[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Welcome back !

Home Help Contents Buddhism Practice Calendar Dharma Diary Myth & Meaning News Items Links Mustard Seed Lang 'n Lit Reviews Goods 'n Gifts

Dragon is one way that Western cultures refer to the naga. Nagas are a class of being whose primary abode is water. They are a source of knowledge and of fertility but also guard the immense riches of the earth. In Eastern mythology, it has mainly benevolent and auspicious characteristics but in European mythology, the role of the dragon has been strictly curtailed rendering it into an ugly, greedy and jealous opponent of the Hero. Jason being regurgitated from the maw of the drakon of Colchis that guards the Golden Fleece. The essence of life in the form of the dragon's celestial breath is called in Chinese sheng chi. It is the source of all energy that contributes to fertility and wealth such as the seasonal changes of the rain that allows crops to grow, the warmth of sunshine, balmy sea breezes and fertile soil. In fact, the dragon is the eastern Mother Nature.

Divine Ancestor
The flying dragon whose abode is the heavens is universally recognized as a symbol of the Chinese culture and its people. Chinese refer to themselves as Lung-tik Chuan-ren, that is 'Descendents of the Dragon'. It is believed that on rare occasions dragons have the power to transform themselves into handsome humans who, male or female, can mate with people. For example, former Japanese Emperor Hirohito [fl. 1940]claimed descent from Princess Fruitful Jewel, daughter of a sea Dragon King. It is this belief that lies at the root of the dragon as crest or emblem of a royal house. The dragon emblem was also used by ministers and representatives of the Chinese emperor such as ambans or viceroys. Dragon-face was an epithet used to refer to the ruler. Perhaps to encourage the notion that this was more than just a nickname, the ruler of Japan sat concealed behind a bamboo screen during audiences with visitors.

Mentor
The superior kind of Chinese dragon is said to have a great pearl in its throat which symbolizes its custody of wisdom. (But also, a lunar eclipse.) It is believed that the knowledge of writing was given by a yellow dragon to legendary Emperor Fu Shi. This association of the dragon with the fertility of the intellect has a long tradition. We have seen that the historical Buddha during his meditation under the bodhi tree is believed to have been shielded from the elements by a many-headed naga. In the long line of deities and saints described as having protection from this kind of serpentine creature is a 13th century Cambodian king. He is said to have spent his nights in a golden tower consulting with a nine-headed dragon. He could be accused of not heeding his advisor when there was a drought, flood or major storm. (Smaller dragons may be the source of minor annoyances associated with water such as a leaky roof. On the other hand, according to a Tibetan lama, on occasions such as a dharma-teaching the appearance of unexpected water as in a sink overflowing or a leak in the basement is considered an auspicious sign - the approval of the nagas. ) Panthaka is one of those numbered among Buddha's 16 arhats. He was said to have possessed

magic powers that were called upon when Buddha made an expedition to subdue and convert the fierce dragon-king Apulala. He could make himself smaller and smaller until he seemed to disappear. When he is shown among the other disciples, he is the one depicted charming a dragon into his alms-bowl. Lung-chun or Dragon-host is the Chinese form given for an Indian name appearing in Buddhist discussions. The dragon is the emblem of one of the Tibetan Buddhist schools descending from Milarepa. That is because the founder of the Dragon or Drukpa lineage, " ... Tsangpa Gyare, whose existence was in fact earlier predicted by the Dakinis (you know, some forms of spiritual beings), while looking for a suitable site to build a proper place to spread the teachings of the holy lineage, met with nine dragons. These auspicious creatures flew up into the sky, followed by a loud clap of roaring thunder. At this sight, Tsangpa Gyare decided to build his monastery in this holy place then and there. Therefore, the first monastery, Nam Druk Sewa Jangchub Ling, was built, located not too far from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Based on this remarkable incident, I think that was the first time the dragon was associated with our lineage. Then it became quite natural for the followers of this lineage, or for that matter, the lineage holder and the lineage itself to be called the Drukpa or Druk lineage. As you know, the dragon is supposed to be an important and auspicious celestial creature, and even Bhutan is commonly called Drukpa or Druk Yul, meaning the Country of Dragon. The Bhutanese people also refer to themselves as Drukpa, meaning people from the dragon country." ~ interview with HH the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa

Guardian
The eastern dragon is a symbol of divine protection and vigilance. In its form that combines fish, reptile and bird it has the ability to swim in the seas, fly in the heavens and coil up in the land where its humped back forms the ridges of mountain ranges. Generally generous and benevolent, it wards off wandering evil spirits protect the virtuous and the innocent. Therefore, children born in the dragon year of a 12-animal cycle especially are considered to enjoy health, wealth, and long life.

