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dragon（英语单词）_百度百科

on（英语单词）_百度百科网页新闻贴吧知道网盘图片视频地图文库资讯采购百科百度首页登录注册进入词条全站搜索帮助首页秒懂百科特色百科知识专题加入百科百科团队权威合作下载百科APP个人中心dragon是一个多义词，请在下列义项上选择浏览（共2个义项）展开添加义项dragon播报讨论上传视频英语单词收藏查看我的收藏0有用+10Dragon，中文译名“龙”，但是与中国“龙”（英文译为：loong）有本质的区别。Dragon是西方神话中一种强大的生物，第一眼看上去外形类似一只长着类似蝙蝠肉翼的蜥蜴。龙有很多种，生活环境从沙漠到森林，甚至海洋都有分布，习性和颜色也随种类的不同而不同，共通的特点是喜欢财宝，穴居，会喷火。中国“龙” 则是中国历史上的一个图腾形象。在中国古代传说中，龙是一种能兴云降雨的神异动物。在封建时代，龙则作为皇帝的象征。中文名龙外文名dragon天文学天龙口语脾气暴躁的人目录1单词2传统形象3演变4西方神话5东西方区别6相关生物单词播报编辑dragon英 [ˈdrægən] 美 [ˈdræɡən]n.龙，龙船；[D-][天文学]天龙（星座）；[口语、贬义]脾气暴躁的人传统形象播报编辑图片(3张)西方龙的最初形象来自蛇，有着蛇类一般蜿蜒粗壮的脖颈和尾巴，描述也为“有翼的巨蛇”，一些龙有着多首的特征，因此西方传说中一些蛇形生物也常常被描绘为龙型，例如九头蛇许德拉、堤丰等等。当然了，到了后期，不同国家龙的形象也不同，他们是一个混合体，甚至奇美拉也可以被分进龙里。演变播报编辑Dragon作为西方传说中最为顶端的存在，在受到万众瞩目的同时，其内涵也在爱好者的努力下逐渐扩充。最初的Dragon基本接近于圣经中所述，强大和邪恶的生物。后期则出现了金属龙，相对于彩色龙的邪恶，金属龙则是善良阵营的。再之后，为了迎合西方人认为“善良”、“邪恶”和“中立”三者缺一不可的观点，宝石龙应运而生。最近的一些作品中，Dragon也有了其人性化的一面，如俄罗斯一家公司出品的《国王的恩赐：传奇》中，一只龙由于自己的妻子被一位领主夺走，向玩家求助。另外一只龙由于蓝色的皮肤而被种群排斥，为此苦恼不已。不过在龙的演变过程中，如下的特点是始终不变的：喜爱财宝，强大，能喷火（此外各种龙有各自独特的吐息能力）。西方神话播报编辑西方神话中的Dragon西方龙(5张)一般来说龙可以分为下面几类：彩色龙顾名思义，各种颜色的龙。包括黑龙/绿龙/红龙/蓝龙等，在部分AD&D（如龙枪）背景中，属于邪恶的龙，但也有例外。彩色龙属于最常见的龙。金属龙金属龙主要包括金龙/银龙/青铜龙/黄铜龙等，在多数AD&D（如龙枪）背景中，属于善良的龙。宝石龙宝石龙最常见的是水晶龙/翡翠龙/黄玉龙/紫晶龙等，在多数AD&D（如龙枪）背景中，属于中立的龙。宝石龙属于比较罕见的龙。传奇龙属于最罕见最强大天生可以媲美神灵的龙。亡灵龙作为不死生物他们失去了作为龙的一部分能力，例如骨龙的喷吐、飞行能力，高智慧的亡灵龙会创造其他的亡灵。此外还有一些特殊的龙，比如仙女龙等等。龙是一种很强大的生物，除了强大的肉体之外，多数还具备很长的寿命和很高的智慧。龙有自己的语言——龙语，并且多数龙在达到一定能力之后具备使用龙语施放魔法的能力，甚至可以变化为其他形态，比如人类（但此形态不为固定）。西方的龙一种传说生物，拥有强大的力量及魔法能力，种类很多，其家族的庞大比起东方的龙来毫不逊色。中国的龙是“龙生九子，每子不同”，而西方的龙则是“龙生百子，每子不同”。有居住于深海的海龙，有沉睡于火山的火龙，有蛰伏于沼泽的毒龙以及无数的奇形怪状的龙龙，以及九头龙、龙兽、亚龙、双足飞龙等等。西方的龙拥有强壮的身躯，又长又粗的颈，有角或褶边的头，尖锐的牙齿，和一条长长的尾。它用四只强而有力的脚步行，用一对像蝙蝠翼的巨翼飞行，它的身体全身覆盖着鳞片，保护着身体。它的眼睛有四层眼睑，其中内三层是透明的，可保护眼睛免受伤害，耳朵可以开合，但不是所有龙都有外耳。牙齿尖而利，通常会向内弯，以便撕开猎物。西方龙的皮肤下面有强大的魔法保护，几乎可以抵抗所有的魔法攻击，因此西方龙不惧怕魔法，但它们的眼睛暴露时，没有皮肤保护，它们的眼睛仍然无法对魔法免疫，龙的鲜血能让人刀枪不入（在德国的传说中），但大部分龙血是有剧毒的。它可以作出喷吐攻击，视乎该种龙的类别而有所不同，如红龙会喷火，蓝龙会喷电等。而它亦会对同类的能量攻击免疫。龙是一种可怕的生物，会发出一种令人惊慌的气势：气势凶猛，俗称龙威，在灵魂等级上压制其他种族；它亦可以使用一些魔法的效果，视乎种类。部分龙一定年龄就可以使用一些类法术能力，这些能力和龙威一样即使在禁魔区依然可以用。西方的龙多居于山洞，喜好财宝，通常洞中都会收藏大量的财宝，其作为床铺、零食、或者求偶。龙的个性傲慢但绝不是愚蠢，相反他们比大部分生物还要聪明（这也包括类人种族）。东西方区别播报编辑西方和中国Dragon的区别在西方神话传说中，长着翅膀，身上有磷，拖着一条长长的蛇尾，能够从嘴中喷火。在中世纪，dragon是罪恶的象征，这来源于圣经中的故事。与上帝作对的恶魔撒旦（Satan）被称为the great dragon。因此，在基督教美术中dragon总是代表邪恶。一些圣徒如麦克尔、圣乔治等都以杀死dragon为其业绩。由于它们令人感到恐怖，所以很早就被用来作为战争的旗帜。在诺曼人征服英国以前，dragon是英国皇家的主要战争徽记。在英语中，dragon所引起的联想与“龙”在中文中所引起的联想完全不同，例如说一个人像dragon，这并不是一句好话。因此在使用时需十分注意。Collins COBUILD English Language Dictionary如此解释：If you call a woman a dragon，you mean that she is fierce and unpleasant.（如果把一个女人叫做dragon，意思是她很凶狠，令人讨厌。）例如可以说She’s a bit a dragon around place，意思是她在这里是个很跋扈的人。“龙”在我国历史上是一个图腾形象。华夏族的图腾形象有一个演化过程。最早的图腾形象是图腾自身形象、如蛇、鸟、熊、虎等。以后出现了半人半兽的图腾形象。最后，图腾进一步神圣化，形成了如龙、凤等具有多种动物特征的综合性图腾形象，如龙兼有蛇、兽、鱼等多种动物的形态，是以蛇为主的幻想动物。这反映了华夏族不断融合的过程。在我国古代传说中，龙是一种能兴云降雨的神异动物。在封建时代，龙作为皇帝的象征。在汉语中，龙总是用于好的意思，例如龙凤指才能优异的人。龙虎比喻豪杰之士。在许多成语中都有“龙”这个词，例如：龙飞凤舞、龙凤呈祥、龙蟠虎踞、卧虎藏龙、画龙点睛、攀龙附凤、生龙活虎等等。汉民族素以“龙的传人”自称。有的词典为了区别汉语中的“龙”和英语中的dragon，把中国的“龙”称为Chinese dragon，以区别于英语中的dragon。有学者认为应该采用“劫更”作为Dragon的中文翻译，但是目前没有得到广泛赞同。相关生物播报编辑Drake/Wurm/Wyvern（龙兽/亚龙/飞龙）这三种龙因为有龙形而后分划进龙类中。其中龙兽的体型最小，形似巨蟒而有四足和一对小型翅膀（或者无翼），没有龙的血统，不会飞行只会滑翔。不过值得注意的是，魔兽争霸中的幼龙也是使用Drake来表示。亚龙与龙的关系最小，在传说中它是以“大蛇”的形象出现的，体型巨大但却没有脚没有翅膀（显然不会飞），口吐毒气但却很怕火（显然不会喷火），身上覆有鳞片。飞龙是双爪双翼，体似龙，爪似鹰，因此也有人称之为“两足飞龙”。它的体型比龙小，胸口有如狮子的鬃毛，尾部有尖刺，其形象经常出现在英格兰的家族徽章上，象征战争、瘟疫、嫉妒和邪恶。双足飞龙通常（但不总是）与寒冷的天气、冰有关，很少有能力呼吸火，通常是绿龙。插图(2张)新手上路成长任务编辑入门编辑规则本人编辑我有疑问内容质疑在线客服官方贴吧意见反馈投诉建议举报不良信息未通过词条申诉投诉侵权信息封禁查询与解封©2024 Baidu 使用百度前必读 | 百科协议 | 隐私政策 | 百度百科合作平台 | 京ICP证030173号京公网安备110000020000

Dragon - Wikipedia

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1Etymology

2Historic tales and records

3African stories/records

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3.1Egypt

4Asian stories/records

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4.1West Asia

4.1.1Mesopotamia

4.1.1.1Levant

4.1.2Ancient and Post-classical

4.1.3Iran/Persia

4.2East Asia

4.2.1China

4.2.2Korea

4.2.3Japan

4.3South Asia

4.3.1India

4.3.2Bhutan

4.4Southeast Asia

4.4.1Vietnam

5European stories/records

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5.1Proto-Indo-European

5.2Ancient Greek

5.3Post-classical Germanic

5.4Post-classical Western

5.5Post-classical Eastern

6Modern depictions

7See also

8References

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8.1Bibliography

9External links

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Dragon

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 1 March 2024.

Legendary large magical creature

Not to be confused with Dragon lizard, Komodo dragon, Draconian, Dracones, or Dragoon.

This article is about the legendary creature. For other uses, see Dragon (disambiguation).

Illustration of a winged, fire-breathing dragon by Friedrich Justin Bertuch from 1806Qing-era carved imperial Chinese dragons at Nine-Dragon Wall, Beihai Park, BeijingDragon-shaped bows on ships in Ystad, Sweden, resembling Viking longships

A dragon is a magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in Western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as winged, horned, and capable of breathing fire. Dragons in eastern cultures are usually depicted as wingless, four-legged, serpentine creatures with above-average intelligence. Commonalities between dragons' traits are often a hybridization of feline, reptilian, mammalian, and avian features. Some scholars believe large extinct or migrating crocodiles bear the closest resemblance, especially when encountered in forested or swampy areas, and are most likely the template of modern Asian dragon imagery.[1][2]

Etymology[edit]

An early appearance of the Old English word dracan in Beowulf[3]

The word dragon entered the English language in the early 13th century from Old French dragon, which, in turn, comes from the Latin: draco (genitive draconis) meaning "huge serpent, dragon", from Ancient Greek δράκων, drákōn (genitive δράκοντος, drákontos) "serpent".[4][5] The Greek and Latin term referred to any great serpent, not necessarily mythological.[6] The Greek word δράκων is most likely derived from the Greek verb δέρκομαι (dérkomai) meaning "I see", the aorist form of which is ἔδρακον (édrakon).[5] This is thought to have referred to something with a "deadly glance",[7] or unusually bright[8] or "sharp"[9][10] eyes, or because a snake's eyes appear to be always open; each eye actually sees through a big transparent scale in its eyelids, which are permanently shut. The Greek word probably derives from an Indo-European base *derḱ- meaning "to see"; the Sanskrit root दृश् (dr̥ś-) also means "to see".[11]

Historic tales and records[edit]

Several bones purported to belong to the Wawel Dragon hang outside Wawel Cathedral, but actually belong to a Pleistocene mammal.

Draconic creatures appear in virtually all cultures around the globe[12] and the earliest attested reports of draconic creatures resemble giant snakes. Draconic creatures are first described in the mythologies of the ancient Near East and appear in ancient Mesopotamian art and literature. Stories about storm-gods slaying giant serpents occur throughout nearly all Near Eastern and Indo-European mythologies. Famous prototypical draconic creatures include the mušḫuššu of ancient Mesopotamia; Apep in Egyptian mythology; Vṛtra in the Rigveda; the Leviathan in the Hebrew Bible; Grand'Goule in the Poitou region in France; Python, Ladon, Wyvern and the Lernaean Hydra in Greek mythology; Kulshedra in Albanian Mythology; Unhcegila in Lakota mythology; Jörmungandr, Níðhöggr, and Fafnir in Norse mythology; the dragon from Beowulf; and aži and az in ancient Persian mythology, closely related to another mythological figure, called Aži Dahaka or Zahhak.

Nonetheless, scholars dispute where the idea of a dragon originates from[13] and a wide variety of hypotheses have been proposed.[13]

In his book An Instinct for Dragons (2000), David E. Jones (anthropologist) suggests a hypothesis that humans, like monkeys, have inherited instinctive reactions to snakes, large cats, and birds of prey.[14] He cites a study which found that approximately 39 people in a hundred are afraid of snakes[15] and notes that fear of snakes is especially prominent in children, even in areas where snakes are rare.[15] The earliest attested dragons all resemble snakes or have snakelike attributes.[16] Jones therefore concludes that dragons appear in nearly all cultures because humans have an innate fear of snakes and other animals that were major predators of humans' primate ancestors.[17] Dragons are usually said to reside in "dark caves, deep pools, wild mountain reaches, sea bottoms, haunted forests", all places which would have been fraught with danger for early human ancestors.[18]

In her book The First Fossil Hunters: Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in Greek and Roman Times (2000), Adrienne Mayor argues that some stories of dragons may have been inspired by ancient discoveries of fossils belonging to dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.[19] She argues that the dragon lore of northern India may have been inspired by "observations of oversized, extraordinary bones in the fossilbeds of the Siwalik Hills below the Himalayas"[20] and that ancient Greek artistic depictions of the Monster of Troy may have been influenced by fossils of Samotherium, an extinct species of giraffe whose fossils are common in the Mediterranean region.[20] In China, a region where fossils of large prehistoric animals are common, these remains are frequently identified as "dragon bones"[21] and are commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine.[21] Mayor, however, is careful to point out that not all stories of dragons and giants are inspired by fossils[21] and notes that Scandinavia has many stories of dragons and sea monsters, but has long "been considered barren of large fossils."[21] In one of her later books, she states that, "Many dragon images around the world were based on folk knowledge or exaggerations of living reptiles, such as Komodo dragons, Gila monsters, iguanas, alligators, or, in California, alligator lizards, though this still fails to account for the Scandinavian legends, as no such animals (historical or otherwise) have ever been found in this region."[22]

Robert Blust in The Origin of Dragons (2000) argues that, like many other creations of traditional cultures, dragons are largely explicable as products of a convergence of rational pre-scientific speculation about the world of real events. In this case, the event is the natural mechanism governing rainfall and drought, with particular attention paid to the phenomenon of the rainbow.[23]

African stories/records[edit]

Egypt[edit]

Illustration from an ancient Egyptian papyrus manuscript showing the god Set spearing the serpent Apep as he attacks the sun boat of Ra

In Egyptian mythology, Apep or Apophis is a giant serpentine creature who resides in the Duat, the Egyptian Underworld.[24][25] The Bremner-Rhind papyrus, written around 310 BC, preserves an account of a much older Egyptian tradition that the setting of the sun is caused by Ra descending to the Duat to battle Apep.[24][25] In some accounts, Apep is as long as the height of eight men with a head made of flint.[25] Thunderstorms and earthquakes were thought to be caused by Apep's roar[26] and solar eclipses were thought to be the result of Apep attacking Ra during the daytime.[26] In some myths, Apep is slain by the god Set.[27] Nehebkau is another giant serpent who guards the Duat and aided Ra in his battle against Apep.[26] Nehebkau was so massive in some stories that the entire earth was believed to rest atop his coils.[26] Denwen is a giant serpent mentioned in the Pyramid Texts whose body was made of fire and who ignited a conflagration that nearly destroyed all the gods of the Egyptian pantheon.[28] He was ultimately defeated by the Pharaoh, a victory which affirmed the Pharaoh's divine right to rule.[29]

The ouroboros was a well-known Egyptian symbol of a serpent swallowing its own tail.[30] The precursor to the ouroboros was the "Many-Faced",[30] a serpent with five heads, who, according to the Amduat, the oldest surviving Book of the Afterlife, was said to coil around the corpse of the sun god Ra protectively.[30] The earliest surviving depiction of a "true" ouroboros comes from the gilded shrines in the tomb of Tutankhamun.[30] In the early centuries AD, the ouroboros was adopted as a symbol by Gnostic Christians[31] and chapter 136 of the Pistis Sophia, an early Gnostic text, describes "a great dragon whose tail is in its mouth".[31] In medieval alchemy, the ouroboros became a typical western dragon with wings, legs, and a tail.[30] A famous image of the dragon gnawing on its tail from the eleventh-century Codex Marcianus was copied in numerous works on alchemy.[30]

Asian stories/records[edit]

West Asia[edit]

Mesopotamia[edit]

The mušḫuššu is a serpentine, draconic monster from ancient Mesopotamian mythology with the body and neck of a snake, the forelegs of a lion, and the hind-legs of a bird.[32] Here it is shown as it appears in the Ishtar Gate from the city of Babylon.[32]

Ancient people across the Near East believed in creatures similar to what modern people call "dragons".[33] These ancient people were unaware of the existence of dinosaurs or similar creatures in the distant past.[33] References to dragons of both benevolent and malevolent characters occur throughout ancient Mesopotamian literature.[33] In Sumerian poetry, great kings are often compared to the ušumgal, a gigantic, serpentine monster.[33] A draconic creature with the foreparts of a lion and the hind-legs, tail, and wings of a bird appears in Mesopotamian artwork from the Akkadian Period (c. 2334 – 2154 BC) until the Neo-Babylonian Period (626 BC–539 BC).[34] The dragon is usually shown with its mouth open.[34] It may have been known as the (ūmu) nā’iru, which means "roaring weather beast",[34] and may have been associated with the god Ishkur (Hadad).[34] A slightly different lion-dragon with two horns and the tail of a scorpion appears in art from the Neo-Assyrian Period (911 BC–609 BC).[34] A relief probably commissioned by Sennacherib shows the gods Ashur, Sin, and Adad standing on its back.[34]

Another draconic creature with horns, the body and neck of a snake, the forelegs of a lion, and the hind-legs of a bird appears in Mesopotamian art from the Akkadian Period until the Hellenistic Period (323 BC–31 BC).[32] This creature, known in Akkadian as the mušḫuššu, meaning "furious serpent", was used as a symbol for particular deities and also as a general protective emblem.[32] It seems to have originally been the attendant of the Underworld god Ninazu,[32] but later became the attendant to the Hurrian storm-god Tishpak, as well as, later, Ninazu's son Ningishzida, the Babylonian national god Marduk, the scribal god Nabu, and the Assyrian national god Ashur.[32]

