More on Dragons

Origin of Dragons
(Source: The Enchanted World: Dragons, Time Life Books, 1984 edition)

The word "dragon" comes from the Greek "darkon" for serpent or great worm. It was the Greek perception of the dragon that became the prototype for the Western world. Dragons are often depicted as guarding treasures or doorways to treasures, as in the spring next to the tree upon which hung the Golden Fleece or that which guarded the golden apples of Hesperides. This is often symbolic of hidden wisdom that is going to open up or a new threshold that you will soon cross in your life.

Draconian Properties
Many of the qualities of dragons are symbolic. The perception that it could kill probably had as much to do with the shock of seeing something so strange & powerful as it did with the changes that would result in the individual's life & consciousness as a result of such an encounter.The death may reflect a death of some aspect of the individual's life. It is claimed that the skin of a dragon can repel snakes & spiders, and silver rubbed with its ashes would become gold. Crystal will reflect its deadly vision and its venom. Dragons are often said to have the knowledge of how to use the eyes or voice to entrance and to control.

Types of Dragons:

*Basilisk - The Basilisk was a dragon of great virulence. It is cobra-like and often depicted as a terrifying creature. It breathed fire and had a deadly venom. It could kill with a look from its eyes. If a human encountered a basilisk and laid eyes upon the monster first, the human would live. If the basilisk saw the human first, the human would die.

*Chinese Dragons - In China dragons are known as Lung. There are four main kinds of Lung: Tien-lung, The Celestial Dragon: who protect the places of the Gods, Shen-Lung, The Spiritual Dragon: who control the wind and the rain, Ti-Lung, The Earth Dragon which control rivers, and water on the Earth, and Fut's-Lung, The Underworld Dragon which guards precious metals and gems. Separate dragons control the rivers of the North, South, East and West.

*Dragon Kings - These dragons originate from China. Though there are four high Dragon King's there are many local ones. The local Dragon Kings were much more respected. Every well and watercourse has its own Dragon King. In northern China beside every well is the Dragon King's tiny temple with a statue of it. Dragon Kings are resorted to when there is too much or too little rain. The Dragon King is approached with the request, and if it is not granted within a certain time action is taken. For example, the statue of the Dragon King may be left by the side of the road, to cause it discomfort so that it grants the request. If a request is granted then there is a celebration to honor the Dragon King. The idea of Dragon Kings also spread to other countries, such as Japan.

*Eastern dragons - portrayed as good, kind, and intelligent. Oriental Dragons have the most recorded history in the world, especially in China going back thousands of years. In history they have a very close link to the weather. It is said that some of the worst flooding in Asia's History were caused when a mortal has upset a dragon. In Chinese history, the 5 toed dragon is the symbol of power, and are considered "Imperial Dragons". Long ago, it became law in China that only the Emperor could have a five-clawed dragon displayed on his robes or illustrated on anything the Emperor owned. It was usually a Yellow dragon, thought to be the most superior of all the colored dragons. If someone other than the Emperor was caught wearing the symbol of the 5-toed dragon, he was put to death. Eastern dragons are still shown in parades around the world celebrating the Chinese New Year with the Dragon Dance.

*Firedrakes - Firedrakes are usually from Germanic or Celtic mythology. They often live in caves and guard great treasure. They breath fire to defend themselves. One example is the firedrake killed by Beowulf and Wiglaf, which was guarding a hoard of gold.

*Fut's-Lung - Chinese treasure keepers were Subterranean dragons; had charge of all the precious jewels and metals buried in the earth. Each of these dragons bore an enormous pearl that was reputed to multiply whatever it touched; the pearl symbolized another hidden treasure, wisdom

*Husormen -Norwegian house serpents.

*Li -Li are hornless Chinese dragons. They live in the sea, and control the deep. They symbolize the scholar.

*Lindworm -Lindworms look like Wyverns, but without legs. They eat cattle and bodies, and invade churchyards. Lindworms symbolize war and pestilence. Also called a Lindorm snake.

*Lung - The Chinese Imperial dragon, whose head points South, and whose tail points North. They have five claws on each foot. They symbolize the rain, the East and the sun.

*Mang - Mang have four claws on each foot. They symbolize temporal power. They are a type of Chinese dragon.

*Mlokoky Smij - These are milk dragons from Lithuania. They provide milk for the dairies of good wives.

*Moko/Mo'o - Moko, or Mo'o is a Polynesians term meaning lizard, or taniwha. It can refer to both Polynesian dragons (taniwha) and any other lizard. Some taniwha, and other great lizards, have moko or mo'o in their names. Moko and Mo'o mean the same thing. Which is used depends on the region.

*Oriental Dragons - These are dragons originating from countries such as Japan, China, and Vietnam. Some types of Oriental dragons are: Chiao [China]; Dragon Kings [Various]; Li [China]; Lung [China]; Mang [China]; Tatsu [Japan]

*Peist - The peist are the dragons of Ireland. These dragons are water-dwellers. When St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland, he imprisoned the peist in their home, the water.

