Webster's Dictionary: drag.on \'drag-en\ n dracon-,draco serpent,dragon, [fr.GK drakon;akin to
OE torht bright,Gk derkesthai to see,look at] 1 archaic: a huge serpent 2:a fabulous animal usually
represented as a monstrous winged and scaly serpent or saurian with a crested head and enormous
claws.
Tormont Illustrated Encyclopedia: drag'en n. 1. a. A fabulous monster, represented usually as a
gigantic reptile breathing fire and having a lion's claws, the tail of a serpent, wings and scaly skin. b.
A figure or other representation of this creature. 2. Archaic. A large snake or serpent [Middle
English drago(u)n, from Old French dragon, from Latin draco (stem dracon-), dragon, serpent, from
Greek drakon, serpent]
When most people think "dragon" they most likely think of the Western dragon.
Western dragons are usually portrayed as evil, mean, and bloodthirsty. They were also known to
have huge hoards of gold and jewels hidden in their lairs. The most famous dragons are portrayed as
Western-type dragons: St. George and the Dragon
, Beowulf and the Dragon, and Draco in the movie DragonHeart. Some stories have the western
dragon as the Devil in Christianity. Other stories in legend say that eating a dragons' heart will give
the consumer the power of understanding birds, eating the dragons' tongue enables the person to win
any argument, and rubbing the dragons' blood on skin will protect against stab wounds. Another
myth references Vlad Drakul to mean Son of the Dragon, or Devil. The end of the dragon came with
Christianity, and knights that were eager to prove their faith. The knights quickly discovered that
dragon-hunting was very profitable, and soon most the dragons in the world were destroyed in a
very short time. Vikings had dragon figureheads on the prow of their ships. The dragons on the ships
were believed to endow keen site and cunning to the Viking warriors. Today the Welsh flag still has
a red dragon on a green/white background, and the red dragon is their national symbol.
The Chinese believe that dragons are like a
snake with 4 short legs. Chinese dragons are five
toed dragons. They do not have wings. The five
toed dragons are a symbol of power. When
people see the Chinese Dragon they see the
colors red, blue, white, black, or yellow. Roasted
swallows are the favorite of Chinese Dragon’s
food. In China dragons are called Lung. There
are four kinds of Lung.
1.Tien-Lung, The Celestial Dragon, who protects the place of Gods.
2.Shen-Lung, The Spiritual Dragon, who controls wind and rain.
3.Ti-lung, The Earth Dragon , which controls rivers, and water on the earth.
4.Fut’s-Lung, The Underworld Dragon, which guards precious metals and gems.
Many Dragons control different parts of the
rivers in China. Chien-tang, who has blood red
scales, and has a fiery mane, is 900 feet long. He
controls all of the river dragons. The Chinese
Dragons do not breathe fire. The Chinese
Dragons seem to be very good and intelligent
dragons.
The European Dragons would collect jewels,
gems and treasures and put them in their den.
The European Dragons dig out their dens, they
do not find them. They were never happy with
what they had, so they always wanted more.
They can be really greedy. European Dragons
can be almost any color. The only European
Dragon who really breathes fire is the Emerald
Dragon of Ireland.
