Chinese dragon, color engraving on wood, Chinese school, nineteenth century

Dragon. Moche Culture 100 A.D. Larco Museum Lima, Peru

Dobrynya Nikitich slaying Zmey Gorynych, by Ivan Bilibin

Jade-carved interlocked dragon piece, Warring States period (403 BC-221 BC)

Jade belt clasp with dragon design, Liu Song Dynasty (420 – 479)

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Dragon

The dragon (from Ancient Greek δράκων - drakōn, \"a serpent of huge size, a python, a dragon\") is a mythical creature typically depicted as a gigantic and powerful serpent or other reptile with magical or spiritual qualities. more...

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Overview

Like most mythological creatures, dragons are perceived in different ways by different cultures. Dragons are sometimes said to breathe and spit fire, poison, even acid or ice (depending on the type). They are commonly portrayed as serpentine or reptilian, hatching from eggs and possessing typically feathered or scaly bodies. They are sometimes portrayed as having large yellow or red eyes, a feature that is the origin for the word for dragon in many cultures. They are sometimes portrayed with a row of dorsal spines, keeled scales, or leathery bat-like wings. Winged dragons are usually portrayed only in European dragons while Asian versions of the dragon, sometimes called the Long (Chinese pinyin) resemble large snakes. Dragons can have a variable number of legs: none, two, four, or more when it comes to early European literature. Modern depictions of dragons tend to be larger than their original representations, which were often smaller than humans.

Although dragons occur in many legends around the world, different cultures have varying stories about monsters that have been grouped together under the dragon label. Chinese dragons (simplified Chinese: 龙; traditional Chinese: 龍; pinyin: lóng), and Eastern dragons generally, are usually seen as benevolent, whereas European dragons are usually malevolent though there are exceptions. Malevolent dragons also occur in the mythology of Persia (see Azhi Dahaka) and Russia, among other places.

Dragons are particularly popular in China, and along with the phoenix, the 5-clawed dragon was a symbol of the Chinese emperors. Dragon costumes manipulated by several people are a common sight at Chinese festivals.

Dragons are often held to have major spiritual significance in various religions and cultures around the world. In many Eastern and Native American cultures dragons were, and in some cultures still are, revered as representative of the primal forces of nature, religion and the universe. Many pre-Columbian cultures were fascinated by the power of dragons. The Moche people depicted dragons frequently in their ceramics. They are associated with wisdom—often said to be wiser than humans—and longevity. They are commonly said to possess some form of magic or other supernatural power, and are often associated with wells, rain, and rivers. In some cultures, they are also said to be capable of human speech.

The term dragoon, for infantry that move around by horse yet still fight as foot soldiers, is derived from their early firearm, the \"dragon\", a wide-bore musket that spat flame when it fired, and was thus named for the mythical creature.