*Penezny Smij - Penezny Smij are Lithuanian penny dragons, who bring wealth. They leave out a 3 penny piece, and if you pick it up, leave a 6 penny piece in the same place the next day. If this is picked up, they leave you a dollar. If you take the dollar, all is well. If you don't, they set your house on fire. The only way to get rid of the dollar is to sell it for less than it is worth.

*Puk - Puk are small four-footed dragons. These household spirits bring stolen goods to their masters. The idea of puks spread outwards from Germany, though they may have originated in Scandinavia or Britain. There are many regional names for these creatures. Some of the more common alternatives are pukys in Lithuania, puuk in Estonia, and pukis in Latvia.

*Shen-Lung - The Chinese Spiritual Dragon; Weathermakers floating across the sky, a changeable blue in color, spiritual dragons governed the wind, clouds and rain on which life has always depended. The Chinese took care to appease them, for if these weatherworkers grew angry or neglectful, the result was certain disaster.

*Taniwha - These are the dragons of the Polynesians. Some are water-dwelling, some are not. Some burrow in the sand to hide themselves, some live in caves... there is a great variety among taniwha. Their common trait is they are all enormous lizards.

*Tatsu - These are Japanese dragons, with three claws on each foot. They live in lakes and springs. They represent the Mikado, imperial power, and spiritual power. Tatsu are based on an early type of Chinese dragon.

*Tien-lung - The celestial dragons of China protected the heavens, supporting the mansions of the gods and shielding them from decay. Only these dragons - and their earthly likenesses on the imperial regalia - had five claws. All other dragons had only three or four.

*Ti-Lung - The Earth Dragon; Chinese River lords; determined the courses of rivers, regulated their flow and maintained their banks. Every river in China had its own earth-dragon king, who held sway over the waters from a palace far beneath the surface.The commander of all the River Dragons is Great Chien-Tang who is blood red, has a fiery mane, and is 900 feet long.

*Western Dragons - These are dragons originating in places like Europe. Some types of Western dragons are: Cockatrice; Firedrakes; Husormen; Lindworm; Mlokoky Smij; Peist; Penezny Smij; Puk; Wyvern; Zaltys; Zitny Smij

*Wyvern - Wyverns look a bit like serpents. They have wings, and two legs. These legs look like eagle's talons. They also have a barbed tail. These dragons symbolize envy, war, pestilence, and viciousness. They are common in heraldry. Wyverns without wings are called Lindworms.

*Zaltys - These serpents are guardians of the home. In modern Baltic tradition, they live by the stove, and are sacred to Saule (a sun goddess - guardian of fire).

*Zitny Smij - The Lithuanian corn dragon. Corn dragons fill the threshing floors of their friends.

These dragons compromise the basic western dragon body plan with four limbs, long neck/tail, a single pair of wings. They are homeothermic (‘warm-blooded�? but have an outwardly appearance that consists of mixing attributes of mammalian, reptilian, and avian characteristics. Dragons re- lease excess heat from their bodies by panting or fanning their wings. Their bones are light like a bird’s yet immensely strong. Most species are coated in a full or partial hide of protective scutes and scales, which are often highly decorated with colorful markings or elaborate growths of bone and cartilage (i.e. the jagged ridge of bone that is present in nearly all species.) The wings of species gifted with flight are incredible, leathery structures that are, in effect, a third pair of limbs. A second set of bones, muscles, and tendons remarkably similar to those of the forelimbs, yet enlarged and lengthened, power and support the wings. The wingfingers are draped in a thick, tough leather that forms the wingsails, wing area, and lift required for the beasts to stay aloft. As a general rule, the wingspan of a flying dragon is about twice the dragon’s total length.

Courtship and mating varies greatly between the multitude of types. Many species are solitary and it mating seasons may be decades apart. Gestation/incubation time depends on the size of the species. The smaller dragons take only a few months to hatch or emerge from the mother’s womb, while the spawn of the great dragons may incubate for years. Most dragons of any type are caring parents and fiercely protective of their young. Mated couples will usually stick together, but in less intelligent races, the two drift apart once the young has learned to fend for itself.

Dragons are omnivorous. They can eat and digest just about everything, but they all have their preferred meals (a ravenous Blood dragon would much rather feed on a young silver dragon than eat a clawful of rocks, but the latter would only be consumed by desperate, starving beasts.) The metabolism of a dragon is very efficient for such a large, active, and hot-blooded organism. The don’t need to feed constantly to fuel their bodies, because they can convert nearly any compound into energy and excrete only the tiniest amounts of waste.

Dragons, occupy every climate, ecosystem and ecological niche imaginable. The high number of kinds is misleading, however, and many dragons are scarce or reclusive creatures that are rarely, if ever, seen by ‘lesser�?beings. Their lairs are varied domains: ranging from underground rivers, caverns, modified mountain tops and simple dens, to winding tunnels excavated inside extinct volcanoes.