Scholars disagree regarding the appearance of Tiamat, the Babylonian goddess personifying primeval chaos, slain by Marduk in the Babylonian creation epic Enûma Eliš.[35][36] She was traditionally regarded by scholars as having had the form of a giant serpent,[36] but several scholars have pointed out that this shape "cannot be imputed to Tiamat with certainty"[36] and she seems to have at least sometimes been regarded as anthropomorphic.[35][36] Nonetheless, in some texts, she seems to be described with horns, a tail, and a hide that no weapon can penetrate,[35] all features which suggest she was conceived as some form of dragoness.[35]

Levant[edit]

The Destruction of Leviathan (1865) by Gustave Doré

In the Ugaritic Baal Cycle, the sea-dragon Lōtanu is described as "the twisting serpent / the powerful one with seven heads."[37] In KTU 1.5 I 2–3, Lōtanu is slain by the storm-god Baal,[37] but, in KTU 1.3 III 41–42, he is instead slain by the virgin warrior goddess Anat.[37] In the Book of Psalms, Psalm 74, Psalm 74:13–14, the sea-dragon Leviathan, is slain by Yahweh, god of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, as part of the creation of the world.[37][38] In Isaiah 27:1, Yahweh's destruction of Leviathan is foretold as part of his impending overhaul of the universal order:[39][40]

Original Hebrew text

English

א בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִפְקֹד יְהוָה בְּחַרְבּוֹ הַקָּשָׁה וְהַגְּדוֹלָה וְהַחֲזָקָה, עַל לִוְיָתָן נָחָשׁ

בָּרִחַ, וְעַל לִוְיָתָן, נָחָשׁ עֲקַלָּתוֹן; וְהָרַג אֶת-הַתַּנִּין, אֲשֶׁר בַּיָּם. {ס}

On that day The LORD shall punish

with his sharp, great, and strong sword,

Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent;

He will slay the dragon that is in the sea.[37]

—Isaiah 27:1

Job 41:1–34 contains a detailed description of the Leviathan, who is described as being so powerful that only Yahweh can overcome it.[41] Job 41:19–21 states that the Leviathan exhales fire and smoke, making its identification as a mythical dragon clearly apparent.[41] In some parts of the Old Testament, the Leviathan is historicized as a symbol for the nations that stand against Yahweh.[38] Rahab, a synonym for "Leviathan", is used in several Biblical passages in reference to Egypt.[38] Isaiah 30:7 declares: "For Egypt's help is worthless and empty, therefore I have called her 'the silenced Rahab'."[38] Similarly, Psalm 87:3 reads: "I reckon Rahab and Babylon as those that know me..."[38] In Ezekiel 29:3–5 and Ezekiel 32:2–8, the pharaoh of Egypt is described as a "dragon" (tannîn).[38] In the story of Bel and the Dragon from the Book of Daniel, the prophet Daniel sees a dragon being worshipped by the Babylonians.[42] Daniel makes "cakes of pitch, fat, and hair";[42] the dragon eats them and bursts open.[43][42]

Ancient and Post-classical[edit]

Iran/Persia[edit]

Azhi Dahaka (Avestan Great Snake) is a dragon or demonic figure in the texts and mythology of Zoroastrian Persia, where he is one of the subordinates of Angra Mainyu. Alternate names include Azi Dahak, Dahaka, and Dahak. Aži (nominative ažiš) is the Avestan word for "serpent" or "dragon.[44] The Avestan term Aži Dahāka and the Middle Persian azdahāg are the sources of the Middle Persian Manichaean demon of greed "Az", Old Armenian mythological figure Aždahak, Modern Persian 'aždehâ/aždahâ', Tajik Persian 'azhdahâ', Urdu 'azhdahā' (اژدها), as well as the Kurdish ejdîha (ئەژدیها).

The name also migrated to Eastern Europe, assumed the form "azhdaja" and the meaning "dragon", "dragoness" or "water snake" in the Balkanic and Slavic languages.[45][46][47]

Despite the negative aspect of Aži Dahāka in mythology, dragons have been used on some banners of war throughout the history of Iranian peoples.

The Azhdarchid group of pterosaurs are named from a Persian word for "dragon" that ultimately comes from Aži Dahāka.

In Zoroastrian literature

Aži Dahāka is the most significant and long-lasting of the ažis of the Avesta, the earliest religious texts of Zoroastrianism. He is described as a monster with three mouths, six eyes, and three heads, and as being cunning, strong, and demonic. In other respects, Aži Dahāka has human qualities, and is never a mere animal. In a post-Avestan Zoroastrian text, the Dēnkard, Aži Dahāka is possessed of all possible sins and evil counsels, the opposite of the good king Jam (or Jamshid). The name Dahāg (Dahāka) is punningly interpreted as meaning "having ten (dah) sins".

In Persian Sufi literature, Rumi writes in his Masnavi[48] that the dragon symbolizes the sensual soul (nafs), greed and lust, that need to be mortified in a spiritual battle.[49][50]

Rustam kills the dragon, folio from Shahnameh of Shah Ismail II, attrib. Sadegi (Beg), Iran, Tabriz, c. 1576 AD, view 1 – Aga Khan Museum – Toronto, Canada

In Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, the Iranian hero Rostam must slay an 80-meter-long dragon (which renders itself invisible to human sight) with the aid of his legendary horse, Rakhsh. As Rostam is sleeping, the dragon approaches; Rakhsh attempts to wake Rostam, but fails to alert him to the danger until Rostam sees the dragon. Rakhsh bites the dragon, while Rostam decapitates it. This is the third trial of Rostam's Seven Labors.[51][52][53]

Rostam is also credited with the slaughter of other dragons in the Shahnameh and in other Iranian oral traditions, notably in the myth of Babr-e-Bayan. In this tale, Rostam is still an adolescent and kills a dragon in the "Orient" (either India or China, depending on the source) by forcing it to swallow either ox hides filled with quicklime and stones or poisoned blades. The dragon swallows these foreign objects and its stomach bursts, after which Rostam flays the dragon and fashions a coat from its hide called the babr-e bayān. In some variants of the story, Rostam then remains unconscious for two days and nights, but is guarded by his steed Rakhsh. On reviving, he washes himself in a spring. In the Mandean tradition of the story, Rostam hides in a box, is swallowed by the dragon, and kills it from inside its belly. The king of China then gives Rostam his daughter in marriage as a reward.[54][55]

East Asia[edit]

China[edit]

Main article: Chinese dragon

A dragon from the Nine Dragons Scroll by Chen Rong, 1244 AD.

Illustration of the dragon Zhulong from a seventeenth-century edition of the Shanhaijing

Dragon art on a vase, Yuan dynastyThe word "dragon" has come to be applied to the legendary creature in Chinese mythology, loong (traditional 龍, simplified 龙, Japanese simplified 竜, Pinyin lóng), which is associated with good fortune, and many East Asian deities and demigods have dragons as their personal mounts or companions. Dragons were also identified with the Emperor of China, who, during later Chinese imperial history, was the only one permitted to have dragons on his house, clothing, or personal articles.

Archaeologist Zhōu Chong-Fa believes that the Chinese word for dragon is an onomatopoeia of the sound of thunder[56] or lùhng in Cantonese.[57]

The Chinese dragon (simplified Chinese: 龙; traditional Chinese: 龍; pinyin: lóng) is the highest-ranking creature in the Chinese animal hierarchy. Its origins are vague, but its "ancestors can be found on Neolithic pottery as well as Bronze Age ritual vessels."[58] A number of popular stories deal with the rearing of dragons.[59] The Zuo zhuan, which was probably written during the Warring States period, describes a man named Dongfu, a descendant of Yangshu'an, who loved dragons[59] and, because he could understand a dragon's will, he was able to tame them and raise them well.[59] He served Emperor Shun, who gave him the family name Huanlong, meaning "dragon-raiser".[59] In another story, Kong Jia, the fourteenth emperor of the Xia dynasty, was given a male and a female dragon as a reward for his obedience to the god of heaven,[59] but could not train them, so he hired a dragon-trainer named Liulei, who had learned how to train dragons from Huanlong.[59] One day, the female dragon died unexpectedly, so Liulei secretly chopped her up, cooked her meat, and served it to the king,[59] who loved it so much that he demanded Liulei to serve him the same meal again.[59] Since Liulei had no means of procuring more dragon meat, he fled the palace.[59]

One of the most famous dragon stories is about the Lord Ye Gao, who loved dragons obsessively, even though he had never seen one.[60] He decorated his whole house with dragon motifs[60] and, seeing this display of admiration, a real dragon came and visited Ye Gao,[60] but the lord was so terrified at the sight of the creature that he ran away.[60] In Chinese legend, the culture hero Fu Hsi is said to have been crossing the Lo River, when he saw the lung ma, a Chinese horse-dragon with seven dots on its face, six on its back, eight on its left flank, and nine on its right flank.[61] He was so moved by this apparition that, when he arrived home, he drew a picture of it, including the dots.[61] He later used these dots as letters and invented Chinese writing, which he used to write his book I Ching.[61] In another Chinese legend, the physician Ma Shih Huang is said to have healed a sick dragon.[62] Another legend reports that a man once came to the healer Lo Chên-jen, telling him that he was a dragon and that he needed to be healed.[62] After Lo Chên-jen healed the man, a dragon appeared to him and carried him to heaven.[62]

In the Shanhaijing, a classic mythography probably compiled mostly during the Han dynasty, various deities and demigods are associated with dragons.[63] One of the most famous Chinese dragons is Ying Long ("responding dragon"), who helped the Huangdi, the Yellow Emperor, defeat the tyrant Chiyou.[64] The dragon Zhulong ("torch dragon") is a god "who composed the universe with his body."[64] In the Shanhaijing, many mythic heroes are said to have been conceived after their mothers copulated with divine dragons, including Huangdi, Shennong, Emperor Yao, and Emperor Shun.[64] The god Zhurong and the emperor Qi are both described as being carried by two dragons,[65] as are Huangdi, Zhuanxu, Yuqiang, and Roshou in various other texts.[59] According to the Huainanzi, an evil black dragon once caused a destructive deluge,[59] which was ended by the mother goddess Nüwa by slaying the dragon.[59]

Hongwu Emperor with dragon emblem on his chest. c. 1377

A large number of ethnic myths about dragons are told throughout China.[59] The Houhanshu, compiled in the fifth century BC by Fan Ye, reports a story belonging to the Ailaoyi people, which holds that a woman named Shayi who lived in the region around Mount Lao became pregnant with ten sons after being touched by a tree trunk floating in the water while fishing.[64] She gave birth to the sons and the tree trunk turned into a dragon, who asked to see his sons.[64] The woman showed them to him,[64] but all of them ran away except for the youngest, who the dragon licked on the back and named Jiu Long, meaning "sitting back".[64] The sons later elected him king and the descendants of the ten sons became the Ailaoyi people, who tattooed dragons on their backs in honor of their ancestor.[64] The Miao people of southwest China have a story that a divine dragon created the first humans by breathing on monkeys that came to play in his cave.[59] The Han people have many stories about Short-Tailed Old Li, a black dragon who was born to a poor family in Shandong.[60] When his mother saw him for the first time, she fainted[60] and, when his father came home from the field and saw him, he hit him with a spade and cut off part of his tail.[60] Li burst through the ceiling and flew away to the Black Dragon River in northeast China, where he became the god of that river.[66] On the anniversary of his mother's death on the Chinese lunar calendar, Old Li returns home, causing it to rain.[67] He is still worshipped as a rain god.[67]

Diagram representing the Four Dragon Kings of the Four Seas in relation to the central Dragon King of the Earth

In China, a dragon is thought to have power over rain. Dragons and their associations with rain are the source of the Chinese customs of dragon dancing and dragon boat racing. Dragons are closely associated with rain[68] and drought is thought to be caused by a dragon's laziness.[69] Prayers invoking dragons to bring rain are common in Chinese texts.[68] The Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals, attributed to the Han dynasty scholar Dong Zhongshu, prescribes making clay figurines of dragons during a time of drought and having young men and boys pace and dance among the figurines in order to encourage the dragons to bring rain.[68] Texts from the Qing dynasty advise hurling the bone of a tiger or dirty objects into the pool where the dragon lives;[69] since dragons cannot stand tigers or dirt, the dragon of the pool will cause heavy rain to drive the object out.[69] Rainmaking rituals invoking dragons are still very common in many Chinese villages, where each village has its own god said to bring rain and many of these gods are dragons.[69] The Chinese dragon kings are thought of as the inspiration for the Hindu myth of the naga. [69] According to these stories, every body of water is ruled by a dragon king, each with a different power, rank, and ability,[69] so people began establishing temples across the countryside dedicated to these figures.[69]

Head of a dragon from a Chinese dragon dance performed in Helsinki in the year 2000.

Many traditional Chinese customs revolve around dragons.[70] During various holidays, including the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, villagers will construct an approximately sixteen-foot-long dragon from grass, cloth, bamboo strips, and paper, which they will parade through the city as part of a dragon dance.[71] The original purpose of this ritual was to bring good weather and a strong harvest,[71] but now it is done mostly only for entertainment.[71] During the Duanwu festival, several villages, or even a whole province, will hold a dragon boat race, in which people race across a body of water in boats carved to look like dragons, while a large audience watches on the banks.[71] The custom is traditionally said to have originated after the poet Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River and people raced out in boats hoping to save him.[71] But most historians agree that the custom actually originated much earlier as a ritual to avert ill fortune.[71] Starting during the Han dynasty and continuing until the Qing dynasty, the Chinese emperor gradually became closely identified with dragons,[71] and emperors themselves claimed to be the incarnations of a divine dragon.[71] Eventually, dragons were only allowed to appear on clothing, houses, and articles of everyday use belonging to the emperor[71] and any commoner who possessed everyday items bearing the image of the dragon was ordered to be executed.[71] After the last Chinese emperor was overthrown in 1911, this situation changed and now many ordinary Chinese people identify themselves as descendants of dragons.[72]

The impression of dragons in a large number of Asian countries has been influenced by Chinese culture, such as Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and so on. Chinese tradition has always used the dragon totem as the national emblem, and the "Yellow Dragon flag" of the Qing dynasty has influenced the impression that China is a dragon in many European countries.

Silk painting depicting a man riding a dragon, dated to 5th–3rd centuries BC

Azure Dragon of the East, lacquer painting found in Prince of Lianggong of Han Tomb, Western Han Dynasty

Tang dynasty painting of a dragon boat race attributed to Li Zhaodao

Flag of the Qing dynasty from 1889 to 1912, showing a Chinese dragon

Dragon sculpture on top of Lungshan Temple, Taipei, Taiwan

Members of the Chinese Youth Society of Melbourne performing for Chinese New Year, at Crown Casino, demonstrate a basic "corkscrew" routine

Korea[edit]

Main article: Korean dragon

The Blue Dragon mural depiction at the Goguryeo tombs.

The Korean dragon is in many ways similar in appearance to other East Asian dragons such as the Chinese and Japanese dragons. It differs from the Chinese dragon in that it developed a longer beard. Very occasionally, a dragon may be depicted as carrying an orb known as the Yeouiju (여의주), the Korean name for the mythical Cintamani, in its claws or its mouth. It was said that whoever could wield the Yeouiju was blessed with the abilities of omnipotence and creation at will, and that only four-toed dragons (who had thumbs with which to hold the orbs) were both wise and powerful enough to wield these orbs, as opposed to the lesser, three-toed dragons. As with China, the number nine is significant and auspicious in Korea, and dragons were said to have 81 (9×9) scales on their backs, representing yang essence. Dragons in Korean mythology are primarily benevolent beings related to water and agriculture, often considered bringers of rain and clouds. Hence, many Korean dragons are said to have resided in rivers, lakes, oceans, or even deep mountain ponds. And human journeys to undersea realms, and especially the undersea palace of the Dragon King (용왕), are common in Korean folklore.[73]

In Korean myths, some kings who founded kingdoms were described as descendants of dragons because the dragon was a symbol of the monarch. Lady Aryeong, who was the first queen of Silla, is said to have been born from a cockatrice,[74] while the grandmother of Taejo of Goryeo, founder of Goryeo, was reportedly the daughter of the dragon king of the West Sea.[75] And King Munmu of Silla who, on his deathbed, wished to become a dragon of the East Sea in order to protect the kingdom. Dragon patterns were used exclusively by the royal family. The royal robe was also called the dragon robe (용포). In the Joseon dynasty, the royal insignia, featuring embroidered dragons, were attached to the robe's shoulders, the chest, and back. The King wore five-taloned dragon insignia while the Crown Prince wore four-taloned dragon insignia.[76]

Korean folk mythology states that most dragons were originally Imugis (이무기), or lesser dragons, which were said to resemble gigantic serpents. There are a few different versions of Korean folklore that describe both what imugis are and how they aspire to become full-fledged dragons. Koreans thought that an Imugi could become a true dragon, yong or mireu, if it caught a Yeouiju which had fallen from heaven. Another explanation states they are hornless creatures resembling dragons who have been cursed and thus were unable to become dragons. By other accounts, an Imugi is a proto-dragon which must survive one thousand years in order to become a fully-fledged dragon. In either case, they are said to be large, benevolent, python-like creatures that live in water or caves, and their sighting is associated with good luck.[77]

Japan[edit]

Main article: Japanese dragon

Painting of a Japanese dragon by Hokusai (c. 1730 – 1849)

Japanese dragon myths amalgamate native legends with imported stories about dragons from China. Like some other dragons, most Japanese dragons are water deities associated with rainfall and bodies of water, and are typically depicted as large, wingless, serpentine creatures with clawed feet. Gould writes (1896:248),[78] the Japanese dragon is "invariably figured as possessing three claws". A story about the samurai Minamoto no Mitsunaka tells that, while he was hunting in his own territory of Settsu, he dreamt under a tree and had a dream in which a beautiful woman appeared to him and begged him to save her land from a giant serpent which was defiling it.[62] Mitsunaka agreed to help and the maiden gave him a magnificent horse.[62] When he woke up, the seahorse was standing before him.[62] He rode it to the Sumiyoshi temple, where he prayed for eight days.[62] Then he confronted the serpent and slew it with an arrow.[62]

It was believed that dragons could be appeased or exorcised with metal.[62] Nitta Yoshisada is said to have hurled a famous sword into the sea at Sagami to appease the dragon-god of the sea[62] and Ki no Tsurayuki threw a metal mirror into the sea at Sumiyoshi for the same purpose.[62] Japanese Buddhism has also adapted dragons by subjecting them to Buddhist law;[62] the Japanese Buddhist deities Benten and Kwannon are often shown sitting or standing on the back of a dragon.[62] Several Japanese sennin ("immortals") have taken dragons as their mounts.[62] Bômô is said to have hurled his staff into a puddle of water, causing a dragon to come forth and let him ride it to heaven.[62] The rakan Handaka is said to have been able to conjure a dragon out of a bowl, which he is often shown playing with on kagamibuta.[62] The shachihoko is a creature with the head of a dragon, a bushy tail, fishlike scales, and sometimes with fire emerging from its armpits.[62] The fun has the head of a dragon, feathered wings, and the tail and claws of a bird.[62] A white dragon was believed to reside in a pool in Yamashiro Province[79] and, every fifty years, it would turn into a bird called the Ogonchô, which had a call like the "howling of a wild dog".[79] This event was believed to herald terrible famine.[79] In the Japanese village of Okumura, near Edo, during times of drought, the villagers would make a dragon effigy out of straw, magnolia leaves, and bamboo and parade it through the village to attract rainfall.[79]

South Asia[edit]

India[edit]

