The Years of the Dragon

Wood Dragons
February 16, 1904 through February 3, 1905
February 13, 1964 through February 1, 1965

Fire Dragons
February 3, 1916 through February 22, 1917
January 31, 1976 through February 17, 1977

Earth Dragons
January 23, 1928 though February 9, 1929
February 17, 1988 through February 5, 1989

Metal Dragons
February 8, 1940 through January 26, 1941
February 5, 2000 through January 23, 2001

Water Dragons
January 27, 1952 through February 13, 1953

The Dragon
The Chinese word for dragon is luong, and it is quite unlike European dragons. It's element is water rather than fire, and instead of smoke and fire, it breathes clouds, creating storms and floods when angered. It is generally a well respected creature, often considered a figure of authority, and was the symbol of the Emperor of China.

The Dragon Personality
A person born in the year of the dragon will be full of zest for life. They can be generous, passionate, confident, independent, strong, energetic, impetuous, egotistical, selfish, opinionated, stubborn, eccentric, glamourous, whimsical, demanding, and unreasonable. Their passionate nature is said to bring them good health. The Dragon person will rise to any challenge, and will defend and protect who and what they care about. Those born in the dragon year are said to wear the horns of destiny. A dragon person most likely will lead a complex life, and live life on their own terms. The Chinese call the dragon the guardian of wealth and power, and dragon people will tend to have grandiose plans which, and tend to be strong enough to accomplish them. The dragon person is also full of style and flair, and will often have many admirers. The Dragon has a strong temper and can be hard to stand against, yet is quick to forgive. One thing a Dragon generally is not, is cunning or guileful, and the dragon will prefer conflict to be straightforward and honest. The Dragon values and will protect their family, even if they are aggravated with them at the time. A Dragon needs goals, projects, purpose in their life, and can become depressed and listless without some cause to fight for or project to work on. The Dragon is an extrovert, and will not let you down if they can help it. Dragons are lovers of nature, and will desire to travel a lot. The Dragon will be less prone to depression than those born under the other signs. Dragons are honest and open, and their feelings are genuine and from the heart. Dragons are direct, motivated, and will inspire action in those around them. It is said that the weather conditions when a Dragon is born will influence their life greatly. Being born during a storm will lead to a troubled and dangerous life, but one full of spectacular experiences. One born on a calm day, will lead a more protected life, and have a more amiable nature. The female Dragon will be a very strong woman, tending to believe in women's rights, and refusing to take any nonsense from anyone. She will never stand by and just accept her fate, she will fight passionately and will not give up. The male Dragon will be generous and will be unable to resist helping the needy or rescuing those in need, despite his grumbling. He will feel a sense of duty to all. (This is not to say that the female doesn't also have these traits, or that the male does not share those traits of the female.) The fact that gender roles have changed so much since the system of Chinese astrology was invented means that there are fewer differences between males and females of any sign than the original system would have us believe. There will still be old-fashioned males and females, and there are certainly some differences between males and females. There have been a number of interesting hypothesis forwarded by modern scientists about physicaldifferences between male and female brains that could make one sex or another more talented in certain areas (for instance, women might be better at picking up on subtle cues that people put out, which would explain"woman's intuition"). I leave this for the reader to research on their own and draw their own conclusions as to possible differences between male and female personalities.

Dragon Children
The Dragon as a child will tend to take on great responsibility, and will often raise their siblings, even if they are the youngest. This child will be innovative, idealistic, intense, vibrant, tough, independent, bright, agressive, resiliant, forceful, and fearless. They will form their own set of principles early, and will not need or want much help. However, the Dragon child will generally have dominating tendencies which should be curbed at an early age. Keep this child busy, praise their accomplishments, and devotion to even simple tasks, reassure them when they fail in any of their grandiose endeavors, and they should be a happy child.