Dragons have long been feared and admired for their magical prowess. Many species are adept in the mystical arts, namely the great metal hide and greater predator dragon wyrms. Less intelligent races dabble in simpler sorceries and are sometimes bitter and envious of their greater cousins�?skills. Also, as popular legends state, dragons are often fanatical collectors. The hordes of some species can be mountainous, but the contents vary from dragon to dragon and type to type. The hordes are almost always protected somehow, whether it be by a magical or physical guard, or by the dragon itself.

Dragons are also well-known for their famous destructive breath. This is a skill that is partially a physical and magical trait. The breath weapon originates from a poorly-understood organ located at the base of, but not connected directly to, the lungs. This modified gland mixes the proper ingredients (often from the diet of the dragon) together to form a volatile, dangerous mixture that, upon the contact with oxygen, erupts in flames or acid, or vaporizes into any form of lethal gas. Many species have a lethal breath that is unique to their type, but many forms of breath weapon are copied from species to species (fire seems to be the easiest to manage and is generally the most destructive.) The weapon erupts from the dragon’s gaping jaws propelled by a sharp, deep exhalation of air and a forceful spasm from the diaphragm. It is unknown how the dragons can manage to produce and store such toxic materials in their body, and this is probably where magic comes in handy (this may also explain why less intelligent dragons have only simple fire weapon that are easier to form and store without the aid of Magics.)

 

~Metallic Dragons~
This catagory is named for the metallic-colored scales that adorn their hides. They are usually very large creatures and are among the most intelligent and beautiful of the dragons. They are normally benign beings, but fearsome and lethal killers if provoked. Sizes among the species range from 250 to over 500 feet in length.

~Pseudo - Metallic Dragons~
The members of this group are generally smaller species that are about half the size of the true metal-skins. They are usually less intelligent, territorial, and more aggressive than their cousins, though some are gregarious and social creatures. Sizes vary greatly, though generally the species are anywhere from 50 to 190 feet long.

~Greater Predator Dragons/ Lesser Predator Dragons~
These are the ‘classic�?large-to-midsize dragons that most people are familiar with. Most are named by the color of their hides or their habitat. Greater predator dragons are usually larger and more majestic than their smaller brethren. The names can be confusing, however, as many species are not purely predatorial or predatorial at all. Species of Greater predator dragons are usually 100 to 400 feet long and lesser predator dragons are 30 to 150 feet in length. One species however, the Miniature dragon, is classified as a Greater Predator dragon due to its intelligence and ferocity, even though it is only a mere three feet long. It hunts in swarming packs that often number more than three hundred individuals strong. In these large groups, the dragons seem to think and act as one immense organism.

~Elemental and Earth Dragons~
These beasts are named for their particular affinity with some elemental feature of the earth, weather, water, and so on. They are rare and reclusive creatures that are rarely encountered. Legends say that they are the group of dragons responsible for introducing the rest of dragonkind to magic, but other draconids insist that dragons have always been masters of the mystical. Species range in length from 200 to over 600 feet long. They are often larger than the great metallic dragons.

~Fire Dragons~
~A rather large sub-catagory of elemental dragons that are masters of fire. They are cunning, fearsome battle-dragons that are much less reclusive than their shy cousins.

~Gem Dragons~
Named in the same manner as the metallics. Most have a jagged, gem or stone-like appearance and stunning colors the hues of the purest precious stones. They are closely related to the Elemental dragons, and some sages consider them to be a sub-catagory. Species can range in size from the tiny, shy, and nearly extinct glass dragon (only 9 feet long) to the imposing and courageous Black Pearl dragon, who often reaches over 300 feet long. Strangely, some of the more enigmatic members of this type prefer to feed on the gems they resemble.

~Aquatic Dragons~
The second main family of dragons is that of the aquatic dragons. These beasts have long bodies, necks, and tails, short limbs and webbed claws, and a pair of bony and graceful sails running down either side of their spines. They are, for the most part, reclusive and rare, but are cunning and fiercely territorial of the bodies of water they inhabit. They are not the largest of the dragonkin, the smaller types are about 30 feet long and the largest reach 150 feet. Few of these species possess breath weapons or use magic, but those that do form water-oriented strikes.

~~The Greater Crystal/Prysmatic Dragons~~
Of all the different Dragons listed, there is one that undoubtedly can be classified as being literally all and none of them, at the same time. This particularilly majestic creature only comes once every aeon or so. So, in essence, can be considered the rarest of all the dragons listed throughout the ages. Dragons, being as large and as fierce as they appear, normally do not cower or bow down, to any creature below them, as they are considered the largest of all the known creatures of Legend and Mythology. And, though they would never admit it openly, there is ONE dragon, whom they will heed, irreguardless of their temperament. This is the Greater Crystal or the Greater Prysmatic Dragon. A Greater Prysmatic can be found within any climate throughout the known and unknown societies of mankind and dragonkind. Within him (or her), is a wealth of information that the likes of man or dragon, could ever hope to imagine or dream of. It is said to be as old as the earth itself, possibly even as old as the very universe.