Head of the dragon-god Pakhangba depicted on a musical instrument from Manipur, India

In the Rigveda, the oldest of the four Vedas, Indra, the Vedic god of storms, battles Vṛtra, a giant serpent who represents drought.[80] Indra kills Vṛtra using his vajra (thunderbolt) and clears the path for rain,[81][82] which is described in the form of cattle: "You won the cows, hero, you won the Soma,/You freed the seven streams to flow" (Rigveda 1.32.12).[83] In another Rigvedic legend, the three-headed serpent Viśvarūpa, the son of Tvaṣṭṛ, guards a wealth of cows and horses.[84] Indra delivers Viśvarūpa to a god named Trita Āptya,[84] who fights and kills him and sets his cattle free.[84] Indra cuts off Viśvarūpa's heads and drives the cattle home for Trita.[84] This same story is alluded to in the Younger Avesta,[84] in which the hero Thraētaona, the son of Āthbya, slays the three-headed dragon Aži Dahāka and takes his two beautiful wives as spoils.[84] Thraētaona's name (meaning "third grandson of the waters") indicates that Aži Dahāka, like Vṛtra, was seen as a blocker of waters and cause of drought.[84]

Bhutan[edit]

The Druk (Dzongkha: འབྲུག་), also known as 'Thunder Dragon', is one of the national symbols of Bhutan. In the Dzongkha language, Bhutan is known as Druk Yul "Land of Druk", and Bhutanese leaders are called Druk Gyalpo, "Thunder Dragon Kings". The druk was adopted as an emblem by the Drukpa Lineage, which originated in Tibet and later spread to Bhutan.[85]

Southeast Asia[edit]

Vietnam[edit]

Main article: Vietnamese dragon

Stylised map of Đại Nam (Minh Mạng period)

Dragon on a porcelain plate during the reign of Lord Trịnh Doanh, Revival Lê dynasty

The Vietnamese dragon (Vietnamese: rồng 龍) was a mythical creature that was often used as a deity symbol and was associated with royalty.[86] Similar to other cultures, dragons in Vietnamese culture represent yang and godly beings associated with creation and life. In the creation myth of the Vietnamese people, they are descended from the dragon lord Lạc Long Quân and the fairy Âu Cơ, who bore 100 eggs. When they separated, Lạc Long Quân brought 50 children to the sea while Âu Cơ brought the rest up the mountains. To this day, Vietnamese people often describe themselves as "Children of the dragon, grandchildren of the fairy" (Con rồng cháu tiên).[87]

Dragons on antiques from the Lý– Trần dynasties

Dragons on antiques from the Lê–Nguyễn dynasties

Nguyễn dynasty dragon, Imperial City of Huế

European stories/records[edit]

Proto-Indo-European[edit]

Further information: Chaoskampf, Sea serpent, Serpent slayer, and Serpents in the Bible

The tale of a hero slaying a giant serpent occurs in almost all Indo-European mythology.[88][89] In most stories, the hero is some kind of thunder-god.[89] In nearly every iteration of the story, the serpent is either multi-headed or "multiple" in some other way.[88] Furthermore, in nearly every story, the serpent is always somehow associated with water.[89] Bruce Lincoln has proposed that a Proto-Indo-European dragon-slaying myth can be reconstructed as follows:[90][91] First, the sky gods give cattle to a man named *Tritos ("the third"), who is so named because he is the third man on earth,[90][91] but a three-headed serpent named *Ngwhi steals them.[90][91] *Tritos pursues the serpent and is accompanied by *Hanér, whose name means "man".[90][91] Together, the two heroes slay the serpent and rescue the cattle.[90][91]

Ancient Greek[edit]

Main article: Dragons in Greek mythology

Greek red-figure vase painting depicting Heracles slaying the Lernaean Hydra, c. 375–340 BC

Zeus aiming his thunderbolt at a winged and snake-footed Typhon. Chalcidian black-figured hydria (c. 540–530 BC), Staatliche Antikensammlungen (Inv. 596).[92]

The ancient Greek word usually translated as "dragon" (δράκων drákōn, genitive δράκοντοϛ drákontos) could also mean "snake",[93][6] but it usually refers to a kind of giant serpent that either possesses supernatural characteristics or is otherwise controlled by some supernatural power.[94] The first mention of a "dragon" in ancient Greek literature occurs in the Iliad, in which Agamemnon is described as having a blue dragon motif on his sword belt and an emblem of a three-headed dragon on his breast plate.[95] In lines 820–880 of the Theogony, a Greek poem written in the seventh century BC by the Boeotian poet Hesiod, the Greek god Zeus battles the monster Typhon, who has one hundred serpent heads that breathe fire and make many frightening animal noises.[83] Zeus scorches all of Typhon's heads with his lightning bolts and then hurls Typhon into Tartarus. In other Greek sources, Typhon is often depicted as a winged, fire-breathing serpent-like dragon.[96] In the Homeric Hymn to Apollo, the god Apollo uses his poisoned arrows to slay the serpent Python, who has been causing death and pestilence in the area around Delphi.[97][96][98] Apollo then sets up his shrine there.[96]

The Roman poet Virgil in his poem Culex, lines 163–201 Appendix Vergiliana: Culex, describing a shepherd having a fight with a big constricting snake, calls it "serpens" and also "draco", showing that in his time the two words were probably interchangeable.

Attic red-figure kylix painting from c. 480–470 BC showing Athena observing as the Colchian dragon disgorges the hero Jason[99][100]

Hesiod also mentions that the hero Heracles slew the Lernaean Hydra, a multiple-headed serpent which dwelt in the swamps of Lerna.[101] The name "Hydra" means "water snake" in Greek.[96][102] According to the Bibliotheka of Pseudo-Apollodorus, the slaying of the Hydra was the second of the Twelve Labors of Heracles.[103][96] Accounts disagree on which weapon Heracles used to slay the Hydra,[96] but, by the end of the sixth century BC, it was agreed that the clubbed or severed heads needed to be cauterized to prevent them from growing back.[104][96] Heracles was aided in this task by his nephew Iolaus.[104] During the battle, a giant crab crawled out of the marsh and pinched Heracles's foot,[103] but he crushed it under his heel.[105] Hera placed the crab in the sky as the constellation Cancer.[105] One of the Hydra's heads was immortal, so Heracles buried it under a heavy rock after cutting it off.[96][105] For his Eleventh Labor, Heracles must procure a golden apple from the tree in the Garden of the Hesperides, which is guarded by an enormous serpent that never sleeps,[106] which Pseudo-Apollodorus calls "Ladon".[107] In earlier depictions, Ladon is often shown with many heads.[108] In Pseudo-Apollodorus's account, Ladon is immortal,[108] but Sophocles and Euripides both describe Heracles as killing him, although neither of them specifies how.[108] Some suggest that the golden apple was not claimed through battle with Ladon at all but through Heracles charming the Hesperides.[109] The mythographer Herodorus is the first to state that Heracles slew him using his famous club.[108] Apollonius of Rhodes, in his epic poem, the Argonautica, describes Ladon as having been shot full of poisoned arrows dipped in the blood of the Hydra.[110]

In Pindar's Fourth Pythian Ode, Aeëtes of Colchis tells the hero Jason that the Golden Fleece he is seeking is in a copse guarded by a dragon, "which surpassed in breadth and length a fifty-oared ship".[111] Jason slays the dragon and makes off with the Golden Fleece together with his co-conspirator, Aeëtes's daughter, Medea.[112] The earliest artistic representation of this story is an Attic red-figure kylix dated to c. 480–470 BC,[113] showing a bedraggled Jason being disgorged from the dragon's open mouth as the Golden Fleece hangs in a tree behind him and Athena, the goddess of wisdom, stands watching.[113][100] A fragment from Pherecydes of Athens states that Jason killed the dragon,[112] but fragments from the Naupactica and from Herodorus state that he merely stole the Fleece and escaped.[112] In Euripides's Medea, Medea boasts that she killed the Colchian dragon herself.[112] In the final scene of the play, Medea also flies away on a chariot pulled by two dragons.[114] In the most famous retelling of the story from Apollonius of Rhodes's Argonautica, Medea drugs the dragon to sleep, allowing Jason to steal the Fleece.[115] Greek vase paintings show her feeding the dragon the sleeping drug in a liquid form from a phialē, or shallow cup.[116]

Paestan red-figure kylix-krater (c. 350–340 BC) showing Cadmus fighting the dragon of Ares[117]

In the founding myth of Thebes, Cadmus, a Phoenician prince, was instructed by Apollo to follow a heifer and found a city wherever it laid down.[118] Cadmus and his men followed the heifer and, when it laid down, Cadmus ordered his men to find a spring so he could sacrifice the heifer to Athena.[118] His men found a spring, but it was guarded by a dragon, which had been placed there by the god Ares, and the dragon killed them.[118] Cadmus killed the dragon in revenge,[118][119] either by smashing its head with a rock or using his sword.[118] Following the advice of Athena, Cadmus tore out the dragon's teeth and planted them in the earth.[118][119] An army of giant warriors (known as spartoi, which means "sown men") grew from the teeth like plants.[118][119] Cadmus hurled stones into their midst, causing them to kill each other until only five were left.[118] To make restitution for having killed Ares's dragon, Cadmus was forced to serve Ares as a slave for eight years.[118] At the end of this period, Cadmus married Harmonia, the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite.[118] Cadmus and Harmonia moved to Illyria, where they ruled as king and queen, before eventually being transformed into dragons themselves.[120]

In the fifth century BC, the Greek historian Herodotus reported in Book IV of his Histories that western Libya was inhabited by monstrous serpents[121] and, in Book III, he states that Arabia was home to many small, winged serpents,[122][123] which came in a variety of colors and enjoyed the trees that produced frankincense.[122][121] Herodotus remarks that the serpent's wings were like those of bats[124] and that, unlike vipers, which are found in every land, winged serpents are only found in Arabia.[124] The second-century BC Greek astronomer Hipparchus (c. 190 BC – c. 120 BC) listed the constellation Draco ("the dragon") as one of forty-six constellations.[125] Hipparchus described the constellation as containing fifteen stars,[126] but the later astronomer Ptolemy (c. 100 – c. 170 AD) increased this number to thirty-one in his Almagest.[126]

Ancient Greek mosaic from Caulonia, Italy, depicting a cetus or sea-dragon

In the New Testament, Revelation 12:3, written by John of Patmos, describes a vision of a Great Red Dragon with seven heads, ten horns, seven crowns, and a massive tail,[127] an image which is clearly inspired by the vision of the four beasts from the sea in the Book of Daniel[128] and the Leviathan described in various Old Testament passages.[129] The Great Red Dragon knocks "a third of the sun ... a third of the moon, and a third of the stars" out the sky[130] and pursues the Woman of the Apocalypse.[130] Revelation 12:7–9 declares: "And war broke out in Heaven. Michael and his angels fought against Dragon. Dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in Heaven. Dragon the Great was thrown down, that ancient serpent who is called Devil and Satan, the one deceiving the whole inhabited World – he was thrown down to earth and his angels were thrown down with him."[131] Then a voice booms down from Heaven heralding the defeat of "the Accuser" (ho Kantegor).[132]

In 217 AD, Flavius Philostratus discussed dragons (δράκων, drákōn) in India in The Life of Apollonius of Tyana (II,17 and III,6–8). The Loeb Classical Library translation (by F.C. Conybeare) mentions (III,7) that, "In most respects the tusks resemble the largest swine's, but they are slighter in build and twisted, and have a point as unabraded as sharks' teeth." According to a collection of books by Claudius Aelianus called On Animals, Ethiopia was inhabited by a species of dragon that hunted elephants and could grow to a length of 180 feet (55 m) with a lifespan rivaling that of the most enduring of animals.[133] In the 4th century, Basil of Caesarea, on chapter IX of his Address to Young Men on Greek Literature, mentions mythological dragons as guarding treasures and riches.

Post-classical Germanic[edit]

Main article: Germanic dragon

Drawing of the Ramsund carving from c. 1030, illustrating the Völsunga saga on a rock in Sweden. At (5), Sigurd plunges his sword into Fafnir's underside.

In the Old Norse poem Grímnismál in the Poetic Edda, the dragon Níðhöggr is described as gnawing on the roots of Yggdrasil, the world tree.[134] In Norse mythology, Jörmungandr is a giant serpent that encircles the entire realm of Miðgarð in the sea around it.[135] According to the Gylfaginning from the Prose Edda, written by the thirteenth-century Icelandic mythographer Snorri Sturluson, Thor, the Norse god of thunder, once went out on a boat with the giant Hymnir to the outer sea and fished for Jörmungandr using an ox-head as bait.[135] Thor caught the serpent and, after pulling its head out of the water, smashed it with his hammer, Mjölnir.[135] Snorri states that the blow was not fatal: "and men say that he struck its head off on the sea bed. But I think the truth to tell you is that the Miðgarð Serpent still lives and lies in the surrounding sea."[135]

Towards the end of the Old English epic poem Beowulf, a slave steals a cup from the hoard of a sleeping dragon,[136] causing the dragon to wake up and go on a rampage of destruction across the countryside.[137] The eponymous hero of the poem insists on confronting the dragon alone, even though he is of advanced age,[138][139] but Wiglaf, the youngest of the twelve warriors Beowulf has brought with him, insists on accompanying his king into the battle.[140] Beowulf's sword shatters during the fight and he is mortally wounded,[141][142] but Wiglaf comes to his rescue and helps him slay the dragon.[142] Beowulf dies and tells Wiglaf that the dragon's treasure must be buried rather than shared with the cowardly warriors who did not come to the aid of their king.[143]

In the Old Norse Völsunga saga, the hero Sigurd catches the dragon Fafnir by digging a pit between the cave where he lives and the spring where he drinks his water[144] and kills him by stabbing him in the underside.[144] At the advice of Odin, Sigurd drains Fafnir's blood and drinks it, which gives him the ability to understand the language of the birds,[145] who he hears talking about how his mentor Regin is plotting to betray him so that he can keep all of Fafnir's treasure for himself.[145][146] The motif of a hero trying to sneak past a sleeping dragon and steal some of its treasure is common throughout many Old Norse sagas.[147] The fourteenth-century Flóres saga konungs ok sona hans describes a hero who is actively concerned not to wake a sleeping dragon while sneaking past it.[147] In the Yngvars saga víðförla, the protagonist attempts to steal treasure from several sleeping dragons, but accidentally wakes them up.[147]

Post-classical Western[edit]

Main articles: European dragon, Welsh Dragon, Wyvern, Saint George and the Dragon, Margaret the Virgin, and Dacian Draco

Fifteenth-century manuscript illustration of the battle of the Red and White Dragons from Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain

The modern, western image of a dragon developed in western Europe during the Middle Ages through the combination of the snakelike dragons of classical Graeco-Roman literature, references to Near Eastern dragons preserved in the Bible, and western European folk traditions.[148] The period between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries represents the height of European interest in dragons as living creatures.[149] The twelfth-century Welsh monk, Geoffrey of Monmouth, recounts a famous legend in his Historia Regum Britanniae in which the child prophet Merlin witnesses the Romano-Celtic warlord Vortigern attempt to build a tower on Mount Snowdon to keep safe from the Anglo-Saxons,[150] but the tower keeps being swallowed into the ground.[150] Merlin informs Vortigern that, underneath the foundation he has built, is a pool with two dragons sleeping in it.[150] Vortigern orders for the pool to be drained, exposing a red dragon and a white dragon, who immediately begin fighting.[150] Merlin delivers a prophecy that the white dragon will triumph over the red, symbolizing England's conquest of Wales,[150] but declares that the red dragon will eventually return and defeat the white one.[151] This story remained popular throughout the fifteenth century.[151]

MS Harley 3244, a medieval manuscript dated to around 1260 AD, contains the oldest recognizable image of a fully modern, western dragon[13]

The oldest recognizable image of a fully modern, western dragon appears in a hand-painted illustration from the medieval manuscript MS Harley 3244, which was produced in around 1260 AD.[13] The dragon in the illustration has two sets of wings and its tail is longer than most modern depictions of dragons,[13] but it clearly displays many of the same distinctive features.[13] Dragons are generally depicted as living in rivers or having an underground lair or cave.[152] They are envisioned as greedy and gluttonous, with voracious appetites.[148] They are often identified with Satan, due to the references to Satan as a "dragon" in the Book of Revelation.[148] The thirteenth-century Golden Legend, written in Latin, records the story of Saint Margaret of Antioch,[42] a virgin martyr who, after being tortured for her faith in the Diocletianic Persecution and thrown back into her cell, is said to have been confronted by a monstrous dragon,[42] but she made the sign of the cross and the dragon vanished.[42] In some versions of the story, she is actually swallowed by the dragon alive and, after making the sign of the cross in the dragon's stomach, emerges unharmed.[42]

Manuscript illustration from Verona of Saint George slaying the dragon, dating to c. 1270

The legend of Saint George and the Dragon may be referenced as early as the sixth century AD,[153][154] but the earliest artistic representations of it come from the eleventh century[153] and the first full account of it comes from an eleventh-century Georgian text.[155] The most famous version of the story from the Golden Legend holds that a dragon kept pillaging the sheep of the town of Silene in Libya.[153] After it ate a young shepherd, the people were forced to placate it by leaving two sheep as sacrificial offerings every morning beside the lake where the dragon lived.[153] Eventually, the dragon ate all of the sheep[156] and the people were forced to start offering it their own children.[156] One day, the king's own daughter came up in the lottery and, despite the king's pleas for her life, she was dressed as a bride and chained to a rock beside the lake to be eaten.[156] Then, Saint George arrived and saw the princess.[156] When the dragon arrived to eat her, he stabbed it with his lance and subdued it by making the sign of the cross and tying the princess's girdle around its neck.[156] Saint George and the princess led the now-docile dragon into the town and George promised to kill it if the townspeople would convert to Christianity.[157] All the townspeople converted and Saint George killed the dragon with his sword.[157] In some versions, Saint George marries the princess,[157] but, in others, he continues wandering.[157]

Dragon in a granite Relief (14th century). San Anton Museum (A Coruña, Galicia (Spain)).

Dragons are well known in myths and legends of Spain, in no small part because St. George (Catalan Sant Jordi) is the patron saint of Catalonia. Like most mythical reptiles, the Catalan dragon (Catalan drac) is an enormous serpent-like creature with four legs and a pair of wings, or rarely, a two-legged creature with a pair of wings, called a wyvern. As in many other parts of the world, the dragon's face may be like that of some other animal, such as a lion or a bull. As is common elsewhere, Catalan dragons are fire-breathers, and the dragon-fire is all-consuming. Catalan dragons also can emit a fetid odor, which can rot away anything it touches.[158]

Gargoyles are carved stone figures sometimes resembling dragons that originally served as waterspouts on buildings.[159][160] Precursors to the medieval gargoyle can be found on ancient Greek and Egyptian temples,[159][161][162] but, over the course of the Middle Ages, many fantastic stories were invented to explain them.[163] One medieval French legend holds that, in ancient times, a fearsome dragon known as La Gargouille had been causing floods and sinking ships on the river Seine,[164] so the people of the town of Rouen would offer the dragon a human sacrifice once each year to appease its hunger.[164] Then, around 600 AD, a priest named Romanus promised that, if the people would build a church, he would rid them of the dragon.[164] Romanus slew the dragon and its severed head was mounted on the walls of the city as the first gargoyle.[164][165]

Dragons are prominent in medieval heraldry.[166] Uther Pendragon was famously said to have had two gold dragons crowned with red standing back-to-back on his royal coat of arms.[167] Originally, heraldic dragons could have any number of legs,[166] but, by the late Middle Ages, due to the widespread proliferation of bestiaries, heraldry began to distinguish between a "dragon" (which could only have exactly four legs) and a "wyvern" (which could only have exactly two).[166] In myths, wyverns are associated with viciousness, envy, and pestilence,[166] but, in heraldry, they are used as symbols for overthrowing the tyranny of Satan and his demonic forces.[166] Late medieval heraldry also distinguished a draconic creature known as a "cockatrice".[166] A cockatrice is supposedly born when a serpent hatches an egg that has been laid on a dunghill by a rooster[166] and it is so venomous that its breath and its gaze are both lethal to any living creature, except for a weasel, which is the cockatrice's mortal enemy.[166] A basilisk is a serpent with the head of a dragon at the end of its tail that is born when a toad hatches an egg that has been laid in a midden by a nine-year-old cockatrice.[166] Like the cockatrice, its glare is said to be deadly.[166]

Post-classical Eastern[edit]

Main articles: Slavic dragon and Kulshedra

Zmey Gorynych, a three-headed dragon from Russian folklore.

