Dragon Hall

Anydragon · Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 9:31 am Post subject:

Philippine Dragon
Bakunawa

The Bakunawa appears as a gigantic serpent that lives in the sea.

Ancient natives believed that the Bakunawa caused the moon or the sun to disappear during an eclipse.

It is said that during certain times of the year, the bakunawa arises from the ocean and proceeds to swallow the moon whole. To keep the Bakunawa from completely eating the moon, the natives would go out of their houses with pans and pots in hand and make a noise barrage in order to scare the Bakunawa into spitting out the moon back into the sky.

Korean dragon
Yong (Mireu)

A sky dragon, essentially the same as the Chinese lóng. Like the lóng, yong and the other Korean dragons are associated with water and weather. In pure Korean, it is also known as 'mireu'.

Imoogi

A hornless ocean dragon, sometimes equated with a sea serpent.

Gyo

A mountain dragon. In fact, the Chinese character for this word is also used for the imoogi.

Vietnamese dragon
Rồng or Long

These dragons' bodies curve lithely, in sine shape, with 12 sections, symbolising 12 months in the year. They are able to change the weather, and are responsible for crops. On the dragon's back are little, uninterrupted, regular fins. The head has a long mane, beard, prominent eyes, crest on nose, but no horns. The jaw is large and opened, with a long, thin tongue; they always keep a châu (gem/jewel) in their mouths (a symbol of humanity, nobility and knowledge).

Cham dragon
makara

A mythical sea monster with the body of a serpent, the trunk of an elephant, and a head that can have features reminiscent of a lion, a crocodile, or a dragon.

Siberian dragon
Yilbegan

Related to European Turkic and Slavic dragons

Anydragon · Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 9:44 am Post subject: European Dragons

Catalan dragon
drac

Catalan dragons are serpent-like creatures with two legs (rarely four) and, sometimes, a pair of wings. Their faces can resemble that of other animals, like lions or cattle. They have a burning breath. Their breath is also poisonous, the reason by which dracs are able to rot everything with their stench. A víbria is a female dragon.

French dragons
Dragon

The French representation of dragons spans much of European history, and has even given its name to the dragoons, a type of cavalry.

Sardinian dragon
scultone

The dragon named "scultone" or "ascultone" was a legend in Sardinia, Italy for many a millennium. It had the power to kill human beings with its gaze. It was a sort of basilisk, lived in the bush and was immortal.

Scandinavian & Germanic dragons
Lindworm

Lindworms are serpent-like dragons with either two or no legs. In Nordic and Germanic heraldry, the lindworm looks the same as a wyvern. The dragon Fafnir was a lindworm.

Anydragon · Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 9:50 am Post subject:

English dragons
Wyvern

Wyverns are a heraldic device in shape of a dragon with expanded wings, with only two legs and the pointed tail of a scorpion. Sometimes they are depicted as dragons with serpentine or lizard-like bodies, four legs and bat-like wings, and usually have horns and can breathe fire. They are generally evil, and hoard treasure captured from raids on castles.

Welsh dragons
y ddraig goch

In Welsh mythology, after a long battle (which the Welsh King Vortigern witnesses) a red dragon defeats a white dragon; Merlin explains to the Vortigern that the red dragon symbolizes the Welsh, and the white dragon symbolizes the Saxons - thus foretelling the ultimate defeat of the English by the Welsh.

Hungarian dragons (Sárkányok)
zomok

A great snake living in a swamp, which regularly kills pigs or sheep. A group of shepherds can easily kill them.

sárkánykígyó

A giant winged snake, which is in fact a full-grown zomok. It often serves as flying mount of the garabonciás (a kind of magician). The sárkánykígyó rules over storms and bad weather.

sárkány

A dragon in human form. Most of them are giants with multiple heads. Their strength is held in their heads. They become gradually weaker as they lose their heads.

In contemporary Hungarian the word sárkány is used to mean all kinds of dragons.

Slavic dragons
zmey, zmiy, żmij, змей, or zmaj, or drak, or smok

Similar to the conventional European dragon, but multi-headed. They breathe fire and/or leave fiery wakes as they fly. In Slavic and related tradition, dragons symbolize evil. Specific dragons are often given Turkic names (see Zilant, below), symbolizing the long-standing conflict between the Slavs and Turks. However, in Serbian and Bulgarian folklore, dragons are defenders of the crops in their home regions, fighting against a destructive demon Ala, whom they shoot with lightning.[9][10]

References
9. ^ Зечевић, Слободан (1981). Митска бића српских предања. Belgrade: "Вук Караџић" : Етнографски музеј. (A book in Serbian about mythical creatures of Serbian traditions)
10. ^ Беновска-Събкова, Милена. Змей. Родово Наследство. Retrieved on 2007-08-13. (An extract from the book Змеят в българския фолклор (The Dragon in Bulgarian Folklore), in Bulgarian)

Anydragon · Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 10:05 am Post subject:

Romanian dragons
Balaur

Balaur are very similar to the Slavic zmey: very large, with fins and multiple heads.

Chuvash dragons
Vere Celen

Chuvash dragons represent the pre-Islamic mythology of the same region.

Asturian dragons
Cuélebre

In Asturian mythology the Cuélebres are giant winged serpents, which live in caves where they guard treasures and kidnapped xanas. They can live for centuries and, when they grow really old, they use their wings to fly. Their breath is poisonous and they often kill cattle to eat. Asturian term Cuelebre comes from Latin colŭbra, i.e. snake.

Portuguese dragons
Coca

In Portuguese mythology coca is a female dragon that fights with Saint George. She loses her strength when Saint George cuts off one of her ears.

Greek dragons
Drakōn - δράκων

Cadmus fighting the dragon is a legendary story from the Greek lore dating to before ca. 560–550 BC.

Tatar dragons
Zilant

Really closer to a wyvern, the Zilant is the symbol of Kazan. Zilant itself is a Russian rendering of Tatar yılan, i.e. snake.

Turkish dragons
Ejderha or Evren

The Turkish dragon secretes flames from its tail, and there is no mention in any legends of its having wings, or even legs. In fact, most Turkish (and later, Islamic) sources describe dragons as gigantic snakes.