You would not believe the huge part dragons played in out history. If
you where to go to your local library and check out dragon
history/legend, your eyes would just pop right out of there sockets
with all there is to read. After much thought I decided to use the
everything up nicely and I have also been able to verify, with other
books, that what she writs is true. (With the regards to Dragons in
In the Western world, our word dragon comes from the Greek drakon and
the Latin draco. Drakon comes from a verb meaning to see, to look at,
or possibly to flash. Certainly in most legends dragons spend their
time watching, whether it be treasure, territory, or the supposedly
as diverse as astrology, astronomy, alchemy, magick, heraldry,
psychology, and the study of dreams. From the time that humans began
to record things, dragons have been mentioned.
Constellation DRACO:
In astronomy, the ancient constellation of Draco is in the northern
heavens and curves in a winding pattern between the Big and little
star Draconis is a brilliant double star. The constellation has
probably shifted over the millennia and may have once been the
polestar to which the pyramid of Cheops was aligned.
Real Legend:
Everywhere the legged dragon is associated with creation or
life-giving. Throughout the world the Goddess, or Great Mother, is
connected with serpents, dragons, and spirals. As the great
whale-dragon, Ishtar brought about the catastrophic flood which made
it possible for a new order of humans to develop. Tiamat of
Mesopotamia was the Mother-creator-dragon whose body was shaped into
heavens and Earth. Worldwide, dragons and serpents are symbolic of the
energy source of life, healing, oracular powers, fertility, and
maternal blessing.
In some cultures a full initiate was called a dragon or snake. Priests
of Egypt and Babylon called themselves Sons of the Serpent-god or Sons
of the dragons. Even the Druids of the Celts spoke of themselves as
snakes. In Mexico, the priests of Quetzalcoatl referred to themselves
as of the race of the Dragon. The Welsh word Draig, or dragon, was
used to denote a leader, hero, warleader, or prince. King Arthur and
his father Uther Pendragon were said to have used a dragon as their
emblem. Even today the royal banner of Wales has a four-legged red and
gold dragon on it.
The dragon became a symbol of evil and the Christian devil only after
the church gained power. In an attempt to crush the ancient beliefs of
Pagans, the Christians spread their propaganda of their devil, calling
him the dragon. By instilling deep fears, particularly of eternal
punishments, the priests and church leaders managed to grasp control
of rulers and governments. By becoming the controlling force behind
governments, the church could control the people themselves, either
through making their own Christian religious belief the state religion
or by influencing the laws that were passed. Even then, though, there
were truly individualistic people who refused to give up what they
knew to be, for them, true spiritual paths. These Pagans had to go
underground, living in fear of persecution and death, for centuries
until they were once again granted the freedom to follow their ancient
ways, freely speak of contacting the powerful astral beings who aided
them.
Even through these times of persecution, the dragon did not fade from
sight. In European countries, and China in particular, the draconic
image remained alive in stories. European families, especially, used
the dragon in coats of arms. The European art of heraldry and coats of
arms still employs the depiction of dragons in its art. The Prince of
Wales has a red and gold dragon in his coat of arms and on his flag.
The families of de Drago, von Drachenfels, de Drack, de Dragon de
Ramillies, and Dragomanni, among others, all have a dragon on their
coats of arms, as did the family of Sir Francis Drake.
In heraldry, a dragon with two legs is called a wyvern; a dragon
without wings is a worm; a serpentine dragon with wings but no legs is
an amphiptere; a dragon with wings and legs is termed a guivre.
Further meanings of these draconic images was determined by how the
dragon was posed: rampant (forelegs raised), passant (one foreleg
raised), statant (all four feet on the ground), wings endorsed
(upright over the back), displayed or depressed, tail nowed (knotted).
Even further definition was determined by the color: or (gold), gules
(red), sable (black), or vert (green)
Now for DRAGONS IN MYTHOLOGY AND LEGEND. *Laughs* In never fails to
amaze me what crazy things we humans can come up with. Enjoy!
Ancient teachings say dragons can have two or four legs or none at
all, a pair of wings or be wingless, breathe fire and smoke, and have
scales on their bodies. Their blood is extremely poisonous and
corrosive, but also very magical. Blood, or the life force, as a
symbol of the intensity of their elemental-type energies. Depending
upon the reception they received from humans in the area where they
lived, dragons could be either beneficial or violent. One thing is for
certain: dragons were regarded with awe by all cultures affected by
their presence and interaction with humans.