Illustration of the Wawel Dragon from Sebastian Münster's Cosmographie Universalis (1544).

In Albanian mythology and folklore, stihi, ljubi, bolla, bollar, errshaja, and kulshedra are mythological figures described as serpentine dragons. It is believed that bolla, a water and chthonic demonic serpent, undergoes metamorphosis passing through four distinct phases if it lives many years without being seen by a human. The bollar and errshaja are the intermediate stages, while the kulshedra is the ultimate phase, described as a huge multi-headed fire-spitting female serpent which causes drought, storms, flooding, earthquakes, and other natural disasters against mankind. She is usually fought and defeated by a drangue, a semi-human winged divine hero and protector of humans. Heavy thunderstorms are thought to be the result of their battles.[168][169]

In Slavic mythology, the words "zmey", "zmiy", or "zmaj" are used to describe dragons. These words are masculine forms of the Slavic word for "snake", which are normally feminine (like Russian zmeya). In Romania, there is a similar figure, derived from the Slavic dragon and named zmeu. Exclusively in Polish and Belarusian folklore, as well as in the other Slavic folklores, a dragon is also called (variously) смок, цмок, or smok. In South Slavic folklores, the same thing is also called lamya (ламя, ламjа, lamja). Although quite similar to other European dragons, Slavic dragons have their peculiarities.

In Russian and Ukrainian folklore, Zmey Gorynych is a dragon with three heads, each one bearing twin goatlike horns.[170] He is said to have breathed fire and smelled of sulfur.[170] It was believed that eclipses were caused by Gorynych temporarily swallowing the sun.[171] According to one legend, Gorynych's uncle was the evil sorcerer Nemal Chelovek, who abducted the daughter of the tsar and imprisoned her in his castle in the Ural Mountains.[171] Many knights tried to free her, but all of them were killed by Gorynych's fire.[171] Then a palace guard in Moscow named Ivan Tsarevich overheard two crows talking about the princess.[172] He went to the tsar, who gave him a magic sword, and snuck into the castle.[173] When Chelovek attacked Ivan in the form of a giant, the sword flew from Ivan's hand unbidden and killed him.[173] Then the sword cut off all three of Gorynych's heads at once.[173] Ivan brought the princess back to the tsar, who declared Ivan a nobleman and allowed him to marry the princess.[173]

A popular Polish folk tale is the legend of the Wawel Dragon,[174][175][176] which is first recorded in the Chronica Polonorum of Wincenty Kadłubek, written between 1190 and 1208.[175][176] According to Kadłubek, the dragon appeared during the reign of King Krakus[175] and demanded to be fed a fixed number of cattle every week.[175] If the villagers failed to provide enough cattle, the dragon would eat the same number of villagers as the number of cattle they had failed to provide.[175] Krakus ordered his sons to slay the dragon.[175] Since they could not slay it by hand,[175] they tricked the dragon into eating calfskins filled with burning sulfur.[175] Once the dragon was dead, the younger brother attacked and murdered his older brother and returned home to claim all the glory for himself,[175] telling his father that his brother had died fighting the dragon.[175] The younger brother became king after his father died, but his secret was eventually revealed and he was banished.[175] In the fifteenth century, Jan Długosz rewrote the story so that King Krakus himself was the one who slew the dragon.[174][175][176] Another version of the story told by Marcin Bielski instead has the clever shoemaker Skuba come up with the idea for slaying the dragon.[175][177] Bielski's version is now the most popular.[175]

Modern depictions[edit]

Dragon | Description, Mythical Dragons, Types, & Facts | Britannica

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西方龙和中国龙看上去根本不是一个物种，为什么都叫龙（dragon）呢？ - 知乎

西方龙和中国龙看上去根本不是一个物种，为什么都叫龙（dragon）呢？ - 知乎首页知乎知学堂发现等你来答切换模式登录/注册英语翻译英语物种龙神兽西方龙和中国龙看上去根本不是一个物种，为什么都叫龙（dragon）呢？关注者916被浏览2,916,678关注问题写回答邀请回答好问题 1877 条评论分享275 个回答默认排序远山微明目击众神死亡的草原上野花一片关注很多人误以为“龙”被翻译成“dragon”是近代的事情，实际上不是的在中文互联网上给“中国龙”正名这一说法的出现应该在07年左右。那时候对“龙”翻译为“dragon”起源的考证是鸦片战争时期的来华传教士马礼逊所为，他认为“龙”和《约翰启示录》中“dragon”的形象很相似，所以把龙翻译成了“dragon”[1]。据此写就的论文居然还发了C刊，让人叹为观止首先，马礼逊死在了1834年，这篇论文的作者对“鸦片战争时期”的定义着实有点宽泛。其次，他对于马礼逊把“龙”翻译成“dragon”的过程的阐释纯属脑补。清代的龙长相和西方龙已经没有多少相似之处了事实是，在18世纪初年来华传教士翻译《易经》时，“龙”就被翻译为“dragon”的拉丁文“draco”了。题外话，《易经》的拉丁文译本还帮助莱布尼茨发明了二进制，堪称计算机鼻祖而“龙”第一次被翻译为“draco”，应该追溯到蒙古帝国时期。由于蒙古西征打通了东西方文化交流的通道，东方文化又一次直接地大规模传入西方，教会使者也第一次直接进入了东方（经评论提示修改）。当时蒙古贵族中有不少改信了基督教，教皇也派遣了不少传教士进入东方。应该是在这一过程中，作为中国经典形象的“龙”进入了西方人的视野，并被传教士翻译为“draco”证据是在忽必烈时期到访中国的马可波罗在他的游记中已经把“龙”称作“dragon”了因此把“龙”翻译为“dragon”并不是马礼逊首创的，他只是继承了前人的遗产在元代，有的西方龙长这样1260年1270年同时期有的中国龙长这样虽然不能说很像，但两者还是有很多共同点的，认为“龙”和“dragon”属于同一类的生物无可厚非而且，无论在西方还是中国，“龙”都不是单一的，“dragon”也不止指代一种龙，而是作为世界各地人们想象出来的类似蛇蜥的、巨大的、多数会飞的生物的总称我们先来看中国的龙中国有没有龙有翅膀呢？有的，应龙就是一种有翅膀的龙“有翼者曰应龙”——《广雅·释螭》根据《应龙-真龙形象渊源》的考证，自从唐末以来作为皇权象征的龙的翅膀逐渐消失，在这之前反而是有翅膀的应龙居多。而现在成为龙经典形象的长条状的龙一直到明清时期才固定下来辽代雕有龙的金冠金代龙元代玉玺元代符合我们现在“龙”的经典形象的龙在东亚，对类似龙的生物的崇拜并不鲜见，“龙王”就是南亚的娜迦崇拜和中国本土的龙崇拜混合而成的产物受到中国影响的越南龙爪哇的娜迦雕像日本海龙同样和中国有着明确联系的日本龙高棉龙（neak）甚至中国的巴蛇，在西方也被算做“dragon”另外需要指出的一点是，西方龙并不是一个单一的概念，西方龙应该和东亚龙对应而不是中国龙对应。那样你就会发现，在东亚，龙没有被作为皇权的日本对龙的崇拜也不如中国，八岐大蛇、人幻化为龙这些神话中“龙”不见得是多么高贵的生物而在西方，希腊神话中的drakōn形象上同样是无翅长蛇状，和中国龙很类似。不过在希腊神话中这些生物的形象并不正面，例如追赶阿波罗的Pytho，变成天龙座的那条龙则是和奥林匹斯神敌对的巨人的一员。看守金苹果的龙和拉车的龙相比之下已经算是较为正面的出场了希腊的drakōn随亚历山大西征传到了印度，印度的娜迦又随着佛教传入了中国，所以中西龙一开始就不是毫无关联的罗马时期军团使用的draco还是没有翅膀的在中世纪的纹章中，龙被视为是推翻撒旦及其恶魔势力的象征典型的会喷火、贪财或者残暴、有翅膀、有鳞片、有一条有力的尾巴的龙的形象在中国的广泛传播托尔金功不可没，《霍比特人》中“龙”的形象实在太深入人心，《冰与火之歌》又加深了这种刻板印象。而类似的传说正是在中世纪的英国广为流传并逐渐深入人心。龙的这一形象在中世纪晚期才固定下来，而身体短小而不是长条形、翅膀巨大的典型形象在世界范围内的传播要归功于现代文化的推波助澜。至少在欧洲直到中世纪晚期很多龙的身体依旧是很长的不可否认的是，在欧洲的绝大部分国家和地区，龙都不是以正面形象出现的，即使不是邪恶的，也常常成为传说主角击杀的对象。在意大利和伊比利亚龙多数都是邪恶的，在法国龙被视作是异教的象征。不过也有反例，在葡萄牙被圣乔治打败的龙Coco同样得到崇拜而在威尔士，针对龙的传说主要是正面的，威尔士国旗上就有龙不过在威尔士，受到崇拜的是红龙，白龙则被视作是撒克逊人的象征，是和红龙进行斗争的生物在亚美尼亚，龙是Vahagn的坐骑，不过龙是被他驯服的而非与他一起受到崇拜在巴尔干半岛，zmei 被视为是和土耳其人作战的爱国龙不过在塞尔维亚，龙依旧扮演着看守公主的负面形象非洲和美洲也不是没有龙这是印加龙这是埃及龙总之，对巨大的蛇形生物的崇拜在世界各地都有，并且互相之间并不是完全毫无交流、独立演化，特别是处于欧亚大陆中心的波斯、斯拉夫地区、高加索地区等地。dragon作为这类生物的统称并无问题，龙被翻译为“dragon”也不是近代的产物中国龙和西方龙形象的彻底分化其实主要是流行文化导致的。在流行文化中，传说中的各类龙都基本消退了，只有西方式的有翅龙和中国式的无翅长条龙两种龙，因而让人产生了二者完全没有共性的误解另外，也不能把西方人想象得对中国文化过于无知。在Wikipedia上dragon被明确分为“Chinese/Japanese/European dragon”三类（其他龙都用音译表示），而不是只有“dragon”这样一个词条。就如中国人不难理解西式龙，甚至如江南般还创作了完全西化的龙为主角的小说《龙族》（龙血的魔力也是西方龙传说的一大特征），西方人理解在中国龙是祥瑞也不难参考^熊启煦.浅析中华传统文化典籍中概念术语翻译问题——以“龙”和《论语》的翻译为例[J].烟台大学学报：哲学社会科学版,2011,24(2):117-120编辑于 2022-08-04 13:31赞同 1868146 条评论分享收藏喜欢收起Anastasia圣公宗基督徒物理学硕士在读鳍足目猫科智人种关注这个问题我们可以分为两个问题讨论。 1. “西方龙”与“中国龙”之间是否存在不可逾越的鸿沟？各国之间“龙”的词汇是怎样的，为什么“龙”翻译成Dragon没有问题。2. “西方龙”是否都是邪恶的？先回答第一个问题。这个我们可以根据国别讨论，先看看我们的邻居的龙都是什么样的。这是西藏-蒙古的龙，蒙古本土并不盛产龙蛇崇拜，龙的传说主要是受藏传佛教和汉文化的影响。西藏称龙为“鲁”（你们大概能明白这个词其实完全没有音译的必要），但后来被泛指苯教传统中一类栖居在山泽中的神祇。汉地的关公崇拜在传入藏地后，关公在当地就被视为一位半人半龙的水神。藏地的鲁神原本是自然力量的象征，时而赐福，时而降祸。但随着佛教的传入，鲁神受到了印度娜迦的影响，逐渐具有了超然的神圣性。这是云南西双版纳的娜迦像。娜迦深刻影响了藏地与汉地的传统龙蛇信仰，不如说，在娜迦传入中国以前，中国并没有“神龙”而只有“龙神”。伏羲女娲等一众神祇虽然具备龙的特征，但龙身/龙首只是和鸟翼、兽面同等的作为神异于常人的要素，本身并不算异常尊贵的神兽。众所周知的神话故事“哪吒闹海”，其源流便是大圣哪吒太子杀和修吉龙王（即印度神话中的婆苏吉）。因此我们首先可以建立这样一种共识，那就是在古人眼中。蒙古龙=藏龙=汉龙=娜迦。如果你同意这个共识就接着往下看。娜迦这个词Naga/Naja，其起源于原始印欧语，与如今英语中的Snake为同源词汇。而在吠陀中，娜迦又被称为Ahi，这个词则和波斯宗教经典阿维斯陀所使用语言中的Azi同源，都是“蛇”的意思。不过我一直不喜欢用语源学论证一个事物就是另一个事物，因为词汇的含义本身就会发生转变。而从神话学的角度来看，波斯神话和印度神话因为分家较早，因此印度娜迦和波斯龙之间并没有明显的同源神话，因此这个等式咱们暂且搁置。这是《列王纪》的故事中巴赫拉姆五世对抗Azhdaha的绘画，看起来很像中国龙吧？当然你可以说这是波斯人受了东方的影响，但这一样可以证明在古人眼中两者显然是相似的。在晚期波斯传说中，修炼百年的大蛇会身长30米，上帝会为了避免它们伤害其他生灵而将其扔入海中，它们就变成了Azhdaha，身体会一直发育到一万米。受波斯影响的鞑靼人，将Ajdaha和鞑靼语中的yilan等同。而鞑靼人的yilan在罗斯地区则被音译为Zilant。传说中喀山汗国的建立就与这种有翼之蛇有关，它也成为了喀山的象征。但这一象征在俄罗斯入侵喀山后意味发生了改变，Zilant在俄罗斯人口中不再是建国的神兽，而是俄罗斯的敌人的化身。有人将圣乔治屠龙中的龙说成Zilant，以此象征莫斯科（圣乔治）征服喀山（Zilant）。因此虽然Zilant和Drakon在俄罗斯人那里也是一个意思，但也有许多喀山人认为把zilant画成西方龙的样子是一种污名化，这也是合理的。但这更多是民族矛盾，而非zilant和drakon之间真的有多大区别，喀山的对外宣传中依然喜欢称之为dragon。你看画成这样是不是就有东方味了？虽然zilant可以泛指龙，但大多数时候还是被特指喀山龙。斯拉夫世界的龙更广泛称呼是zmey，确切地说，俄语叫zmey，乌克兰语叫zmiy，捷克语叫drak。你看drak这个称呼是不是一眼就能看出它和dragon是同源的？就和zilant一样，斯拉夫世界的龙形象很多源自于突厥和蒙古人，这甚至体现在神话故事之中。比如拥有龙之血统还能变身巨龙的Tugarin Zmeyevich的名字就大概来自于一位突厥人可汗，姓氏则是“龙之子”，在斯拉夫人的传说中一般是英雄的宿敌。至少你可以认为波斯龙=鞑靼龙=突厥龙=蒙古龙=俄罗斯龙是在14世纪就有的等式。那么我们回到问题最初的主人Dragon身上。Dragon的语源是拉丁语的Draco，Draco又来自于希腊的Drakon，意思依然是“大蛇”。它们长得也和蛇没什么区别。由于亚历山大东征，这种形象被带到了印度，下图是犍陀罗艺术中龙的形象。很显然希腊的Drakon=印度的Naga也是没问题的。和宙斯对抗的堤丰，也被描述为大蛇。这一神话被和安纳托利亚的赫梯神话中风暴神塔尔胡纳击败伊露扬卡以及美索不达米亚神话中马尔杜克击败提亚马特等同起来。西方龙和中国龙长相根本不同.......？那你们记忆中熟悉的那种大蜥蜴是怎么来的呢？这大概得怪不列颠人。当初驻扎在不列颠的罗马军团拥有持龙旗的传统，最初其实和日本的鲤鱼旗差不多，是个中空的风袋，会随风飘动判断风向。目的是传递信号以及威慑对手。很显然是长条形的。这很快在不列颠人眼里“龙”成为了“战士”的同义词，军阀们则称自己为“龙首（pendragon）”。渐渐的一些知名的不列颠的贵族、领主有了与龙相关的传说，例如最典型的亚瑟王以及阿尔弗雷德大帝。这个是威塞克斯的金龙，传说阿尔弗雷德出生的时候，大教堂上空有一条金龙不断盘旋鸣叫（阿尔弗雷德：听说你们觉得西方龙都是邪恶的象征？）。我们可以看出这一阶段依然是长条形状，但身子后半段越来越窄了。然后这种金龙再演变演变就变成现在熟知的四脚蜥蜴了。那么龙是否一定是邪恶的象征呢？至少英国人告诉你不是了。另一个例子则是神圣罗马帝国皇帝、匈牙利国王西吉斯蒙德建立的“龙骑士团（Societas Draconistarum）”。这是一个由东欧贵族组成的反土耳其同盟，他们的标志是被圣乔治抛开后背并划出血色十字架的龙。他们自诩“古龙的追随者，古龙的后裔”。弗拉德二世因为参与了这一骑士团，因而获得了“龙”的称号，而弗拉德三世的称号“德古拉”意思就是“龙之子”。巴托丽家族同样是龙骑士团的成员，这是著名的伊丽莎白巴托丽的徽章。在后来的传说中，则演变出了“龙骑士团诸位贵族的祖先骑士雷曼一日与朋友外出打猎，朋友被白龙袭击至死，雷曼发誓为其复仇追逐巨龙进入森林，却只见一美丽少女梅露西娜，便娶其为妻。但最终违背和妻子的约定，窥见她半人半蛇的模样，使其不得不离开，但他们的子嗣依然继承了龙的血统”的传说。编辑于 2022-07-19 12:53赞同 3641425 条评论分享收藏喜欢

Chinese dragon - Wikipedia

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(Top)

1Symbolism

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1.1State usage

2Worship

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2.1Origin

2.2In mythology

2.3Rule over weather and water

2.4Symbol of imperial authority

2.5Modern practice

3Depictions

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3.1Neolithic

3.2Classical era

3.3Nine sons of the dragon

3.4Dragon claws

4Cultural references

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4.1Number nine

4.2Chinese zodiac

4.3Constellations

4.4Dragon boat racing

4.5Dragon dance

4.6With fenghuang

4.7As nāga

4.8With tigers

4.9Botany

4.10Language

5In popular culture

6Related myths

7Gallery

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7.1Architecture

7.2Textile

7.3Painting

7.4Metalwork

7.5Jade

7.6Ceramics

7.7Modern artwork

8See also

9References

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9.1Citations

9.2Sources

10External links

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Chinese dragon

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Legendary creature in Chinese mythology

"Loong" redirects here. For the airlines, see Loong Air.