Medea, Mistress of Dragons

Once a king of Thebes, desperate to protect his kingdom from his nephew Jason, sent him off on a deadly mission: to journey across the sea far to the northeast to retrieve the Golden Fleece of Hermes' flying ram. (Sheep's fleece has been documented in western Asia today as still being used to filter and trap gold from mountain streams.) But this fleece, besides being of sacred origin, was also the totemic object bound to the longevity of the king of Colchis. It was protected there, not far from the Black Sea where it had been nailed to a tree in a dragon sanctuary. Jason sought help from the foreign king's daughter, Medea, an adept of the cult of Hecate, the Moon goddess. Unfortunately for her, she had become the target of one of Eros' arrows and was smitten with Jason. When he promised before the deities of that Asian land to take her back with him to an honorable estate, i.e. as his lawful wife, she agreed to betray her own father and thus endanger the welfare of her state, to sing the dragon to sleep. Jason accomplished his quest and returned to Greece with her, which must have taken some time for they had two sons together. When his uncle did not keep his part of the bargain, Jason and his family had to flee to Corinth. There, in an attempt to make a place for himself, he became involved in an arranged marriage with the daughter of Creon, ruler of that city.

Medea was appalled primarily by the broken sacred vow, and pretended to accept the situation making for the younger woman, a poisoned dress of cloth-of-gold. When that poor victim suffered her final agony, Medea then slew her own two sons before their father's eyes. She conjured up a dragon-drawn vehicle and flew off in it as Jason fell upon his own sword on the threshold of their home.

Honouring the Dragon

Temples and shrines were built in honor of dragons as they were understood to be the controllers of the rain and the wealth of rivers, lakes, and seas. Incense and prayer were offered especially on the first and fifteenth of every month at pagodas and shrines such as Black Dragon Pool Chapel near Beijing said to have been reserved especially for the use of the Empress and her court. Temple Island in Japan's inland sea is a famous dragon pilgrimage destination. There are also lu temples in Tibet where various reptiles are also considered members of the naga class of beings. The Dragon Image The dragon is one of the four spiritual animals; the others are the phoenix, qilin (a kind of unicorn) and the tortoise. Much has been made of the distinguishing characteristics of the various Asian dragons. There is an iconographic convention in which the common dragon is four-clawed, the five-clawed one is the celestial one that is the Chinese Imperial emblem, and the colonial type such as the Japanese one is shown with only three. The image of a dragon, its face or mask (Skt.: mukha,) or an abstract design representing its serpentine form is generally used as a protective mark. For example, the winding design used to frame the corners of a page of Tibetan writing has its origin in protective dragons; sometimes their eye dots are indicated. In the Tibetan tradition, the turquoise dragon is said to protect against discord of all types but especially slanderous gossip and the misuse of words. Dragons often appear on metal musical instruments such as bells, gongs and the small cymbals that can serve to represent the music offering on a Buddhist shrine. This may relate to the roar of righteous indignation of the protective dragon but also to its legendary love of music. They are also often found in architecture where they protect against fire and earthquakes. Their image functions as a kind of amulet or talisman of security so they are found at the bases of monuments, on bridges and on the eaves of roofs. Lifespan of the Eastern Dragon While male dragons have undulating steep,concave horns, female dragons are described as having straight noses, round manes, thin scales (81 in number) and a strong tail. They lay their eggs near water and they can take 1000 years to hatch. When water runs from the eggs as they begin to hatch, it is said that the parents cry out. The sounds of father and mother differ which dramatically affects the weather causing darkness, torrential rain and the thunder and lightning which induces the eggs to crack. The different forms of the dragon are attributed to its stage of development. At 500 years they are considered Kiao (scaled dragons,) at 1000 years they are mature Lung. It takes another 500 years for the horns to develop fully- Kioh-lung- and another millennium for the dragon to fully develop into the Ying-lung or winged dragon capable of flight. They are believed to have shape-changing abilities except when being born, sleeping, lustful or angry. There are four major kinds of Chinese dragon: t'ien lung, (celestial guardians) who support the mansions of the gods; shen lung (weather makers) who govern the clouds and bring rain; ti lung (earth-dragon) who control rivers; and the fu-ts'ang lung (treasure keepers) who guard deposits and hoards of precious metal.

Dragons are said to like precious stones and roasted swallows but to be afraid of the leaves of the wang plant, leaves of the lien tree, 5-coloured silk thread, wax, iron and centipedes [scorpions?].
~ Alt.fan.dragons "Eastern dragon"

see also Picatrix' dragon page

Classes of Dragons There is a popular classification of Chinese dragons that aims to identify 9 types. It lists: the horned dragon, the winged dragon, the celestial dragon supporting and protecting the mansions of the gods, the spiritual dragon which generates wind and rain for the benefit of mankind, the dragon guarding concealed wealth and the sinuously moving water dragon. The most powerful is the horned dragon or Lung which produces rain and is believed to be totally deaf. It is described as having a head like a camel, horns like a deer, eyes like a hare, ears like a bull, a neck like an lizard, a belly like a frog, scales like a carp, paws like a tiger, and claws like those of an eagle. The homeless dragon known as Ii lives in the ocean, and the Chiao is a scaly green creature with yellow sides and a crimson underbelly that inhabits marshes or mountain dens. It has a pair of large canine teeth in its upper jaw and long whiskers which it uses like those of a catfish. It can vary from greenish to golden and is said to have alternating short and long spines all the way down its back and tail, ending in a long brush What type of dragon is represented on the Qing dynasty (17th century) robe described as a chuba, from the Metropolitan's collection? "One specimen had wings at its side, and walked on top of the water. Another tossed its mane back and forth making noises that sounded like a flute. Cow-heads are also common. A ten-footer, found lying on the banks of China's Yangtze River, was different from most because of its long, thick eyebrows. A Yellow River variety, seen on shore in the 1920s by a Chinese teacher, was bright blue, and as big as five cows. Both dragons crawled into the water as soon as it started to rain." ~ Crystal Links Chinese Dragons page.for above quotation and some of the other material