Wood Dragons
The wood element allows this Dragon to better conceptualize and implement their ideas, and allows them to work better cooperatively with others. This Dragon is very creative, and will come up with spectacular concepts and ideas. This is also a very curious Dragon, who will sometimes become overly interested in whatever has currently interested them, and who will be very logical in their actions. This Dragon is extremely generous, and will try to offend as few people as possible, although they might be a bit condescending at times. The wood element mellows this dragon, making them less fierce, more reasonable, and more apt to compromise...if it seems to their advantage. Although the Wood Dragon is less vindictive and self-centered than other Dragons, this Dragon will still be proud, outspoken, and unafraid of facing challenges.

Fire Dragons
Fire reinforces many of the Dragon's traits, making this Dragon the most aggressive, demanding, outgoing, rightous, and competitive of the Dragons. The Fire Dragon is also rather impatient and has a quick temper. They can overgeneralize, jump to conclusions, be impossible to please, and be generally inconsiderate at times. Despite this, the Fire Dragon, bursting with energy, has a lot to offer. This dragon will make an excellent leader, provided they do not let their ego get in the way. Unfortunately, this dragon tends to use more force than is necessary to achieve their goals. But despite the Fire Dragon's faults, they are open and humane people with a deep concern for truth and justice. This Dragon can accomplish truly great things, and could be an inspiration to others if they manage to curb their more negative traits, and seek balance with their strengths.

Earth Dragons
Earth makes this Dragon more realistic and stable than the other dragons, although it can also lead to a more impersonal Dragon, also. This Dragon is sociable, a leader-type, and will desire to influence and control the environment they are in. As a leader, this Dragon is easier to get along with, being mellower than most of the other Dragons. The Earth Dragon is brave, strong, quiet, reflective, organized, and better tempered than most other Dragons.

Metal Dragons
Metal makes this Dragon possibly the most strong-willed and intense of the Dragons. While the Metal Dragon is honest, bright, open, and expressive, they are also critical and unyeilding. This Dragon is very combative, and will leap to action at a moment's notice. The unpliable Metal element combined with the natural lunar sign of the Dragon, Wood, can allow this Dragon to simply intimidate weaker people to submit to their will. The Metal Dragon believes firmly in their convictions, and will never give up, being unable to believe that something they are fighting for is futile. This Dragon can be very egotistical and tends to be rather undiplomatic. The Metal dragon will rush in where angels fear to tread, and succeed through sheer force of will, refusing to allow themselves to quit.

Water Dragons
The water element calms and gives wisdom to this sign. The Water Dragon will be less selfish, egotistical, and imperious. This dragon is likely to be reliable, persevering, and good at convincing others to go along with them. A Dragon born with this element is likely to make a good negotiator, and their wits are as formidable as their strength of will. However, a person born under this sign is likely to be in such a rush to accomplish their goals that they do may not build a proper foundation for them.

Compatibility with Other Signs
Oh, this is tricky. People are so complex and individual, I'd be wary of putting much stock in what is thought about compatibility among the signs. And because it's so tricky, I'm just going to quote from Theodora Lau: "Of all the animal signs, the Dragon will be attracted most to the irresistible Monkey. The Monkey will similarly be drawn to the Dragon's majesty and they will make an unbeatable team. A Dragon-Rat union will be an equally winning combination as the Rat is crafty where the Dragon is strong. They could do great things together.. The Dragon will likewise make a good mtch with the cool and venerable Snake, whose wisdom could check the Dragon's excessiveness. "Tiger, Rooster, Horse, Sheep, Rabbit, and Boar will all seek the Dragon out for his beauty and his strength. Two Dragons will get along pretty well but the Dragon's relationship with the Ox may be a bit strained by the Ox's similar authoritativeness. Of all the animal signs, perehaps only the Dog will make a miserable partner for the Dragon. The Dragon will come under the close scrutiny of the Dog and the Dog will be too cynical to fall under his spell."

Much of the information here was gleaned from The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes, copyright 1979 Theodora Lau. © All other images of dragons on this page are copyright Lynne H. Goodwin. © All other images copyright their respective owners.©Ginkgo's Pile of leaves