Chinese DragonThe Azure Dragon depicted on the flag of the Qing dynastyGroupingMythical creatureSub groupingDragonFolkloreChinese mythologyCountryChina

Chinese dragon"Dragon" in oracle bone script (top left), bronze script (top right), seal script (middle left), Traditional (middle right), Japanese new-style (shinjitai, bottom left), and Simplified (bottom right) Chinese charactersTraditional Chinese龍Simplified Chinese龙TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinlóngBopomofoㄌㄨㄥˊWade–Gileslung2IPA[lʊ̌ŋ]WuShanghaineseRomanizationlon3SuzhouneselónYue: CantoneseYale RomanizationlùhngJyutpinglung4IPA[loŋ˩]Southern MinTâi-lôlîng (col.)liông (lit.)Middle ChineseMiddle ChineselɨoŋOld ChineseBaxter–Sagart (2014)*mə-roŋZhengzhang*b·roŋ or *mroːŋ

The Chinese Dragon, also known as the loong, long or lung (simplified Chinese: 龙; traditional Chinese: 龍; pinyin: lóng), is a legendary creature in Chinese mythology, Chinese folklore, and Chinese culture at large.[1] Chinese dragons have many animal-like forms such as turtles and fish, but are most commonly depicted as snake-like with four legs. Academicians have identified four reliable theories on the origin of the Chinese dragon: snakes, Chinese alligators, thunder worship and nature worship.[2] They traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water.[3]

Symbolism[edit]

Bronze dragon from Sanxingdui, Shang dynasty

Jade dragon, Zhou dynasty

Jade dragon pendants, Zhou dynasty

Jade Openwork Disk, Nanyue (203 BC - 111 BC)

Dragon imagery on an eaves-tile

Dragon carving on a tomb, Liao dynasty (916–1125)

Dragon decoration at the base of a pillar, Song dynasty

Historically, the Chinese dragon was associated with the emperor of China and used as a symbol to represent imperial power. Liu Bang, the founder of the Han dynasty, claimed that he was conceived after his mother dreamt of a dragon.[4] During the Tang dynasty, emperors wore robes with dragon motif as an imperial symbol, and high officials might also be presented with dragon robes. In the Yuan dynasty, the two-horned, five-clawed dragon was designated for use by the Son of Heaven or emperor only, while the four-clawed dragon was used by the princes and nobles.[5] Similarly, during the Ming and Qing dynasty, the five-clawed dragon was strictly reserved for use by the emperor only. The dragon in the Qing dynasty appeared on the flag of the Qing dynasty.[6]

The dragon is sometimes used in the West as a national emblem of China, though such use is not commonly seen in the People's Republic of China or Taiwan. Instead, it is generally used as the symbol of culture. In Hong Kong, the dragon was a component of the coat of arms under British rule. It was later to become a feature of the design of Brand Hong Kong, a government promotional symbol.[7]

The Chinese dragon has very different connotations from the European dragon – in European cultures, the dragon is a fire-breathing creature with aggressive connotations, whereas the Chinese dragon is a spiritual and cultural symbol that represents prosperity and good luck, as well as a rain deity that fosters harmony. It was reported that the Chinese government decided against using the dragon as its official 2008 Summer Olympics mascot because of the aggressive connotations that dragons have outside of China and chose more "friendly" symbols instead.[8]

Sometimes Chinese people use the term "Descendants of the Dragon" (simplified Chinese: 龙的传人; traditional Chinese: 龍的傳人) as a sign of ethnic identity, as part of a trend started in the 1970s when different Asian nationalities were looking for animal symbols as representations. For example, the wolf may be used by the Mongols as it is considered to be their legendary ancestor.[4][6][9]

State usage[edit]

The dragon was the symbol of the Chinese emperor for many dynasties. During the Qing dynasty, the Azure Dragon was featured on the first Chinese national flag. It was featured again on the Twelve Symbols national emblem, which was used during the Republic of China, from 1913 to 1928.

Imperial jade seal, Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)

Jade seal, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)

Flag of the Qing dynasty, 1889–1912

Flag of the Chinese Eastern Railway, 1897–1915

Flag of the commissioner of Weihaiwei with the Chinese dragon in the center, 1899–1903

State emblem of Republic of China, 1913–1928

A golden Chinese dragon supported the colonial arms of Hong Kong to the right until its abandonment in 1997.

A yellow Chinese dragon carried a shield, emblazoned like those depicted on the arms of Portugal, in the coat of arms of Macau under the colonial government until 1999.

The dragon has been used as a state symbol in Vietnam. During the Nguyễn dynasty, the dragon was featured on the imperial standards. It was also featured on the coats of arms of the State of Vietnam, and later South Vietnam.

A gold dragon seal knob of the King of Nanyue of Zhao Mo of the Nanyue Kingdom

Imperial standard of emperors Khải Định and Bảo Đại, 1922–1945

Imperial pennon of Nguyễn dynasty, 1802–1945

Vertical imperial pennon of Nguyễn dynasty

Personal arms of Bảo Đại

Coat of arms of the State of Vietnam, 1954–1955

Personal standard of Bảo Đại as the Chief of State of Vietnam, 1948–1955

Flag of the Vietnamese National Army, with a dragon in each corner

The Chinese dragon was used as the supporter of the coat of arms of South Vietnam, 1967–1975

Worship[edit]

Main article: Longshen

Marble statue of double dragons at Jietai Temple

Origin[edit]

The ancient Chinese self-identified as "the gods of the dragon" because the Chinese dragon is an imagined reptile that represents evolution from the ancestors and qi energy.[10] Dragon-like motifs of a zoomorphic composition in reddish-brown stone have been found at the Chahai site (Liaoning) in the Xinglongwa culture (6200–5400 BC).[2]

The presence of dragons within Chinese culture dates back several thousands of years with the discovery of a dragon statue dating back to the fifth millennium BC from the Yangshao culture in Henan in 1987,[11] and jade badges of rank in coiled form have been excavated from the Hongshan culture c. 4700–2900 BC.[12] Some of the earliest Dragon artifacts are the pig dragon carvings from the Hongshan culture.

The coiled dragon or snake form played an important role in early Chinese culture. The character for "dragon" in the earliest Chinese writing has a similar coiled form, as do later jade dragon amulets from the Shang period.[13]

Ancient Chinese referred to unearthed dinosaur bones as dragon bones and documented them as such. For example, Chang Qu in 300 BC documents the discovery of "dragon bones" in Sichuan.[14] The modern Chinese term for dinosaur is written as 恐龍; 恐龙; kǒnglóng ('terror dragon'), and villagers in central China have long unearthed fossilized "dragon bones" for use in traditional medicines, a practice that continues today.[15]

The binomial name for a variety of dinosaurs discovered in China, Mei long, means 'sleeping dragon'. Fossilized remains of Mei long have been found in China in a sleeping and coiled form, with the dinosaur nestling its snout beneath one of its forelimbs while encircling its tail around its entire body.[16]

In mythology[edit]

Dragon crown, Liao dynasty

From its origins as totems or the stylized depiction of natural creatures, the Chinese dragon evolved to become a mythical animal. The Han dynasty scholar Wang Fu recorded Chinese myths that long dragons had nine anatomical resemblances.The people paint the dragon's shape with a horse's head and a snake's tail. Further, there are expressions such as 'three joints' and 'nine resemblances' (of the dragon), to wit: from head to shoulder, from shoulder to breast, and from breast to tail. These are the joints; as to the nine resemblances, they are the following: his antlers resemble those of a stag, his head that of a camel, his eyes those of a demon, his neck that of a snake, his belly that of a clam (shen, 蜃), his scales those of a carp, his claws those of an eagle, his soles those of a tiger, his ears those of a cow. Upon his head, he has a thing like a broad eminence (a big lump), called [chimu] (尺木). If a dragon has no [chimu], he cannot ascend to the sky.[17]

Further sources give variant lists of the nine animal resemblances. Sinologist Henri Doré [fr] lists these characteristics of an authentic dragon: "The antlers of a deer. The head of a crocodile. A demon's eyes. The neck of a snake. A tortoise's viscera. A hawk's claws. The palms of a tiger. A cow's ears. And it hears through its horns, its ears being deprived of all power of hearing". He notes that, "Others state it has a rabbit's eyes, a frog's belly, a carp's scales".[18]

Yellow dragon on a black vase, Yuan dynasty

Chinese dragons were considered to be physically concise. Of the 117 scales, 81 are of the yang essence (positive) while 36 are of the yin essence (negative). Initially, the dragon was benevolent, wise, and just, but the Buddhists introduced the concept of malevolent influence among some dragons. Just as water destroys, they said, so can some dragons destroy via floods, tidal waves, and storms. They suggested that some of the worst floods were believed to have been the result of a mortal upsetting a dragon.

Many pictures of Chinese dragons show a flaming pearl under their chin or in their claws. The pearl is associated with spiritual energy, wisdom, prosperity, power, immortality, thunder, or the moon. Chinese art often depicts a pair of dragons chasing or fighting over a flaming pearl.

Chinese dragons are occasionally depicted with bat-like wings growing out of the front limbs, but most do not have wings, as their ability to fly (and control rain/water, etc.) is mystical and not seen as a result of their physical attributes.

Textile with dragon design, Yuan dynasty

This description accords with the artistic depictions of the dragon down to the present day. The dragon has also acquired an almost unlimited range of supernatural powers. It is said to be able to disguise itself as a silkworm, or become as large as our entire universe. It can fly among the clouds or hide in water (according to the Guanzi). It can form clouds, turn into water, change color as an ability to blend in with their surroundings, and be an effective form of camouflage or glow in the dark (according to the Shuowen Jiezi).

In many other countries, folktales speak of the dragon having all the attributes of the other 11 creatures of the zodiac, this includes the whiskers of the Rat, the face and horns of the Ox, the claws and teeth of the Tiger, the belly of the Rabbit, the body of the Snake, the legs of the Horse, the goatee of the Goat, the wit of the Monkey, the crest of the Rooster, the ears of the Dog, and the snout of the Pig.

In some circles,[among whom?] it is considered bad luck to depict a dragon facing downward, as it is seen as disrespectful to place a dragon in such a manner that it cannot ascend to the sky. Also, depictions of dragons in tattoos are prevalent as they are symbols of strength and power, especially criminal organisations where dragons hold a meaning all on their own. As such, it is believed that one must be fierce and strong enough, hence earning the right to wear the dragon on his skin, lest his luck be consumed by the dragons.[citation needed]

According to an art historian John Boardman, depictions of Chinese Dragon and Indian Makara might have been influenced by Cetus in Greek mythology possibly after contact with silk-road images of the Kētos as Chinese dragon appeared more reptilian and shifted head-shape afterwards.[19]

Rule over weather and water[edit]

A dragon seen floating among clouds, on a golden canteen made during the 15th century, Ming dynasty

Chinese dragons are strongly associated with water and weather in popular religion. They are believed to be the rulers of moving bodies of water, such as waterfalls, rivers, or seas. The Dragon god is the dispenser of rain as well as the zoomorphic representation of yang, the masculine power of generation.[20] In this capacity as the rulers of water and weather, the dragon is more anthropomorphic in form, often depicted as a humanoid, dressed in a king's costume, but with a dragon head wearing a king's headdress.

There are four major Dragon Kings, representing each of the Four Seas: the East Sea (corresponding to the East China Sea), the South Sea (corresponding to the South China Sea), the West Sea (sometimes seen as the Qinghai Lake and beyond), and the North Sea (sometimes seen as Lake Baikal).

Because of this association, they are seen as "in charge" of water-related weather phenomena. In premodern times, many Chinese villages (especially those close to rivers and seas) had temples dedicated to their local "dragon king". In times of drought or flooding, it was customary for the local gentry and government officials to lead the community in offering sacrifices and conducting other religious rites to appease the dragon, either to ask for rain or a cessation thereof.

The King of Wuyue in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period was often known as the "Dragon King" or the "Sea Dragon King" because of his extensive hydro-engineering schemes which "tamed" the sea.

In coastal regions of China, Korea, Vietnam, traditional legends and worshipping of whale gods as the guardians of people on the sea have been referred to Dragon Kings after the arrival of Buddhism.[21]

Symbol of imperial authority[edit]

Main article: Yellow Dragon

Double dragons on a piece of textile, Qing dynasty

Bronze dragon, Qing dynasty

According to Chinese legend, both Chinese primogenitors, the earliest Door and the Yellow Emperor, were closely related to the dragon. At the end of his reign, the first legendary ruler, the Yellow Emperor, was said to have been immortalized into a dragon that resembled his emblem, and ascended to Heaven. The other legendary ruler, the Yan Emperor, was born by his mother's telepathy with a mythical dragon. Since the Chinese consider the Yellow Emperor and the Yan Emperor as their ancestors, they sometimes refer to themselves as "the descendants of the dragon". This legend also contributed towards the use of the Chinese dragon as a symbol of imperial power.[citation needed]

Dragons (usually with five claws on each foot) were a symbol for the emperor in many Chinese dynasties. During the Qing dynasty, the imperial dragon was colored yellow or gold, and during the Ming dynasty it was red.[22] The imperial throne was referred to as the Dragon Throne. During the late Qing dynasty, the dragon was even adopted as the national flag. Dragons are featured in carvings on the stairs and walkways of imperial palaces and imperial tombs, such as at the Forbidden City in Beijing.

In some Chinese legends, an emperor might be born with a birthmark in the shape of a dragon. For example, one legend tells the tale of a peasant born with a dragon birthmark who eventually overthrows the existing dynasty and founds a new one; another legend might tell of the prince in hiding from his enemies who is identified by his dragon birthmark.[citation needed]

In contrast, the empress of China was often identified with the Chinese phoenix.

Modern practice[edit]

Worship of the Dragon god is celebrated throughout China with sacrifices and processions during the fifth and sixth moons, and especially on the date of his birthday the thirteenth day of the sixth moon.[20] A folk religious movement of associations of good-doing in modern Hebei is primarily devoted to a generic Dragon god whose icon is a tablet with his name inscribed, for which it has been named the "movement of the Dragon Tablet".[23]

Depictions[edit]

Neolithic[edit]

The C-shaped jade totem of Hongshan culture (c. 4700–2920 B.C.)

Jade-carved dragon ornament from the Warring States period (403–221 BC).

Jade dragon, Warring States period

Dragons or dragon-like depictions have been found extensively in neolithic-period archaeological sites throughout China. Some of earliest depictions of dragons were found at Xinglongwa culture sites. Yangshao culture sites in Xi'an have produced clay pots with dragon motifs. A burial site Xishuipo in Puyang which is associated with the Yangshao culture shows a large dragon mosaic made out of clam shells.[24] The Liangzhu culture also produced dragon-like patterns. The Hongshan culture sites in present-day Inner Mongolia produced jade dragon objects in the form of pig dragons which are the first 3-dimensional representations of Chinese dragons.[25]

One such early form was the pig dragon. It is a coiled, elongated creature with a head resembling a boar.[26] The character for "dragon" in the earliest Chinese writing has a similar coiled form, as do later jade dragon amulets from the Shang dynasty. A snake-like dragon body painted on red pottery wares was discovered at Taosi (Shanxi) from the second phase of the Longshan Culture, and a dragon-like object coated with approximately 2000 pieces of turquoise and jade was discovered at Erlitou.[2]

Classical era[edit]

Detail of an embroidered silk gauze ritual garment from a 4th-century BC Zhou dynasty tomb at Mashan, Hubei. The flowing, curvilinear design incorporates dragons, phoenixes, and tigers.

Qin dynasty twin bronze dragons, found near the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor.

Western Han dynasty tomb mural of a warrior on a dragon, found in Luoyang.

Liu Song dynasty stone-relief of a winged dragon

Chinese literature and myths refer to many dragons besides the famous long. The linguist Michael Carr analyzed over 100 ancient dragon names attested in Chinese classic texts.[27]

Tianlong, celestial dragon that guards heavenly palaces and pulls divine chariots; also a name for the constellation Draco

Shenlong, thunder god that controls the weather, appearance of a human head, dragon's body, and drum-like stomach

Fuzanglong, underworld guardian of precious metals and jewels, associated with volcanoes

Dilong, controller of rivers and seas

Yinglong, winged dragon associated with rains and floods, used by Yellow Emperor to kill Chi You

Jiaolong, hornless or scaled dragon, leader of all aquatic animals

Panlong, lake dragon that has not ascended to heaven

Huanglong, hornless dragon symbolizing the emperor

Feilong, winged dragon that rides on clouds and mist; also a name for a genus of pterosaur (compare Feilong kick and Fei Long character)

Azure Dragon, the animal associated with the East in the Chinese Four Symbols, mythological creatures in the Chinese constellations

Qiulong, contradictorily defined as both "horned dragon" and "hornless dragon"

Zhulong was a giant red draconic solar deity in Chinese mythology. It supposedly had a human's face and snake's body, created day and night by opening and closing its eyes, and created seasonal winds by breathing. (Note that this zhulong is different from the similarly named Vermilion Dragon or the Pig dragon)

Chilong, a hornless dragon or mountain demon

Fewer Chinese dragon names derive from the word long' 龍:

Longwang, divine rulers of the Four Seas

Longma, emerged from the Luo River and revealed bagua to Fu Xi

Some additional Chinese dragons are not named long, for instance,

Hong, a two-headed dragon or rainbow serpent

Shen , a shapeshifting dragon or sea monster believed to create mirages

Bashe was a giant python-like dragon that ate elephants

Teng is a flying dragon without legs

Chinese scholars have classified dragons in diverse systems. For instance, Emperor Huizong of Song canonized five colored dragons as "kings".

The Azure Dragon [Qinglong 青龍] spirits, most compassionate kings.

The Vermilion Dragon [Zhulong 朱龍 or Chilong 赤龍] spirits, kings that bestow blessings on lakes.

The Yellow Dragon [Huanglong 黃龍] spirits, kings that favorably hear all petitions.

The White Dragon [Bailong 白龍] spirits, virtuous and pure kings.

The Black Dragon [Xuanlong 玄龍 or Heilong 黑龍] spirits, kings dwelling in the depths of the mystic waters.[28]

With the addition of the Yellow Dragon of the center to Azure Dragon of the East, these Vermilion, White, and Black Dragons coordinate with the Four Symbols, including the Vermilion Bird of the South, White Tiger of the West, and Black Tortoise of the North.

Dragons were varyingly thought to be able to control and embody various natural elements in their "mythic form" such as "water, air, earth, fire, light, wind, storm, [and] electricity".[29] Some dragons who were able to breathe fire were thought to be exiled from tiān and banished to Earth.[30]

Nine sons of the dragon[edit]

Main article: Nine sons of the dragon

Pulao on a bell in Wudang Palace, Yangzhou

Qianlong era Bixi near the Marco Polo Bridge in Beijing

Several Ming dynasty texts list what were claimed as the Nine Offspring of the Dragon (龍生九子), and subsequently these feature prominently in popular Chinese stories and writings. The scholar Xie Zhaozhe [zh] (1567–1624) in his work Wu Za Zu Wuzazu [zh] (c. 1592) gives the following listing, as rendered by M.W. de Visser:

A well-known work of the end of the sixteenth century, the Wuzazu 五雜俎, informs us about the nine different young of the dragon, whose shapes are used as ornaments according to their nature.

The [Pulao, four leg small form dragon class which like to scream, are represented on the tops of bells, serving as handles.

The [qiú niú 囚牛], which like music, are used to adorn musical instruments.