In the Eastern world, dragons seldom breathe fire and are more
benevolent, although hot-tempered and destructive when provoked. They
are sometimes pictured as wingless, but can propel themselves through
the air if they wish. The dragons of the Orient, Mexico, the Americas,
and Australia propelled themselves through the skies by balancing
In China, for instance, dragons are portrayed with four legs, a long
sinuous serpentine body and a snake-like tail; they ranged in size
from a few feet long up to the Great Chien-Tang who was over a
thousand feet in length. They could speak, were able to alter their
forms and sizes, and had a varying number of claws.
Chinese emperors adopted the five-clawed dragon as a sacred ancestor,
symbol of their power. Only Imperial dragons were said to have the
special five claws on each foot. All other Oriental dragons had only
three or four claws. It became a law that only the Emperor could have
a five-clawed dragon embroidered on his robes or painted on anything!
although modern historians only go back to 1600 BCE. A clay vessel
from about 2000 BCE is decorated with a dragon picture. The dragon
symbol and figure still exist in modern-day Chinese art and
celebrations.
The Chinese divided their dragons into groups or classes, each with
different characteristics. There were four major Lung Wang dragons, or
Dragon-Kings. The names of these brothers were Ao Kuang, Ao Jun, Ao
supported the mansion of the gods; the Shen lung brought rain; the ti
treasures and deposits of precious metals. The Lung Wang, or Dragon
Kings, resembled the Indian Nagas, or sacred serpents. They were the
patron deities of rivers, lakes, seas. and rain. They had valuable
pearls in their throats and lived in magnificent underwater palaces.
The Egyptian Apep was described as a huge serpent-dragon that lived in
similar legend about the dragon Illuyankas. The Mesopotamian god
Marduk killed the she-dragon Tiamat and created the world from her
body. Ancient heroes of Persia battled with dragons.
In the Classics, the Greeks told of their hero Herakles slaying the
seven-headed hydra, a form of dragon. While still in his cradle, he
slew two giant serpents sent by Hera. Later the hero saved Hesione who
was chained as a sacrifice to a sea dragon. Perseus did the same for
Andromeda. As a baby, Apollo also killed a serpent (dragon) sent
against his mother by Hera. Jason killed a hydra (many-headed-dragon)
to get the Golden Fleece; scenes of this story can still be seen on
Greek dishes from about 480-490 BCE, showing a definite dragon
creature. Both the Greek Medea and the Roman Ceres were said to ride
in chariots pulled by dragons. Ancient Greece and Rome considered the
dragon both beneficent and evil, depending upon the activities of the
creature. The Purple Dragon became the emblem of the Byzantine
emperors. There is a wall painting of a dragon still existing in the
ruined Roman city of Pompeii.
In Africa, the country of Ethiopia was said to be heavily populated
with dragons at one time. The Roman poet Lucan and other Classical
authors wrote that African dragons could fly, that their brilliantly
colored scales shone brightly, and that some of them were so huge that
they could be mistaken for hills when they lay asleep.
The ancient Celts had traditions of dragons, considering them wily but
wise. Unfortunately, so much of Celtic lore was lost to deliberate
destruction that we have only remnants of tales and fragments of
dragons lore left today from that culture. The Celtic ramsnake, or
dragon, is connected with Cernunnos, the antlered Earth god. This
Celtic ram-dragon is also connected with the number eight, this being
the number of spokes on the solar wheel; the solar wheel is set in
motion by the ram-headed dragon. What few carvings we have of the god
Cernunnos picture him with a bag of gold at his feet and a
ram-dragon heads symbolizes that spiritual bridge between various
planes of existence. The Celtic shaman-magician-priest knew that in
order to travel this bridge, she/he must go inward to meet the dragon
guarding that bridge. A lack of self-discipline and self-knowledge
would prevent any seeker from being able to pass the dragon and enter
the realms of the Otherworlds.
The dragon has been depicted on the Welsh banner since at least the
departure of the Roman legions. And in England, Scotland, and Ireland
the dragon has been drawn with four legs and the wyvern with two since
the 16th century. On the European continent, however, the two-legged
wyvern is still called a dragon, the same name given to the
four-legged variety. Even today, the dragon, alone or with other
designs, is part of the heraldic heritage of some two hundred English
families and some three hundred from Europe.
blood. In European lore, the blood was said to make a person
invulnerable to stab wounds if they bathed in it, able to understand
became extremely brave and strong. Eating the tongue gave eloquence
and the ability to win any argument. The liver cured certain diseases,
as did various other parts.
times. Since dragons are not going to willingly give up their blood,
magicians had to turn to other sources. There were said to be several
sources of this material, other than from an actual dragon. The
blood produced a reddish-brown sap of great magickal value. This
species of tree is still called Dracaena draco by botanists. Incisions
were made in the bark and the sap collected as it congealed into
resin. Most of these trees are found in the East Indies, southern
and used in magickal procedures today.
Lil Stinker
"just havin' fun!"
|
|