Throughout history a specific type of mythical creature has evolved in almost every culture. These cultures were isolated from each other by unimaginable distance, and ages of time. Many of these people never even came in contact with the others; yet the dragon plays a role in virtually every culture’s mythology.
A dragon can be defined as a giant, serpentine, mythical beast, with supernatural abilities. The specific details of different cultures’ dragons are as varied as the cultures themselves, but most are depicted as having large lizard-like bodies, fierce razored talons, and gnashing rows of fangs. In this article, I will give a description of the three general types of dragons; as mythologists recognize them; the fierce European dragons; the magical Oriental dragons and the mysterious tribal dragons.
The European dragon class, as its name suggests, originated in Europe. These are the common fairy tale beasts that kidnap maidens and steal hordes of treasure. These are commonly described as having a four-legged lizard body, with great bat wings on their back, and the ability to breathe fire. The dragons have a range of intelligences from that of a farm animal to that of a very smart person. In the works of Tolkien, these are most frequently the type used.
The Europeans also developed the notion that it was the highest of honors for a knight to slay a dragon. For a long period of time, Christian churches used the dragon image to represent the devil. The image of a Christian knight slaying a demonic dragon was a metaphor for good winning over evil. A good of example of this is the story of Saint George, who allegedly slayed a dragon (although many historians believe that ‘slaying a dragon’ was a metaphor for converting hundreds of people.)
The oriental dragons assume the basis of many Eastern religions. Dragons can represent rain, the ocean, clouds, etc., and are usually portrayed as being kind, but quick to anger. These dragons are usually imagined as having a long serpentine body, with either no legs or very small ones. They have the natural ability to fly, but with no visible wings. They are said to not inhabit our world, but instead visit it only briefly from another magical world.
The mysticism and mysteriousness of the dragons have inspired many artists. If you run a Google search on ‘dragons’ you will come up immediately with several photos of these beautiful creatures. If a museum has an exhibit on the orient, I guarantee that there will be at least one dragon there.
Tribal dragons are depicted in a wide class of ancient art or sculptures. Researchers don’t know that much about these mysterious figures, or what role they played in ancient society. What was thought to be birds by the original discoverers of some ancient sites, are now thought to be dragons. One prime example of this type of dragon is the ancient Aztec God Quetzicoatl. Most experts gather from art and ceremonial artifacts that this most worshipped God was a snake with thunderous powers. The leading evidence is a flint sacrificial blade with a winged snake wrapped around the hilt.
Dragons are unique to every single person’s mind. I’m sure that my image of a dragon when writing this article, is heavily different from your thoughts of these terrific creatures. The human fascination with the terrifying forces of the world will always invoke the image of the dragon.
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