The [Chiwen, which like swallowing, are placed on both ends of the ridgepoles of roofs (to swallow all evil influences).

The [cháo fēng 嘲風], beasts-like dragon which like adventure, are placed on the four corners of roofs.

The [yá zì 睚眦], which like to kill, are engraved on sword guards.

The [xì xì 屓屭], which have the shape of the [chī hǔ 螭虎 (One kind small form dragon)], and are fond of literature, are represented on the sides of grave-monuments.

The [bì àn 狴犴], which like litigation, are placed over prison gates (in order to keep guard).

The [suān ní 狻猊], which like to sit down, are represented upon the bases of Buddhist idols (under the Buddhas' or Bodhisattvas' feet).

The [Bixi, also known as [bà xià 霸下], finally, big tortoises which like to carry heavy objects, are placed under grave-monuments.

Further, the same author enumerates nine other kinds of dragons, which are represented as ornaments of different objects or buildings according to their liking prisons, water, the rank smell of newly caught fish or newly killed meat, wind and rain, ornaments, smoke, shutting the mouth (used for adorning key-holes), standing on steep places (placed on roofs), and fire.[31]

The Sheng'an waiji (升庵外集) collection by the poet Yang Shen (1488–1559) gives different 5th and 9th names for the dragon's nine children: the taotie, form of beasts, which loves to eat and is found on food-related wares, and the jiāo tú (椒圖), which looks like a conch or clam, does not like to be disturbed, and is used on the front door or the doorstep. Yang's list is bì xì, chī wěn or cháo fēng, pú láo, bì àn, tāo tiè, qiú niú, yá zì, suān ní, and jiāo tú. In addition, there are some sayings including [bā xià ], Hybrid of reptilia animal and dragon, a creature that likes to drink water, and is typically used on bridge structures.[32]

The oldest known attestation of the "children of the dragon" list is found in the Shuyuan zaji (菽園雜記, Miscellaneous records from the bean garden) by Lu Rong (1436–1494); however, he noted that the list enumerates mere synonyms of various antiques, not children of a dragon.[33] The nine sons of the dragon were commemorated by the Shanghai Mint in 2012's year of the dragon with two sets of coins, one in silver, and one in brass. Each coin in the sets depicts one of the 9 sons, including an additional coin for the father dragon, which depicts the nine sons on the reverse.[34] It's also a Chinese idiom, which means among brothers each one has his good points.[citation needed]

Dragon claws[edit]

Five-clawed dragon on porcelain ball, Qing dynasty

Reverse of bronze mirror, 8th century, Tang dynasty, showing a dragon with three toes on each foot

Early Chinese dragons are depicted with two to five claws. Different countries that adopted the Chinese dragon have different preferences; in Mongolia and Korea, four-clawed dragons are used, while in Japan, three-clawed dragons are common.[35] In China, three-clawed dragons were popularly used on robes during the Tang dynasty.[36] The usage of the dragon motif was codified during the Yuan dynasty, and the five-clawed dragons became reserved for use by the emperor while the princes used four-clawed dragons.[5] Phoenixes and five-clawed two-horned dragons may not be used on the robes of officials and other objects such as plates and vessels in the Yuan dynasty.[5][37] It was further stipulated that for commoners, "it is forbidden to wear any cloth with patterns of Qilin, Male Fenghuang (Chinese phoenix), White rabbit, Lingzhi, Five-Toe Two-Horn Dragon, Eight Dragons, Nine Dragons, 'Ten thousand years', Fortune-longevity character and Golden Yellow etc."[38]

The Hongwu Emperor of the Ming dynasty emulated the Yuan dynasty rules on the use of the dragon motif and decreed that the dragon would be his emblem and that it should have five claws. The four-clawed dragon would be used typically for imperial nobility and certain high-ranking officials. The three-clawed dragon was used by lower ranks and the general public (widely seen on various Chinese goods in the Ming dynasty). The dragon, however, was only for select royalty closely associated with the imperial family, usually in various symbolic colors, while it was a capital offense for anyone—other than the emperor himself—to ever use the completely gold-colored, five-clawed Long dragon motif. Improper use of claw number or colors was considered treason, punishable by execution of the offender's entire clan. During the Qing dynasty, the Manchus initially considered three-clawed dragons the most sacred and used that until 1712 when it was replaced by five-clawed dragons, and portraits of the Qing emperors were usually depicted with five-clawed dragons.[39]

In works of art that left the imperial collection, either as gifts or through pilfering by court eunuchs (a long-standing problem), where practicable, one claw was removed from each set, as in several pieces of carved lacquerware,[40] for example the well known Chinese lacquerware table in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.[41]

Cultural references[edit]

Number nine[edit]

The number nine is special in China as it is seen as number of heaven, and Chinese dragons are frequently connected with it. For example, a Chinese dragon is normally described in terms of nine attributes and usually has 117 (9×13) scales—81 (9×9) Yang and 36 (9×4) Yin.

This is also why there are nine forms of the dragon and nine sons of the dragon (see Classical depictions above). The Nine-Dragon Wall is a spirit wall with images of nine different dragons, and is found in imperial Chinese palaces and gardens. Because nine was considered the number of the emperor, only the most senior officials were allowed to wear nine dragons on their robes—and then only with the robe completely covered with surcoats. Lower-ranking officials had eight or five dragons on their robes, again covered with surcoats; even the emperor himself wore his dragon robe with one of its nine dragons hidden from view.

There are a number of places in China called "Nine Dragons", the most famous being Kowloon in Hong Kong. The part of the Mekong in Vietnam is known as Cửu Long, with the same meaning.

A close up view of one full dragon (and the tail end and claw of another) from the Nine Dragons handscroll painted in 1244 by Song dynasty artist Chen Rong

Chinese zodiac[edit]

Main article: Dragon (zodiac)

Wall tile depicting the Azure Dragon of the East, Ilkhanate

The dragon is one of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac which is used to designate years in the Chinese calendar. It is thought that each animal is associated with certain personality traits. Dragon years are usually the most popular to have children.[42] There are more people born in Dragon years than in any other animal years of the zodiac.[43]

Constellations[edit]

See also: Five elements (Chinese philosophy)

The Azure Dragon is considered to be the primary of the four celestial guardians, the other three being the Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Black Tortoise. In this context, the Azure Dragon is associated with the East and the element of Wood.

Dragon boat racing[edit]

Main article: Dragon boat

Dragon boats racing in Hong Kong (14th century painting)

At special festivals, especially the Dragon Boat Festival, dragon boat races are an important part of festivities. Typically, these are boats paddled by a team of up to 20 paddlers with a drummer and steersman. The boats have a carved dragon as the head and tail of the boat. Dragon boat racing is also an important part of celebrations outside of China, such as at Chinese New Year. A similar racing is popular in India in the state of Kerala called Vallamkali and there are records on Chinese traders visiting the seashores of Kerala centuries back (Ibn Batuta).[citation needed]

Dragon dance[edit]

Main article: Dragon dance

On auspicious occasions, including Chinese New Year and the opening of shops and residences, festivities often include dancing with dragon puppets. These are "life sized" cloth-and-wood puppets manipulated by a team of people, supporting the dragon with poles. They perform choreographed moves to the accompaniment of drums, drama, and music. They also wore good clothing made of silk.

With fenghuang[edit]

是谁把「dragon」翻译成「龙」？为什么要这么翻译？ - 知乎

是谁把「dragon」翻译成「龙」？为什么要这么翻译？ - 知乎首页知乎知学堂发现等你来答切换模式登录/注册英语翻译文化差异语言英语翻译中西方文化差异是谁把「dragon」翻译成「龙」？为什么要这么翻译？从英文和中文看这完全就是两个概念啊。关注者815被浏览842,044关注问题写回答邀请回答好问题 2127 条评论分享72 个回答默认排序畅畅语言学话题下的优秀答主关注一、翻译溯源始作俑者是马礼逊这种说法是错误的。首先中国的“龙”这个概念被介绍到西方的历史，远远不会迟到清末传教士来华的时期。很多人都受了07年那场为龙正名的活动中，考证不精的误导，此后媒体辗转相袭，此说更是甚嚣尘上。下文引用自用古法语写就的1299年出版的《马可波罗游记》（Le Devisement du monde- Livre 2 -Chap XLVI De la province de Cangigu），引文内容关于大元交趾行省民俗的记载。Les hommes et femmes ... imprimans et engravans avec des eguilles plusieurs figures, comme de lyons, dragons, oyseaux et autres animaulx, lesquelles y tiennent si fermement qu’il n’est pas facile les oster et effacer .其人……多用针刺身，作狮、龙、鸟及其他各物形状，文身以后，其色永远不灭。此外，描述忽必烈汗上都宫廷中的“龙柱”，大都宫殿的“绘龙壁画”，甚至在“汗八里城之星者”章明确提到的“龙年”，全都是用的dragon，证明至少在中西方古代交流过程中，西语把中国龙翻译为“dragon”的历史不晚于十三世纪。我们知道蒙古西征，把大量的东方文化带向西方，1246年，贵由汗都可以跟教宗英诺森四世通信，所以只有理由把对龙的翻译时间再往前推。元亡之后，中国又一次短暂地跟西方失去了联系。不过有赖西学东渐，传教士们再一次把中国文化介绍给了西方。四书五经对当时士人重要性，被晚明清初的传教士所察觉，白晋（Joachim Bouvet）、曾德昭（Alvaro de Semedo）等传教士率先把《易经》用拉丁文翻译并介绍到了西方，如果没有他们的翻译，莱布尼茨的二进制可能也会往后推了。下面的引文摘自耶稣会出版于1736年的《易经》（Y-King: Antiquissimus Sinarum Liber quem ex Latina Interpretatione），内容是乾卦的爻辞：Draco est absconditus. Nolite eo udi.Draco exivit. Est in campis. Oportet convenire magnum virum.Sapiens quotidie sibi invigilans. singulis serotinis maxime timet ― est quod dimeat, sed nulla est culpa.Videtur assurgere. Est in profundo. Nulla est culpa.Draco voluns est in coelo. Oportet convenire magnum virum.Draco transgressus est, est quod poeniteat.Si videas Draconum multitudinem sine capite, bomun est , vel bona fortuna est.潜龙勿用。见龙在田，利见大人。君子终日乾乾，夕惕若厉，无咎。或跃在渊，无咎。飞龙在天，利见大人。亢龙有悔。见群龙无首，吉。引文里的Draco（Draconum是复数属格，draco的第三变位）就是dragon对应的拉丁语。欧洲启蒙运动时期，四书五经曾在欧洲引起过不小的热潮。因此，我们完全有理由相信当马礼逊赴澳门传教时，已经拜读过其先驱的译作，也早已养成了自马可波罗以来就把“龙”翻译成“dragon”的习惯了。当然在词典意义上确定这两个词的汉英固定联系的，实属马礼逊的“功劳”了。二、翻译原因现在得票最高的答案已经说明了，dragon在古典时期的形象跟中国龙的相似之处。但是我认为中国龙的形象进入西方人的视野时，dragon的形象也因基督教的传播，发生了异化。所以我的假设是，西方人可能看到过中国的应龙。马王堆一号汉墓帛画（局部）金代铜木杜儿坐龙金代铜坐龙形象图明代青花应龙纹罐应龙有翼，是龙中之极，历来也被中国尊重。铜坐龙也是应龙，其形象也与异化后的dragon有了很多相似之处。我们有理由相信西方人看到这样的龙的形象，很自然地就会称之为“dragon”。编辑于 2015-05-02 21:32赞同 63164 条评论分享收藏喜欢收起匿名用户dragon一开始也不是那种长翅膀、喷火、住在洞里的恐龙状生物，是后来吸收了一些北欧、凯尔特、斯拉夫神话之後才变成那样的。dragon这个词来自希腊语的δράκων（拉丁语draco），在希腊神话中指巨大的毒蛇、巨蟒，常居住在沼泽或水中，这个形象就跟中国的龙比较接近了。星座有天龙座（draco，在小熊座旁边），它就是大力神赫拉克勒斯去偷金苹果时杀死的巨蛇拉冬：（图片来源：Wikipedia）希腊罗马人用draco / δράκων一词来翻译圣经中的tannīn的时候，这个词仍然是大蛇的意思。希伯来文中tannīn就是某种巨大海怪或水怪，类似鲸鱼、鲨鱼、鳄鱼、大蛇等，在圣经中用来比喻恶魔，例如启示录12:3、以赛亚书27:1等。除了象征意义与中国龙不太一样之外，外形上其实还是很类似的，所以将dragon翻译成「龙」也不能说是很奇怪的事。甚至有人主张，罗马的draco形象实际上部分地受到了中国龙形象的影响（通过丝绸之路）。编辑于 2013-07-10 14:27赞同 1508 条评论分享收藏喜欢

