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To a site dedicated to the mythical beast- the dragon.

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Introduction:

Chinese Dragon: (a brief description)

Western Dragon

Dragons of AD&D:

Copper Dragon (AD&D)

Chinese Dragon

Western Dragon

Amphisbaena

Drake

Visit Types of Dragons to learn more about the varying types of dragons.



	Instantly, an image comes to mind when we hear the word "dragon". Each of us have our own ideas of what a dragon is and what their appearance is. May haps you think of a snake-like creature such as the Chinese Dragon, or it could be like the Western Dragon, which is more serpent-like in appearance with or without bat-like wings, or perhaps it is the dragons based on Advanced Dungeons and dragons, or maybe it is a mutl-headed dragon like the Hydra from Greek Mythology. But no matter what image comes to mind, there exist a vast variable to what is thought of as a dragon. For every culture around the world as an appearance of a dragon in their mythology and legends. The first having been the dragon, Tiamat in the Babylonian Creation Epic, and since then the dragon has appeared in countless tales. The dragon is often linked to water, chaos, cruelty, destruction and evil. The dragon has played a vital role in either the creation of the universe or its destruction, and yet, what are these wonderous creations? Were they "a creature engendered between inward fear and outward peril?" Were they miss identify creatures by prejistoric wanderers? Were they a survivng dinosaur or a miss identify fossil? Are dragons am emobiment of an "underlying priniciple of all morality?" Could these creatures be an "eternal contrast and contest between Good and Evil, typified by the incessant struggle of man with the forces of nature and his twofold self?" May haps, the dragon is all them, and may haps they touch something deep within all of us. There exist an varying types of dragons each with their own characteristic. Just as there exist a difference between the dragons of the East and those of the West. The dragons of the East are both deity and a demon, and for the West it is primarily the demon aspect of the dragon which has influenced us. Lets us move onward.

The Chinese Dragon is deeply enriched in their culture is assoicated more celestial then the Western Dragon. They are considered to be filled with wisdom, friendly, and beautiful. They often symbolize abundance, prosperity and good fortune, and its benevolence signifies greatness, goodness and blessings. They are the angels of the Orient. Instead of being hated, they are loved and worshipped. Temples and shrines have been built to honor them, for they control the rain, rivers, lakes, and seas. Many Chinese cities have pagodas where people used to burn incense and pray to dragons.Eastern Dragons are vain, even though they are wise. They are insulted when a ruler doesn't follow their advice, or when people do not honor their importance. Then, by thrashing about, dragons either stop making rain and cause water shortages, or they breathe black clouds that bring storms and floods. Small dragons do minor mischief, such as making roofs leak, or causing rice to be sticky. People set off firecrackers and carry immense paper dragons in special parades. They also race dragon-shaped boats in water all to please and appease their dragons. The Dragon brings upon the essence of life, in the form of its celestial breath, known to many as sheng chi. He yields life and bestows its power in the form of the seasons, bringing water from rain, warmth from the sunshine, wind from the seas and soil from the earth. The Dragon is the ultimate representation of the forces of Mother Nature. The greatest divine force on Earth. There are nine major types of Chinese dragons. These include the horned dragon, the winged dragon, the celestial dragon (which supports and protects the mansions of the gods), the spiritual dragon which generates wind and rain for the benefit of mankind), the dragon of hidden treasures (which keeps guard over concealed wealth), the coiling dragon (which lives in water), and the yellow dragon (which once emerged from water and presented the legendary Emperor Fu Shi with the elements of writing) The last of the nine is the dragon king, which actually consists of four separate dragons, each of which rules over one of the four seas, those of the east, south, west, and north. In color dragons varies from greenish to golden, with a series of alternating short and long spines extending down the back and along the tail, where they become longer. One specimen had wings at its side, and walked on top of the water. Another tossed its mane back and forth making noises that sounded like a flute. Cow-heads are also common. A ten-footer, found lying on the banks of China's Yangtze River, was different from most because of its long, thick eyebrows. A Yellow River variety, seen on shore in the 1920s by a Chinese teacher, was bright blue, and as big as five cows. Both dragons crawled into the water as soon as it started to rain. A few dragons begin life as fish. Carp, who successfully jump rapids and leap over waterfalls, change into fish-dragons. A popular saying, "The carp has leaped through the dragon's gate," means success, especially for students who have passed their exams. Male dragons sometimes mate with other kinds of animals. A dragon fathers an elephant when he mates with a pig, and he sires a racehorse, after mating with a mare. To read more on the Chinese Dragon....please visit that section of the site, thank you.

PHYSIOLOGY: Thick, long bodied, scaly skin, four strong legs, two bat-like wings, wedge-shaped heads, and long necks. They usually are portrayed as breathing fire. Some breeds of these dragons have been known to be shape changers, and others have the chameleon power to change color of their background. They are sometimes displayed as having a spade or spiked tail. They eat but once a month on a sheep or ox, or even a human (myth says they prefer virgin maidens). They can be any color, or many colors, depending on the breed of the dragon. HISTORY: 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 dragon is a homoeothermic reptile, meaning that he is warm-blooded and his body temperature is controlled internally, which enables him/her to adapt to their suorrondings. The dragon commonly has bat-like wings, whose bones are hollow for lightiness so that he/she can take flight. They are known and feared for their size, physical prowess, and magical ablities, and are amongst the oldest and most powerful of ancient creatures in the world. Most often they are identified by the color of their scales and fall into three major categories: Chromatic, gem and metallic. The chromatic dragons include black, blue, green, red, and white dragons; all are extremely evil and are feared by most. The metallic dragons are the bress, bronze, copper, gold, and silver dragons; which are noblr and good, highly respected by wise people. the gem dragons are the amethyst, crystal, emerald, sapphire, and topaz; which these dragons are nuetral with respect to good and evil, they are charismatic and sauve, masters of persuasion who delight in riddles. Generally, the gem dragons are smaller and slower then the others, however they are often wiser and more intelligent, and have psionic abilities to compensate any other lacking areas.

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