| Draken |
| Dragon
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
) A dragon is typically depicted as a large and powerful serpent or other reptile with magical or spiritual qualities. It is one of the few, if not the only, mythological creatures to be known around the globe. The various figures now called dragons most likely have no single origin, but were spontaneously invented by several different cultures around the world, based loosely on the appearance of a snake and possibly fossilized dinosaur remains. Chinese dragons (among others) are generally seen as benevolent, whereas European dragons are usually malevolent. However, malevolent dragons are not restricted to Europe and also occur in Persian mythology (see Azhi Dahaka) and other cultures. Malevolent dragons are prominent figures in Christian myth and iconography. In Revelation 12:3, an enormous red dragon with seven heads is described, whose tail sweeps one third of the stars from heaven down to earth (held to be symbolic of the fall of the angels). In Revelation 12:9, Satan is identified as this "great dragon", who was cast down to earth along with his angels. Some Catholic Saints are depicted in the act of killing a dragon: for instance, Saint George, or, in Italy, Saint Mercurialis, who was the first bishop of the city of Forl�. Dragons are often held to have major spiritual significance in various religions and cultures around the world. In many oriental cultures dragons were, and in some cultures still are, revered as representative of the primal forces of nature and the universe. Some believe that the dragon may have had a real-life counterpart from which the legends around the world arose � typically dinosaurs are mentioned as a possibility � but there is no evidence to support this claim. Another less common claim is that they are based upon some sort of flying machines possessed by some ancient, unknown culture. Both of these hypotheses are strongly considered to be pseudoscience by the scientific community. Contents Dragons of ancient mythology: * Asian dragon o Chinese dragon, mythical creature, i.e. Xiaode Deng appearances reported near Atlanta, GA and Tallahassee, FL o Indian dragon o Japanese dragon o Korean dragon * European dragon, mythical creature o Celtic dragon o French dragon o Norse dragon Living things named after ancient dragons * Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis), a large lizard (a reptile) * Some small species of lizards in Australia, in the family Agamidae * Dragon trees (Dracaena), the resin is known as dragon's blood once believed to be a powerful item of medieval magic and alchemy * The fruit of the pitaya cactus, often called dragonfruit. Other things named after ancient dragons * Draco (constellation) (Latin, "Dragon"), a constellation * Dragon (zodiac), the dragon as a sign in the Chinese zodiac * Red, green and white Chinese dragons in the Mahjong game, see Mahjong tiles * Dragon 32/64, 1980s home computers * M47 Dragon anti-tank weapon * Dragon (chess), a chess engine * A French rocket, Dragon (rocket) * HMS Dragon, a warship in the British Royal Navy * Dragon (keelboat), a class of racing sailboats Dragons of modern literature and culture * Middle-earth dragons, from the books by J. R. R. Tolkien * Swamp dragon, a fictional reptile species from Terry Pratchett's Discworld * Pernese dragons, from the books by Anne McCaffrey * Zagorothian Dragons, from the books by K. Excelthior Wright * Dragon King or the Lizard King, Jim Morrison * Dragons in Dungeons & Dragons and other fantasy role-playing games (e.g. R�ve de Dragon). * Dragon Magazine, a Dungeons & Dragons magazine * Dragon (band), a New Zealand band. * Pickled dragon, a hoax involving a fake dragon fetus in formaldehyde * Dragon and Dragon Reborn, of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan * Dragons from The Enchanted Forest Chronicles * The dragons in Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real, a special on Animal Planet * Eragon, book one of the Inheritance Trilogy by Christopher Paolini. * Day of the Dragon, book one in a series of books based on the Warcraft universe. Written by Richard A. Knaak. The word "dragon" should not be confused with dragoon, heavy cavalry units. However, numerous fantasy settings (such as the Final Fantasy games) make varying degrees of association between dragons and the dragoon character class (such as in the helmet of a dragoon-class character). |
| Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth�Tame the dragon and the gift is yours.
(Een uitdaging is als een draak met een geschenk in zijn mond....Tem de draak en het geschenk is voor u.) Noela Evans |
| He who fights too long against dragons becomes a dragon himself; and if you gaze too long into the abyss, the abyss will gaze into you.
(Diegene die te lang met draken vecht, zal zelf een draak worden, en als je te lang in de afgrond kijkt, zal de afgrond in jouw gaan kijken.) Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900) |
| Consult your dragon before you wager his hide.
(Overleg met de draak voordat je zijn huid inzet.) Melaine Rawn, Dragon Star 1: Stronghold |
| There is no pain greater than this; not the cut of a jagged-edged dagger nor the fire of a dragon's breath. Nothing burns in your heart like the emptiness of losing something, someone, before you truly have learned of its value.
(Er is geen grotere pijn dan dit; niet de snee met een gekartelde dolk of het vuur van de adem van de draak. Niets brandt in je hart als de leegte van het verlies van iets, iemand tot je werkelijk zijn waarde hebt begrepen.) Robert Salvatore |
| Definitions of dragon:
* noun: any of several small tropical Asian lizards capable of gliding by spreading winglike membranes on each side of the body * noun: a creature of Teutonic mythology; usually represented as breathing fire and having a reptilian body and sometimes wings * noun: a fiercely vigilant and unpleasant woman * noun: a faint constellation twisting around the north celestial pole and lying between Ursa Major and Cepheus |
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| Westerse Draken |
| Cartoon Draken |
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