers and governments. This caused the Pagans to go into hiding for centuries, afraid to speak of their religion and the dragons they saw as astral helpers in their magic.
--Even through this persecution, the stories of dragons continued, especially in China. Also, European families continued to use the dragon in their coats of arms. Heraldry and coats of arms still employ dragons. Many families had draconic terms in their names, and images of dragons in their coats of arms, most notably Sir Frances Drake.
Mythology from all over the world is full of dragons. They have played a major part in the shaping of the world and it's cultures. Almost all legends agree on certain parts. You should never look a dragon in the eye, for he has hypnotic powers. Dragons do not lightly reveal their true names: that would give you power over him. Several legends speak of the ability to appear in human form, and state that it is very difficult to see through this disguise unless the dragon wants you to. Most dragons are have long life-spans, hoard treasure, and are very wise. They tend to speak in riddles, and avoid straight answers when possible. As mentioned before, there are several subspecies of dragons portrayed in mythology. Each subspecies was assosciated with a specific area of the world. The first lived in Europe, specifically Germany, Scandinavia, and the North Atlantic islands. The second dwelt mainly in France, Italy, and Spain. A third was seen in the British Isles. The fourth family was found in the Mediterranean, especially Greece, Asia Minor, southern Russia, and Northern Africa. Next was the very limited family found in the Americas and Australia. The largest family was the Oriental dragons of Indonesia, China, and Asia.
|
