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Dave's Mythical Creatures and Places |
Dragons
| Description | Dragons
are found in the myths of many cultures, and appear in many different
configurations. The name comes from the Greek "draconta" which
means "to watch." Often, dragons are portrayed as guarding an
object or a particular area.
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| Types | In Western
myths, dragons are generally dangerous carnivorous reptiles, and can be categorized by their appearance or habitat. Categories by appearance covered the various combinations of legs and
wings-
Habitats included:
Chinese Dragons are also reptilian, often combined with parts of other animals. They symbolize power and are generally considered good fortune. These dragons can be grouped by function:
The Chinese had other systems to determine the dragons strength- color and age. Red or black dragons were ferocious, but not as powerful as yellow ones. Some believed that dragons came thousand-year-old snake eggs (dinosaur eggs?) or that water snakes became dragons after 500 years. After a thousand years, the dragon would grow four feet and a beard. After another 500 years, the dragon would grow horns, and after three thousand years the fully-mature dragon would get its wings. Dragons can be seen in the shapes of clouds. Japanese and Korean Dragons are much like the Chinese. Chinese ones will normally have 4 or 5 toes, while Japanese ones normally have 3 toes. Many other cultures have legends of dragons. For example, the Sumerians spoke of Tiamat, which was a huge female dragon with two legs and horns. Native American Seneca myth tells of Gaasyendietha, a dragon that lives in the water but can shoot fire.
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| Pictures
of Other Dragons
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Fighting a dragon
Japanese dragons
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This site has many different kinds of strange
mythical creatures. Click here to see
other types of strange beasts.
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| More Information on Dragons |
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