Dragon

From TinWiki.org

A depiction of a Chinese dragon

Throughout history, stories and legends of dragons have been everywhere. Very few places in the world do not have tales of knights destroying a dragon to save a damsel in distress, or of searches for the treasure hordes of dragons. The dragon embodies courage, strength, fearlessness, and in some cases complete knowledge and the ultimate wisdom. It is the embodiment of everything that man strives to be and to achieve. They have been described as meat eaters, vegetarians, and as being omnivorous. Some were satisfied with a few sheep a day, some, as in the case of the one reportedly kept by Pope St. Sylvester, ate up to 6,000 people, and others are said to have only eaten once a month. There are many different types of dragons, but most people think of either the Western Dragon or the Eastern Dragon.

1 The Western Dragon
2 The Eastern Dragon
3 Other Types of Dragons
4 Life of a Dragon
- 4.1 Mating and Nest Building
5 Related Topics
6 External Links
7 Relative Discussion Threads

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The Western Dragon

The Western Dragon is covered in scales, with four legs, two bat-like wings, a wedge-shaped head and a long neck. They are usually described as fire breathers, and are sometimes described as shape changers, and other times described as being able to change their color like a chameleon. These dragons only eat once a month and according to myth prefer young, virgin females, typically of royal blood. Most stories of these dragons have them as keepers and guardians of large treasure hoards, and as being evil and bloodthirsty. These dragons are the ones portrayed in stories such as St. George and the Dragon, Beowulf, and Draco in the movie DragonHeart, and are the ones typically slain by knights at the advent of Christianity.

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The Eastern Dragon

The Eastern Dragon is said to have been made up from various parts of different types of animals. It is describe as having the head of a camel, horns of a deer, eyes of a rabbit, ears of a bull, body of a snake, scales of a carp, belly of a clam, paws of a tiger, and the claws of an eagle. They also have four legs, usually are shown with a lion-like mane, and are portrayed as good, kind, and intelligent, but are usually not seen with wings and are not said to breathe fire. These dragons have 117 scales: 81 infused with yang (the good), and 36 infused with yin (the bad). This is said to even out the temper and personality of the dragon. There are three main kinds of Eastern Dragon. The three-toed dragons are Japanese, four-toed dragons are Indonesian or Korean, and the five-toed variety are Chinese. Eastern Dragons are colored blue, black, red, white, or yellow, and are usually depicted holding a pearl that is said to be the source of their power. Parades all over the world still shows this kind of dragon every year during the Chinese New Year with the Dragon Dance.

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Other Types of Dragons

The following is a list of other well-known types of dragons from around the world:

Faerie Dragon: These dragons are very small, and are the rarest type. They are usually seen in legends and myths that involve faeries.

Wyvern: These have two wings, and two legs, sometimes with claws on the wings. They are usually depicted as heraldry on shields and banners, and their history is usually mixed in with the Western Dragon.

Hydra: These have multiple necks and heads. This is the type fought by Hercules and by Jason when he went after the Golden Fleece.

Pernese Dragon: These dragons have four legs, and two wings, are telepathic with their rider and other dragons, and are the type from the stories by Anne McCaffrey. The female dragons are described as being gold or green in color, while the males are bronze, brown, or blue.

Amphiptere: These are dragons with only wings. The most famous amphiptere is Quetzalcoatl the winged and feathered serpent god from Mexican history.

Wyrm/Worm: These dragons have no legs or wings; or sometimes referred to as a very ancient dragon.

Sea Serpents: These dragons live in water. Since man has been sailing on boats, sea serpents have been in history. These creatures were shown on maps early in European history, where unknown territory was marked "HERE BE DRAGONS". "Nessie" the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland, is one famous "Sea Serpents".

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Life of a Dragon

The average dragon lives 1,200 years but have been reported to live for 10,000 years. They are described as being rather solitary creatures until they find a mate. They mate for life and are fiercely protective of their young. The majority of a dragon’s life is spent gathering knowledge and treasures. There are several theories as to why dragons gather items such gold, jewels, and coins. One theory is that dragons with more treasures rank higher in their societies, while another theory is that they merely like how it looks. Legend has it that if you tell a dragon something that they do not know, they will give you an item from the treasure hoard in gratitude.

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Mating and Nest Building

The female dragon sounds a mating call when she is ready to mate, which only happens up to four times in her lifetime. She then flies as fast, and as high as she can until one of the males catches her. Due to her weight and her wingspan, she can easily out-fly the males and only the strongest and fastest will be able to catch her. Once caught, the pair hangs in mid-air for a second while the male wraps his tail and wings around the female. They then plummet to the ground in a free-fall during which the mating happens, and break away from each other just before hitting the ground. Once the mating is completed, the pair will fly off to build their nest over the course of the next year and a half. Dragon nests are typically built of tree branches, leaves, jewels, and molten gold. After two years, the female will lay up to six eggs and then take turns with the male either keeping the eggs warm or finding food.

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