西方“龙”（dragon）的起源是怎样的？ - 知乎

西方“龙”（dragon）的起源是怎样的？ - 知乎首页知乎知学堂发现等你来答切换模式登录/注册历史文化差异宗教龙西方“龙”（dragon）的起源是怎样的？东方“龙”的起源主流说是图腾学说，那么西方“龙”（dragon）的起源呢？东方常有“何时何地何人见龙”的记载，是否西方也存在对类似目击的记载？另：读…显示全部关注者149被浏览60,085关注问题写回答邀请回答添加评论分享4 个回答默认排序jjguoxh一句真话比整个世界的分量还重关注全文转自维基百科本文介绍的是西方的龙。关于“龙”的其他意思，详见“龙 (消歧义)”。龙龙（英语：Dragon）是西方的一种传说生物，出现在各种文学、艺术作品以及建筑、纪念物中。传说中的西方龙拥有强大的力量及魔法能力，种类很多，其家族的庞大比起东方龙来毫不逊色。词源作为一个并非起源于中文的概念，与中文中用来翻译的“龙”的含义、寓意并不等同。欧洲各语言中，无论是属于拉丁语族的意大利语、西班牙语、法语，还是属于日耳曼语族的德语、丹麦语等语言中，“龙”一词都有着类似的词根。英语中的“dragon”一词的使用可追溯到公元13世纪，与法语中的“dragon”一词一样，来源于古法语中的“dragon”。后者则源自拉丁语中的“draconem”（主格：draco），而“draco”一词则是源自古希腊语中“drakōn”（δράκων，所有格：δράκοντοϛ drákontos）[1]。在拉丁语中，“draconem”也可以指巨大的蛇，而在古希腊语中，“drakon”则指巨大的海蛇或海中怪兽。“drakon”的词根“drak-”有“注视”的意思，因此“drakon”字面上可能是指“拥有（死亡的）注视者”[2]。在斯拉夫地区，龙的词语有多个。俄罗斯语和保加利亚语中称为змей，马其顿文：змеj，波兰语：żmij，乌克兰语：змій，塞尔维亚语：змај, 克罗地亚语和斯洛文尼亚语中称为zmaj。其意义依地区不同。在东斯拉夫地区被称为“zmey”、“zmij”或“zmay”的龙，是斯拉夫语中“蛇”一词的阳性形式，和“dragon”的形象基本相同。在南斯拉夫地区，被称为“ala”或者“hala”（Aždaja 或 aždaha），另一些地区则称其为“Lamya”，是雌性的恶龙，和“dragon”类似，而“zmay”则指更有智慧、善良的雄龙，和前者通常有血缘关系，但完全对立。历史起源：古代神话中的龙古埃及神话古埃及神话中并没有出现典型的龙的形象，也没有明确的以龙为主角的故事。然而，古埃及神话中已经包含了后来作为龙的形象与故事的一切原始素材，包括人类的毁灭，荷鲁斯与赛特的对抗，以及太阳之翼。古巴比伦神话将这些元素变化糅合，产生了后世龙的故事的雏形。古埃及神话出现的一个龙的雏形是上半身为鹰而下半身为狮身的形象。上半部分的鹰形代表了太阳神，而下半部分的狮身则是母神丰饶女神哈托尔的形象之一[3]。这个龙的形象，代表着一切有关水的特性，包括使大地丰饶的好的一面与其摧毁性的的一面，的具现化[4]。美索不达米亚神话伊什塔尔城门上的怒蛇（Mušḫuššu ）的浮雕，公元前6世纪。与古埃及神话几乎一样古老的美索不达米亚神话中则出现了更近似于现今的龙的形象。一个代表性的例子是巴比伦神话中的迪亚马特。迪亚马特是海洋之女神，不仅是创造万物的神祇，也是元初混沌（即希腊神话中的卡俄斯）的化身。可以看到巴比伦神话在古埃及神话里继承下来的海洋、母神与破坏（混沌）的概念。迪亚马特与主神马尔杜克的战斗是“勇士与海中怪物搏斗”这一母题的早期雏形。迪亚马特的后代怒蛇则被认为与龙有更密切的关系。根据新巴比伦时期建造的巴比伦城伊什塔尔城门（公元前6世纪）上的浮雕显示，怒蛇的形象接近于麒麟，头部、颈部和躯干都覆盖着蛇鳞，前足为狮足，后足为鹰爪；头顶长角，尾部有蝎尾针[5]。古希腊神话古希腊神话中的龙常常作为凶恶的怪物以及宝物的看守者出现。荷马的史诗《伊利亚特》中提到阿伽门农的装束时说他的剑带上有蓝色龙形的图案，他的胸甲上也有三头巨龙形象的纹饰[6]。在赫拉克勒斯的十二件功绩中，第十一件“盗取金苹果”中守护金苹果的也是龙。据伪阿波洛多罗斯的《书库》第2册中描述，金苹果“由一条长生不死的巨龙看守着。这头巨龙是堤丰与艾奇德娜的后代，生有一百个头颅，一百张嘴巴里发出一百种不同的声音。”[7]。许癸努斯的《传说集》中则提到守护金苹果的龙拉冬是堤丰与艾奇德娜的子女之一。它还有一个兄弟，是守护金羊毛的龙[8]（一说此龙母亲为大地女神盖亚[9]）。古希腊文中“龙”与“巨大的海蛇”是同一个词，可以看出古希腊文化中龙的形象与蛇的形象相近，主要表现为强大的力量以及长生不死的能力，这与巴比伦神话中的迪亚马特的形象有关[10]。《圣经》以及基督教文化中的龙龙的形象也出现在《圣经》中。《启示录》第12章第3、第4节提到：“天上又现出异象来．有一条大红龙、七头十角，七头上戴着七个冠冕。它的尾巴拖拉着天上星辰的三分之一，摔在地上。龙就站在那将要生产的妇人面前，等她生产之后，要吞吃她的孩子。”，米迦勒随后与这条龙作战。而这条龙的身份则在第9节说明：“大龙就是那古蛇，名叫魔鬼，又叫撒但，是迷惑普天下的。”最后的结束是出自第20章前3节：“我又看见一位天使从天降下，手里拿着无底坑的钥匙，和一条大链子。他捉住那龙，就是古蛇，又叫魔鬼，也叫撒但，把它捆绑一千年，扔在无底坑里，将无底坑关闭，用印封上，使它不得再迷惑列国，等到那一千年完了。以后必须暂时释放它。”在《启示录》里，龙的形象是邪恶的，是撒但的化身。这种形象也贯穿在各种基督教教义以及衍生的文艺作品及文化中。早期的圣徒传中不乏圣人与龙搏斗的事迹[11]。圣乔治与龙圣乔治屠龙的玻璃窗彩绘，Hans Acker， 1440年，赫尔辛基大教堂基督教圣徒传记中，一个著名的与龙有关的故事是《圣乔治与龙》。这个故事最早是在8世纪时以口头的方式传播，9世纪后开始作为圣乔治传记的一部分。10至11世纪时，开始出现与之相关的图画形象[12]。据圣徒传《黄金传奇》中的描述，故事发生在利比亚的Silene城（之前的版本中地点是一个虚构的城市Lacia）。龙住在城旁的一个湖里，能喷出毒气。人们为了不受毒气侵扰，只能用羊或活人献祭。当轮到国王的女儿做祭品时，路过的圣乔治看见了坐在湖边等待被献祭的公主，遂决定屠龙。他成功用长枪刺伤毒龙，用公主的束带将龙绑进城里。城中居民见此纷纷改信耶稣并受洗，圣乔治随后斩下了龙的头颅[13]。由于《黄金传奇》等书籍和故事在中世纪的欧洲广为流传，圣乔治与龙的故事也出现在各种宗教或民间的文学和艺术作品中。圣乔治屠龙作为圣徒传故事的一部分，常常出现在以宗教为主题的图画、标志或雕刻中。伦敦大英博物馆保存着多件15世纪以来的壁画装饰中有关圣乔治屠龙的描绘[12]。圣彼得堡的俄罗斯博物馆则藏有14世纪晚期的圣乔治屠龙绘像[14]。拉斐尔（1506年）和鲁本斯（1620年）也绘制过以圣乔治屠龙为题材的主题油画。从这些图像中，可以看出欧洲人心中龙的形象随时代的变化。在14世纪以前的图像中，龙的形象大多为巨蛇或四脚巨蛇，之后的图像中则开始出现狮子或蜥蜴一般的躯干，鸟爪，以及无毛的翅膀。斗龙的圣人除了圣乔治的故事以外，屠龙或与龙相斗的故事还出现在许多中世纪的圣徒传中。大部分的故事都描述了圣人来到一个有龙肆虐的地方，当地人向其讲述龙危害人类或土地的情况。龙所造成的危害包括喷火以及散发有毒的气息（或称为“吐息”）。圣人随后屠龙或将龙赶走，获救的居民则用土地或金钱答谢圣人，而这些财富则被用于兴建教堂或传教事业。故事中的龙并不是财宝的守护者，这一点与同一时期的非基督教传说如《贝奥武夫》等并不相同[15]。其它作为撒但的化身，龙也以别的形式出现在别的圣徒传中。比如在童贞玛格丽特（Saint Margaret the Virgin）的传说中，她在祈祷时受到撒但的考验，一头“可怕的龙”出现在她面前，想要吃掉它，而玛格丽特手画十字使龙退避。欧洲的龙欧洲文化中的龙是受到多方面影响的结果。前有希腊、巴比伦神话以至基督教，后有北欧神话、凯尔特文化以及英格鲁-撒克逊传说，造就了欧洲文化中丰富多彩的龙的形象。受到希腊神话的影响，许多传说中，龙是宝藏、财宝的看守者。同时，龙也变成了贪婪的象征。在基督教传说的影响下，龙成为了恶的象征。盎格鲁-撒克逊神话中的龙凯尔特与盎格鲁-撒克逊文化中的龙最早可见于英雄叙事长诗《贝奥武夫》中的描写。《贝奥武夫》是以古英语记载的传说故事中最古老的一篇。其中英雄主角贝奥武夫在杀死了海怪格兰德尔和它的母亲后，成为了耶阿特的国王。他贤明地统治了五十年后，另一只怪兽出现了，这是一头会喷火的龙。一个逃奴偷走了它看守的宝藏中的一个金杯献给他的奴隶主，希望与后者修复关系。火龙发现杯子丢失后大发雷霆，冲入耶阿特王国四处破坏。后来贝奥武夫与龙搏斗，两败俱亡[16]:203-205[17]:第一章第三节。《贝奥武夫》中的龙是之后欧洲文化中出现的龙的原型[18]：喜欢囤积并看守宝物、好奇心重、好报复、会喷火，牙齿中含有致死的毒液。《贝奥武夫》的龙是非理性的，它的行为受自身的欲望支配。诗中着重描写了它对财宝的看重。它不会说话，也听不懂人类的语言，甚至见到贝奥武夫时显露出震惊与害怕。外观上，龙的身形修长（50英尺），牙齿尖利，能够飞行[17]:第一章第三节。《贝奥武夫》中的龙承袭了基督教中的反面形象，是诗中基督教思想的体现[19]:30。凯尔特神话中的龙威尔士国旗中的红龙在十二世纪开始流传的亚瑟王传奇中，提到佛提刚王（King Vortigern）想要建一座城堡，然而建造时，工匠们发现白天建到一半的墙总会在夜里倒塌。于是国王召集占星术士和巫师来解决他的疑惑。巫师告诉国王，需要用处女之子的血洒在地上，才能使城堡建成。国王最后找到这样的孩子，就是梅林。梅林将这种办法斥为谎言，并告诉国王，城堡的地基之下有一个湖，湖底有两条沉睡的巨龙。国王发掘出地湖后抽干池水，果然发现一条红龙与一条白龙。这时两龙苏醒，开始相互争斗。白龙一开始占据上风，而红龙奋起反击，最后将白龙驱走。梅林解释说，红龙代表佛提刚王的子民英格鲁民族，而白龙代表撒克逊民族。英格鲁民族会首先被撒克逊民族侵略，而后浴血反抗，最后赶走撒克逊人[20]。这个故事最早记载在9世纪的《历史上的不列颠》中，其中佛提刚王的领土就是现在的威尔士。在写作年代可能更早的《马比诺吉昂》中，则记载了另一则龙的故事《露德与莱弗利》。露德是不列颠王贝里的儿子，继承了不列颠王国，他的四弟莱弗利则娶了法国的公主，并成为法国国王。露德统治的时候，每年的五月份，不列颠的每个地方都能听到恐怖的尖叫声，使得男人恐惧，女子流产，孩子癫狂，动物死亡，树木枯萎，河流干枯。露德询问他的弟弟弗莱利，弗莱利告诉他：“这是龙的叫声。这头龙正与一头外来的龙争斗。只需丈量好不列颠的土地，在正中央的地点挖一个坑，放入一个装满蜂蜜酒的坩埚，以绸缎封口。两条争斗的龙会落入坩埚，喝饱蜜酒而陷入沉睡。你必须马上将锅封好，埋入一口石棺中，然后找一个强大的地方埋在地下。这样可以使你的王国避免外来的灾难”[21]。露德最后将龙埋在Dinas Emrys，这也正是后来佛提刚王建造城堡的地方。这两条龙就是佛提刚王发掘出的两条龙。而在都铎王朝的亨利七世后，红龙成为了他的标志，出现在纹章与旗帜中，慢慢成为了威尔士的象征。北欧神话中的龙看守财宝的法夫纳，亚瑟·拉克姆绘，1911.十二世纪开始成型的北欧神话中，著名的龙有：尼德霍格（Nidhogg）：一头盘踞在世界之树的根部，不停啃咬树根的毒龙。在诸神的黄昏中，尼德霍格终于咬断了世界之树的根，是为末日的警兆之一。[22]尤蒙刚德（Jormungandr，也称为米德加德）：环绕在人类世界上的大海蛇，也被称为世界蛇。尤蒙刚德是洛基与安格尔波达（Angrboda，愤怒之身）生的第二个孩子。奥丁将它扔到海中，尤蒙刚德不断成长，直到自噬其尾。托尔曾经到霜巨人的国度乌特加德（Utgard），乌特加德的王者罗基（Utgard-Loki）和托尔比试的时候让他举起一只猫，但托尔只举起了猫的一只脚。后来罗基告诉托尔猫其实是世界蛇尤蒙刚德。托尔之后在和巨人希密尔（Hymir）一道打猎时，想要杀死尤蒙刚德，除此一害。托尔用牛头钓起了尤蒙刚德，但希密尔被它庞大的身躯惊吓而割断了钓线，让尤蒙刚德逃走了。在诸神的黄昏中，尤蒙刚德在海中不断挣扎，弄断了命运之船纳吉尔法（Naglfar）的缆索。罗基和火巨人乘着船驶向最终战场维格利德（Vigrid）。在最后的决战中，托尔用锤子杀死了尤蒙刚德，但后者吐出的毒液也将托尔毒死。[22]法夫纳：本来是侏儒国君主赫瑞德玛（Hreidmar）的长子，由于贪婪受诅咒的财宝而杀死了自己的父亲赶走了兄弟，最后变成了毒龙，被西格尔德（Sigurd）杀死。[22]斯拉夫神话中的龙斯拉夫神话中，有着和希腊-罗马-基督教文化中的龙类似的神话生物。俄罗斯传说或神话中的龙称为“змей”，常常有三个头（或三的倍数个）。有的故事中，如果不将龙所有的头都砍掉，被砍的头会长回来。俄罗斯传说中著名的龙的形象是三头喷火龙戈里尼奇（英语：Zmey Gorynych）（俄语：змей Горыныч）。它最终被传奇壮士多布雷尼亚·尼基季奇（Добры́ня Ники́тич）杀死[23]。在南部地区，如保加利亚、克罗地亚、马其顿、塞尔维亚、波黑等地区，龙的形象分为两种。一种在名称上与俄罗斯传说中的龙相同，但形象并不一样，通常是雄性，拥有超人的智慧、知识和财富，身体庞大强壮，擅长魔法，同时十分贪恋人类女子的美色。它们长于追求讨好人类女子，并能与她们交媾生下后代。龙常常被认为是让人尊敬的对象，许多民族英雄在民间故事中都被形容成龙或龙的后代。另一种龙则通常是雌性，是前一种龙的姐妹，但形象完全相反，和希腊-罗马-基督教文化中的龙类似，并且通常和自己的兄弟完全对立，是躲在黑暗中邪恶的化身。雌性的龙常常代表恶劣的天气，摧毁庄稼田谷，而雄性的龙则是庄稼的守护神。现代文艺中的龙文学作品中的龙19世纪以后，西方龙的形象趋于稳定。龙常常在奇幻文学作品中登场，作为世界观设定中的一部分。奠定了现代西方龙形象的著名文学作品包括托尔金的《精灵宝钻》，安妮·麦卡芙蕾的《龙骑士：佩恩年史》、乔治·R·R·马丁的《冰与火之歌》。为了给桌面卡牌游戏龙与地下城增添世界观和背景设定而写的《龙枪编年史》系列小说中也有大量龙的形象出现。龙的形象现今西方社会中龙的具体形象主要来源于中世纪的文学作品与艺术品。一般认为，史诗《贝奥武夫》最早塑造了现代欧洲文化中认为的龙的具体形象[24]。基本特性龙拥有强壮的身躯，又长又粗的颈，有角或褶边的头，尖锐的牙齿，和一条长长的尾。它用四只强而有力的脚步行，用一对像蝙蝠翼的巨翼飞行，它的身体全身覆盖着鳞片，保护着身体。它的眼睛有四层眼睑，其中内三层是透明的，可保护眼睛免受伤害，耳朵可以开合，但不是所有龙都有外耳。牙齿尖而利，通常会向内弯，以便撕开猎物。龙的视力比人多出一倍，在黑暗之中也能视物，听力则和人类差不多。但它的感觉却很好，能够感觉到隐形的物体移动。龙会飞会走会游泳，部分更可在水中呼吸。龙会随着年龄的增长而变得更强大，年长的龙通常是所向无敌的，反之年轻的龙会很脆弱（以龙的标准而言）。龙没有群居的倾向，虽然偶尔会出现一群龙的情况，但绝大多数时间龙都是单独居住的。在有需要的情况下，龙也会很乐意和另一条龙战斗。生理特性以不少文学都有出现过“龙卵”或“龙蛋”看来，龙应该是卵生的生物。龙多居于山洞，喜好财宝，通常洞中都会收藏大量的财宝。近代文学在J·R·R·托尔金所创造的中土世界中，龙是由天魔王马尔寇所创造的邪恶生物，中土世界的第一头龙出现于第一纪元名为格劳龙的无翼龙。中土世界的龙多半在第三纪元以前便已消失，最后一条叫做史矛革的龙于《哈比人历险记》中死亡后，龙便在中土世界绝迹，所以在魔戒圣战中并没有出现任何龙。现代有不少奇幻作品皆有提到龙，例如《龙与地下城》、《龙枪》和《龙族》等，一般而言在奇幻作品中最常见的龙有金龙（通常是最强大的龙种）、黑龙（吐息攻击是强酸）、白龙（吐息攻击是寒气）、红龙（吐息攻击是龙焰）、蓝龙（吐息攻击是雷电）、绿龙（吐息攻击是毒气），也有不少作品有独特的龙种，例如龙枪中除了以上所说的龙种外，还有银龙、红铜龙、黄铜龙、青铜龙，还有作为神的其中一种型态的白金龙，万色返空之龙（Dragon of all color and of none），而龙族中也有代表中庸之龙的深赤龙。龙语近代部分魔幻或玄幻小说以龙语当作龙的语言，并以龙语当作魔法师所用的咒语，如地海巫师。在电子游戏上古卷轴5 中，可以使用龙语使出一种称作龙吼的能力，该游戏的龙吐息冰火的时候亦是以龙语呼唤火与冰。东方龙与西方龙的对照衔尾蛇之刻画（龙吞下自己的尾巴）由Lucas Jennis绘“龙”虽然在英文中一般翻译为“dragon”，而欧美西方文化中的“dragon”与中国传统的龙除了外观容貌上有一些相似外，背景和象征意义都分别甚大，但其实并不只是如此。在基督教流行之前，西方的“dragon”一直是维京人、塞尔特人和撒克逊人的民族象征，这点和东方龙无异。随着基督教势力的壮大，龙和蛇有负面涵义，其在《新约全书》的启示录中被描绘为邪恶的“古蛇”、“魔鬼”、“撒但”，从此西方龙就常与邪恶画上等号，与东方的瑞兽完全不一样。为了避免这种混淆，有中国学者提出把“中国龙”的英文翻译改为发音与汉语接近的“loong”，但目前尚未得到广泛认可。欧美人仍习惯称中国龙为“Chinese dragon”。参见龙飞龙 (传说生物)林德虫参考来源^ Eric Partridge. An Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English. 1966. ISBN 0-203-42114-0.p.874-875^ Douglas Harper. online Etymogoly Dictionary - dragon.^ Sir Grafton Elliot Smith. Evolution of the Dragon. Albert Saifer Pub. 1918.^ Jacques Le Goff. Time, work & culture in the Middle Ages. University of Chicago Press. 1982.第170页^ Carole Wilkinson. The Dragon Companion: An Encyclopedia.p.165^ Nevill Drury. The dictionary of the esoteric:3000 entries on the mystical and occult traditions. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. 2004. ISBN 9781842931080.第79页.^ 《书库》，第2册，第5章，第11段^ 《传说集》，第151则^ Apollonius, Rhodius, Argonautica 2. 1206 ff^ THE DRAKON KHOLKIKOS，Theoi Project^ Christine Rauer. Beowulf and the dragon: parallels and analogues. Boydell & Brewer. 2000. ISBN 9780859915922.^ 12.0 12.1 The Miracle of St George and the Dragon / Black George. The British Museum.^ Jacobus de Voragine, Archbishop of Genoa, William Caxton 译为英文. Golden Legend. 1483.，第3册，第58页。^ The Russian Museum Russian Icon. St. George and the Dragon. [2011-10-22].^ Christine Rauer. Beowulf and the dragon: parallels and analogues. Boydell & Brewer. 2000. ISBN 9780859915922.，第52-66页。^ Donald A. MacKenzie. Teutonic Myth and Legend: An Introduction to the Eddas & Sagas, Beowulf, The Nibelungenlied, etc.. Forgotten Books. 1934 （英文）.^ 17.0 17.1 梁实秋. 英国文学史. 新星出版社. 2011. ISBN 9787513302838.^ Alan K. Brown. The firedrake in Beowulf. Neophilologus （英文）.^ 李赋宁, 何其莘. 英国中古时期文学史. 外语教学与研究出版社. 2006. ISBN 9787560052991.^ Sir James Knowles}. The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights. Echo Library. 2007.^ Richard W. Barber. Myths & legends of the British Isles. Boydell & Brewer. 1999. ISBN 978-0851157481.第40-42页.^ 22.0 22.1 22.2 沈雁冰. 北欧神话ABC. 1929.^ Bailey, James; Tatyana Ivanova. An Anthology of Russian Folk Epics. Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe, Inc. 1998. ISBN 0-585-26579-8 （英文）.^ Ruth Johnston Staver. A companion to Beowulf. Greenwood Publishing Group. 2005. ISBN 9780313332241.，第99页编辑于 2014-05-30 23:23赞同 958 条评论分享收藏喜欢收起童心只看私信。关注全文为转载:这是两种完全不同的想象生物，起源也不一样，代表的意义也是不一样的...若非要找一个相同的地方,就是最早翻译西方这个大蜥蜴名字所对应单词的人,把这个生物名字Dragon这单词翻译成了龙 ....

我国神话故事中的龙,翻云覆雨,吞云吐雾,腾与九天之上,藏与九地之下.. 可以召唤雷电,暴雨...掀起海啸,跺脚地震... 可任意变化....无所不能....

Dragon这个单词的本意是指：巨大的怪物

西方神话故事中的"龙"..,可以吞吐火焰,刀枪不入..喜发光物品..,性情暴躁,力量强大,一般是"故事名称"的主角,剧情中的配角..勇者修炼到一定程度,就可以杀死"该死"的龙.夺得名誉,宝物,美女...

所以它与我们东方的龙没有一点点关系

但是东方的‘龙’西方语言中没有这个词

于是就混淆了……

所以实际上根本没有所谓的东西方龙，之所以套用是因为东西方语言的误差，‘龙’这个神物其实是中国的唯一！！发布于 2017-08-05 17:14赞同 62 条评论分享收藏喜欢收起

龙的故事 | 中国龙与世界龙 Story about dragons: Chinese dragons and global dragons_新浪新闻

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龙的故事 | 中国龙与世界龙 Story about dragons: Chinese dragons and global dragons

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　　Editor's note:　　"Dragons" hold symbolic significance in folklore worldwide. Despite cultural differences, they are often depicted in similar forms and are prevalent in literature, artworks, architecture, and monuments. The Chinese Dragon might differ from the typical portrayal of a "Dragon." What makes it unique?

Chinese Dragon: Meaning, Colors Symbolism, Mythology, Types

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Chinese Dragons — Facts, Culture, Origins, and Art

Written by Mike HoUpdated Nov. 17, 2023

Chinese dragons are powerful and benevolent symbols in Chinese culture, with supposed control over watery phenomenon, e.g. summoning rain during a drought. Dragons are everywhere in China — in legends, festivals, astrology, art, names, and idioms.

Chinese Dragon

Dragons are seen as lucky and good — quite different to the evil, dangerous, fire-breathing dragons of most Western stories.

Content Preview

Chinese Dragon Facts

What Do Chinese Dragons Symbolize?

What Do the Colors of Chinese Dragons Mean?

Types of the Chinese Dragon

The 9 Sons of the Chinese Dragon

Chinese Dragon Mythology

Dragons in Chinese Culture

Chinese Dragons vs Western Dragons

Quick Facts About Chinese Dragons

Chinese dragons don't exist factually — there is no evidence to prove that they are real creatures.

The Dragon is one of the twelve Chinese zodiac signs.

Emperors in ancient China were identified as the sons of dragons. And, at that time, ordinary people were not allowed to have items with pictures of dragons on them.

Chinese dragons are symbolic of being lucky, propitious, powerful, and noble; not as monsters as they are portrayed in Western stories.

Most Chinese dragons' pictures have long bodies like snakes and sharp claws like hawks — less like dinosaurs than Western dragons..

Chinese dragons live at the bottom of seas, rivers, lakes, or anywhere with water.

See more amazing facts on Chinese dragons.

What Do Chinese Dragons Symbolize?

The Dragon is one of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, with its own astrological personality and symbolism. Apart from that, in Chinese culture, dragons symbolize imperial power, good fortune, power over weather and water, and a pioneering spirit.

Yellow Dragon

Imperial Power and Authority

During China's imperial dynasties, emperors used the dragon as a symbol of their imperial power and authority. Dragon emblems can be found in carvings on the stairs, walkways, furniture, and clothes of the imperial palace. It was against the law for common people to use things related to dragons in imperial times.

Ruler of Weather and Water

In Chinese legend, the Dragon Kings were believed to be the rulers of weather and water, such as rainfall, waterfalls, rivers, and seas. Four Dragon Kings each controlled a sea of China: 'East Sea' (the East China Sea), 'South Sea' (the South China Sea), 'West Sea' (Qinghai Lake and lakes beyond), and 'North Sea' (Lake Baikal). The four Dragon Kings were believed to be the dispensers of rain and wind.

In many Chinese villages, there are still some temples or shrines to worship the Dragon Kings to seek their blessings of good weather for harvests and all year round. In pre-modern times, local people offered sacrifices to appease the Dragon Kings to stop flooding or droughts.

A Dragon Carving

Ancestor of the Chinese People

It was said that thousands of years ago, Yandi (a legendary tribal leader) was born through his mother's telepathic interaction with a mighty dragon. With the help of the dragon and allied with Huangdi (a legendary tribal leader and, by some accounts, the grandson of a dragon), they opened the prelude to Chinese civilization. So, "emperors" Yandi and Huangdi were the ancestors of the Chinese people. It is said that the two emperors were immortalized as dragons before they ascended to heaven.

As time went by, Chinese people began to refer to themselves as 'the descendants of Yandi and Huangdi', as well as 'descendants of dragons'.

Good Fortune

In ancient China's legends, Shennong the 'Divine Farmer' was the son of a dragon and a beautiful princess, and some say the father of Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor). He taught people to develop agriculture and to use herbal drugs. Shennong was considered as a primogenitor of the Chinese people and hero of ancient China. So, the dragon is considered to bring good fortune, harvest, and prosperity.

An 'Unrelenting and Pioneering' Spirit

The Chinese dragon has been transformed from an imaginary progenitor to a mascot from ancient times to the present. It represents the Chinese people's unrelenting and pioneering spirit of keeping pace with the times.

Not only has the Chinese dragon prevailed in China, but it's also very popular among Chinese people living overseas. It has become a symbol of China and Chinese culture.

What Do the Colors of Chinese Dragons Mean?

There are blue, green, red, black, white, yellow, and golden dragons in Chinese culture. Different colors of dragon represent different things.

Dragons in different colors

Red Dragons

Red is China's luckiest color. It is often used to decorate the house/building used for a wedding or festival. The red dragon therefore has lucky symbolism. People paint red dragons to decorate their houses or walkways to celebrate various festivals. It is a tradition to use red dragons for dragon dances.

Black Dragons

Black Chinese dragons are often related to vengeance. In some Chinese movies, many criminal organizations or street gangs use black dragons as their emblems. Criminals often have black dragon tattoos on their arms or back, which represent evil or revenge. In ancient China, the black dragon is often linked to catastrophes like storms and floods.

White Dragons

White is traditionally connected to death and mourning in Chinese culture. However, a white Chinese dragon symbolizes purity and virtue.

Blue and Green Dragons

In Chinese culture, blue and green are colors representing nature, health, healing, peace, and growth. A blue/green dragon symbolizes the approaching of spring, new life, and plant growth.

Yellow Dragons

Since ancient imperial dynasties, yellow has been regarded as the royal color. Yellow dragons were a symbol of the emperor. They represented wisdom, good fortune, and power.

Yellow Dragon on Imperial Robe

Golden Dragons

Golden Chinese dragons are associated with powerful deities or harvest. Golden dragons always symbolize wealth, prosperity, strength, harvest, and power.

Types of the Chinese Dragon

The green dragon is also called the azure dragon. It is one of the four great beasts in Chinese mythology (the Black Tortoise, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Azure Dragon) representing the four directions (north, south, west, and east) respectively. The green dragon represents the east and controls rain and wind.

The winged dragon is said to reside in the sky. In Chinese legend, the winged dragon is the ancestor of dragons. It controls the four seasons and descendants of the Yellow Emperor.

Different Types of Dragons on the Roof of Forbidden City

The coiling dragon is said to live on the earth and not be able to fly to the sky. It is said that the coiling dragon can control time.

The horned dragon, according to Chinese legend, is a dragon that has lived more than 500 years, and at that age developed horns. It is a powerful and evil dragon that often makes floods.

The underworld dragon is said to live in the seas, rivers, lakes, or underground. It can control the flow of rivers or streams.

The treasure dragon, it is said, can protect hidden treasures or personal wealth.

The cloud dragon, according to legends, lives in the cloud. It can fly through thick cloud and make rain. It is also a popular dragon that Chinese painters like to paint.

The dragon king, or old dragon, is the most powerful and intelligent Chinese dragon in China's mythology. It can change into different shapes, even human beings'. It is said that it can control all the seas of China in all directions.

The 9 Sons of the Chinese Dragon

According to Chinese myths, the dragon has nine sons with different characters, and their images are widely used in architectural decoration, especially in the imperial palaces. The nine sons are often used in buildings' decorations and sculptures.

Images of 9 sons of Chinese dragon

Names of the 9 Types of Dragons in China

Bixi (赑屃 Bìxì /bee-sshee/) — eldest, turtle-shaped with sharp teeth, fond of carrying heavy objects; often on graves/monuments

Qiuniu (囚牛 Qiúniú /chyoh-nyoh/) — yellow scaly dragon, likes and excels in music; often adorns musical instruments

Yazi (睚眦 Yázì /yaa-dzrr/) — snake belly and leopard head, keen on fighting/killing; often decorates sword grips

Chaofeng (嘲风 Cháofēng /chaoww-fnng/) — instinctively adventurous; often adorns palace roof ridges

Pulao (蒲牢 Púláo /poo-laoww/) — known for loud crying; often on bell handles

Chiwen (螭吻 chīwěn /chrr-wnn/) — lives in the sea, harsh-voiced, delights in devouring creatures; often on palace ridgepole ends

Bi'an (狴犴 Bì'àn /bee-an/) — likes lawsuits, often stands by jail gates

Suanni (狻猊 Suānní /swann-nee/) — lion-shaped, delights in sitting cross-legged and smelling incense; often on Buddhist temple incense burners and seats

Fuxi (负屃 Fùxì /foo-sshee/) — most Chinese dragon-like; often on stone tablets

Chinese Dragon Mythology

In ancient China, people lived mainly on agriculture. The rain and wind played an important role in people's lives. They believed there was something powerful controlling the rain and thunder. And, in Chinese mythology, the dragon was such a powerful beast that lived in rivers, lakes, and seas. The dragon was used as a symbol of great power, a ruler even of the emperor.

According to the Chinese legend, the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi, a legendary tribal leader) launched a series of wars against nine tribes in the Yellow River Valley and incorporated the other tribes' totems into his dragon totem after defeating them.

This explains why the dragon has attributes belonging to nine other creatures: eyes like a shrimp, antlers like a deer, a big mouth like a bull, a nose like a dog, whiskers like a catfish, a lion's mane, a long tail like a snake, scales like a fish, and claws like a hawk.

Dragons in Chinese Culture

Dragons play an important role in Chinese culture, such as the zodiac, dragon dances, idioms, art, the dragon boat festival, festival decorations, films, legends, and literature. You can always find dragon elements whenever you are learning about Chinese culture.

The Chinese Zodiac Dragon

The Dragon is the fifth Chinese zodiac sign, part of the 12-animal cycle. People born in the years 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, or 2024 belong to the Dragon zodiac sign, and are known as Dragons. People born in a year of the Dragon are believed to have a personality of confidence, power, resolution, and high esteem. Read more about Year of the Dragon.

Years of the Dragon Zodiac

Babies born in a year of the Dragon are believed to be lucky, wealthy, and successful. Because of its auspicious connotations, the dragon is the favorite sign with Chinese parents who prefer to give birth to their babies in a year of the Dragon. According to public data, the number of children born in Dragon years is much larger than in other zodiac years.

Dragon Dances

The dragon dance is an important cultural performance used to celebrate festivals in China. It is also a symbol of Chinese culture.

Chinese dragons symbolize wisdom, power, good fortune, and wealth, so people perform dragon dances as a custom to welcome in good fortune and wealth.

In ancient times, when there was no rain for a long time, people prayed for rain with a dragon dance, and dragon dances after planting were also a way to pray against insect attacks. Nowadays, dragon dances are performed during festive occasions to chase away evil spirits and welcome in prosperous times.

Dragon Dance

The Dragon Boat Festival

Chinese people believed a dragon-like boat would scare away evil spirits. People celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival to commemorate the death of Qu Yuan, a Chinese poet who was known for his patriotism and contributions to Chinese classical poetry.

According to the Chinese legend, Qu Yuan drowned in the Miluo River to show his protest and despair at the corruption of the local government. To save Qu Yuan from the river, local people took their dragon-like boats to search for him, but in vain. The shipmen beat drums, splashed the river water with paddles, and threw dumplings into the river to keep the fish and evil spirits away from his body.

Since then, the ritual search for Qu Yuan's body has become the dragon boat race. Now, dragon boat races are one of the activities of the Dragon Boat Festival celebrations. The boats are made in the form of a traditional Chinese dragons, which are often painted colorfully.

Dragon Feng Shui

Feng shui is Chinese geomancy. In feng shui, the dragon is an earth element representative. It is also one of the Four Great Animals of China's four directions, representing east, where the sun rises.

Dragon Carvings on Stairs in Forbiden City

In feng shui, the dragon is the best yang (masculine) token. People in need of yang aspects in their feng shui balance are recommended to get more dragon elements, such as wearing dragon amulets, and adding some dragon symbols. Read more about Feng Shui.

Dragon Idioms

Because the Chinese dragon represents great power and good fortune, there are many idioms related to dragons that are used to express good wishes and fine sentiments. Here are some of the most used ones:

卧虎藏龙 (wò hǔ cáng lóng): 'crouching tiger, hidden dragon' means talented individuals in hiding.

龙马精神 (lónɡ mǎ jīnɡ shén): 'dragon horse spirit' means to be full of a dragon's spirit (unrelenting, pioneering, confident, etc.) and horse's vigor.

望子成龙 (wàng zǐ chéng lóng): 'To wish your son becomes a dragon' refers to parents hoping for their kids to be successful.

Dragon Art in China

Dragons are the favorite Chinese mythological creatures that are used as elements in decorations of buildings, costumes, paintings, and carvings.

Dragons in carvings or paintings are used to decorate buildings, particularly imperial ones. The Chinese dragon symbolized the sovereignty of emperors, and everything related to dragons was exclusively used for emperors' property in China's feudal times. When you are in the Forbidden City, you can see Chinese dragon elements nearly everywhere: the nine sons of the dragon on the golden roofs, on the stone floors, the imperial chair decorations, wood sculptures on pillars, and handrails, etc.

Dragons in Chinese Opera

There are many Chinese opera shows with "Dragon" in the title. Also, you can see dragons on imperial robes in an opera show when there are roles depicting an imperial family.

Chinese Dragons vs Western Dragons

There are many differences between Western dragons and Chinese dragons.

Homes: Unlike Chinese dragons, Western dragons often live in lairs or caves in mountains, while Chinese dragons live at the bottoms of lakes and rivers, and in cloudy skies.

Appearance: Western dragons have large bat-like wings and big claws and most Western dragons look like carnivorous dinosaurs with wings, while Chinese dragons, though also dinosaur-size or larger, have elements of many different animals and in general look long and snake-like.

Character: Western dragons are depicted as dangerous creatures and symbols of evil (usually), while Chinese dragons, by contrast, are believed to be friendly, auspicious, and lucky (usually) — symbols of great power, good fortune, wisdom, and health.

Explore Chinese Dragon Culture

The best way to explore China's dragon culture is to visit the country, and learn about the culture, with a local expert. We are in China, and we are able to arrange a culture tour for you with a local knowledgeable guide.

The Forbidden City in Beijing is steeped in dragon culture, with emperors taking it as their symbol. See our top Forbidden City tours:

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Chinese Dragon: History, Origin, Totem & Symbol of China

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Chinese Dragon Origin and History

The Origin of Chinese Dragon

Chinese dragon is a virtual creature and first created in legendary stories, mythology, and tales. Chinese dragon can be divided into several dozens of kinds, such as Qinglong, Yinglong, Jiaolong, Panlong, Yunlong, Wanglong, Xinglong. The dragon has nine sons : Qiuniu, Yazi, Chaofeng, Pulao, Suanni Bixi, Bi’an Fuxi, Chiwen.

In terms of the origin of Chinese dragons, there are many explanations and book records. One of the explanations is widely recognized : Chinese dragons are created through totem. The origin is clearly stated in the Records of the Grand Historian(Shi Ji): they are the integrated creature of several animals which are the totems of tribes involving in the tribe wars, where the Yellow Emperor(Huangdi) defeated other tribes and united the country. As such, Chinese dragon becomes a totem of the whole nation, and heads forward with the nation’s entering into a new chapter- unification, and the Yellow Emperor(Huangdi) is considered as the emblem of a dragon, while Chinese people are the descendents of this nation and of dragons. In the thereafter several thousand of years, dragon is the symble of China, and an intangible wire uniting Chinese people. To Chinese, dragon brings them luck, wellbeing and all good things.

The second explanation is put forward by the Chinese Etymology Dictionary(Ciyuan), stating that dragon is a supernatural animal appearing from the ancient times, and it is good at making clouds and rains and does everything favorable to other creatures. The third is that dragon comes from people’s fear and worship to dinosaur. More sayings are held, but strong proofs lack.

Appearance of Chinese Dragon

The appearances of Chinese dragons don’t have an official and fixed version at their birth, and their images have gone through several change periods and are different in different phases of the ancient China, according to book records.

Shuowen Jiezi, a dictionary, states that dragon is the leader of creatures with scales, and it can go to the dark and bright places, can change itself into a longer, shorter, bigger or smaller form. When in the Spring Equinox, it would fly in the sky, in the Autumn Equinox, it would swim in waters.

As the combination of many animals, some parts of Chinese dragon’s body look like other animals, and there is a saying of Nine Resemblances. According to Wang Fu, a scholar in the Later Han Dynasty, Chinese dragon has a head of cattle, antlers of a deer, eyes of a shrimp, ears of an elephant, neck and belly of a snake, scales of fish, claws of an phoenix, palms of a tiger. While there are other sayings, and one is that dragon has a head of a camel, antlers of a deer, a mouth of a crocodile, eyes of a tortoise, ears of cattle, scales of fish, beard of a shrimp, belly of a snake and claws of an eagle. The body parts may be different in different sayings, but all of them have their own implied meanings and symbolize strong power.

A dragin has five claws in nowadays, but in the very beginning, a dragon has only two claws, then the claws evolve into three, four and five, and the evolvement goes through four periods. Usually speaking, dragon with five claws represents the emperor, and in the Yuan Dynasty, five-claw dragons are for the emperor’s use, four-claw dragons are for the princes’ use.

Dragon and Symbol

Why can Chinese dragons become a symbol of China? There are four powers to make this happen: politics, religion and myth, and people’s fear to extreme weather. In politics, emperors declare themselves as the incarnation of dragon with great powers and have official authority to run the nation. The Confucianism is the political ideology serving the royal and imperial power, and acknowledges emperors’ statue as a real dragon. Liu Bang, the Emperor ian Han Dynasty, has a legendary birth story with a dragon. The Records of the Grand Historian (Shi Ji) states that one day before pregnancy, the mother of Liu Bang had a rest on a riverbank and had a dream about meeting with a god. At the time when his father went to look for his mother, thunders and lightning struck the sky, and he saw a Jiaolong ( a kind of dragon) on her body. Then she was pregnant and gave birth to Liu Bang. This unbelievable story about the Emperor’ birth and the appearance of a dragon is not the only one. In Buddhism and Taoism, some books have records about dragons. In Buddhism, dragon guards Buddhist doctrine, protects all people in the universe and eliminates disasters. While in Taoism, dragon is the evolution of snake, one of the Four Symbols and one of the three creatures taking Taoist to the Heaven and the Hell to communicate with gods and ghosts. Moreover, there are dragon kings in ponds, rivers, lakes, and oceans. As for myth, the above passage writes the renowned totem myth. In terms of the fourth factor, from the ancient times, China is an agricultural country having a big population of farmers, and agriculture production is of great importance to farmers. Weather is the main factor to farming and harvest, and people are worried when the weather is bad to farming, like a drought, which leads to peoples’ worship to dragon who controls weather, especially rains.

Noble Status

Chinese dragon is the symbol of emperors, and imperial authority.

Chinese people are descendants of dragon.

Chinese dragon is listed in the Four Symbols which are loved and respected by Chinese people: azure dragon, vermilion bird, white tiger, and black turtle. The four mythological, divine creatures represent four directions and four seasons.

Chinese dragon is among the ten mythical creatures, which are created in ancient myths and legends: Zhuzhao, Youying, Yinglong, Huanglong, Qinglong, Baihu, Zhuque, Xuanwu, Tengshe, and Gouchen.

Dragon is one member of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, which are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

Chinese Dragon

Chinese Dragon Origin and HistoryChinese Dragon WorshipChinese Dragon CultureChinese Dragon and Chinese LanguageChinese Dragon ArtChinese Dragon VS Western DragonDragon in the Forbidden CityDragon on Flags

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tokenpocket官方版app下载|dragon

tokenpocket官方版app下载|dragon

dragon（英语单词）_百度百科

Dragon - Wikipedia

Dragon | Description, Mythical Dragons, Types, & Facts | Britannica

西方龙和中国龙看上去根本不是一个物种，为什么都叫龙（dragon）呢？ - 知乎

Chinese dragon - Wikipedia

是谁把「dragon」翻译成「龙」？为什么要这么翻译？ - 知乎

西方“龙”（dragon）的起源是怎样的？ - 知乎

龙的故事 | 中国龙与世界龙 Story about dragons: Chinese dragons and global dragons_新浪新闻

Chinese Dragon: Meaning, Colors Symbolism, Mythology, Types

Chinese Dragon: History, Origin, Totem & Symbol of China

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tokenpocket官方版app下载|dragon

tokenpocket官方版app下载|dragon

dragon（英语单词）_百度百科

Dragon - Wikipedia

Dragon | Description, Mythical Dragons, Types, & Facts | Britannica

西方龙和中国龙看上去根本不是一个物种，为什么都叫龙（dragon）呢？ - 知乎

Chinese dragon - Wikipedia

是谁把「dragon」翻译成「龙」？为什么要这么翻译？ - 知乎

西方“龙”（dragon）的起源是怎样的？ - 知乎

龙的故事 | 中国龙与世界龙 Story about dragons: Chinese dragons and global dragons_新浪新闻

Chinese Dragon: Meaning, Colors Symbolism, Mythology, Types

Chinese Dragon: History, Origin, Totem & Symbol of China

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