The four directional dragon kings form a distinctive type of Chinese dragon. In pictures, the red one is associated with the West, black is for the North, yellow for the Eastern one and green for the Southern one. When a central one is depicted, it is usually white, but may be blue. Dragons are also thought of as features of geography: For having brought rain without the Jade Emperor's permission, the troops of heaven were ordered to arrest four rebellious dragons and the Mountain God collected mountains with which to pin them down. " Determined to do good for the people forever, they turned themselves into four rivers, which flowed past high mountains and deep valleys, crossing the land from the west to the east and finally emptying into the sea. And so China's four great rivers were formed -- the Heilongjian (Black Dragon) in the far north, the Huanghe (Yellow River) in central China, the Changjiang (Yangtze, or Long River) farther south, and the Zhujiang (Pearl) in the very far south." ~ Crystal Links Chinese Dragons page.

Reversal of Fortune
A type of European dragon known as the guivre can cause disease with its breath, but it has the curious characteristic of being so embarrassed by nudity that it will flee from the sight.

The Western dragon is the diametric opposite of its Eastern counterpart. We can almost visit the time and the place where the transformation occurred. The scripture designated by its opening Babylonian words Enuma Elish describes how "gorgeous Tiamat" whose domain is the earth's water is cruelly slain by Marduk. This Lord, the champion of the sky gods and titans, slays the dragon with a blow from his mace and a bag of evil wind that he gets her to swallow so that she explodes. Her remains "like a clam shell" form the heavens and earth as we know it. King of the Indian devas, Indra, slays Vritra the water dragon also by means of a blow from the mighty mace.

Beowulf
As metal-working is refined, the spear and sword replace the mace or hammer. The skill of tempering blades moves west and the dragon, too, changes. In the Cotton-Vitelius manuscript #15 that was given the name, Beowulf, a monster called Grendel periodically emerges from his deep marsh den to raid the darkened castle hall during the night. "Every nail, claw-scale and spur, every spike and welt on the hand of that heathen brute was like barbed steel." The tale is estimated by scholars to be from the 6th or 7th century CE; there is only one surviving manuscript which dates from around 1000. It tells how Grendel and his mother are killed by the Geat [Jut = southern Swede] hero, Beowulf. He and his men had come south from across the sea to aid the Danes who for 20 years had been preyed upon, sometimes 30 at a time. The 'dragons' are described as "... huge marauders from some other world. One ... looks like a woman; the other, warped in the shape of a man, [but] bigger than any man, ... . They dwell ... on windswept crags ... where cold streams pour down the mountain and disappear under mist and moorland." but at night "the water burns." and when "the skies weep ... out of its depths a dirty surge is pitched towards the heavens." There are three encounters with Grendel, and we learn that this monster does not conform to the standard dragon type. He is described as wanting to cram the men into "this roomy pouch ... intricately strung and hung at the ready, a rare patchwork of devilishly fitted dragon-skins." The dragon escapes, but loses his right "hand" which is pinned to the castle wall as a trophy. (When he is finally beheaded it takes 4 men to carry off the head.) When the men visit the blood-tinged waters, they see "writhing sea-dragons" and all manner of monsters. The hero goes into the water and it takes him all day to reach the lair at the bottom. He struggles with the 'ides aelwyf' a phrase that can mean 'thirsty barmaid' but seems more to signify 'hideous alewife.' That is, the monstrous eel-like naga who is Grendel's mother, but she "pounced upon him and pulled a broad, whetted knife." Beowulf finally manages to cut off her head but only with an enormous sword from her own hoard. The men have given him up for dead when after 9 hours he emerges, but his sword "began to wilt into gory icicles, to slather and thaw" from the effects of the dragon-blood so that only the golden hilt remained. The inscription on the hilt tells the tale of God's destruction of the giants that the 'ides aelwyf' is related to. Years later, from the depths of a barrow that someone had plundered came again "the slick-skinned dragon, threatening the night sky with streamers of fire." It "rippled down the rock" and later "hurtled forth in a fiery blaze" that did "burn bright homesteads" so that Beowulf now an old man, goes forth once more. Assisted by young Wiglaf, the dragon is stabbed to death but it "caught the hero in a rush of flame and clamped sharp fangs into his neck." The hero gets to see its golden hoard but "The wound began to scald and swell" and he dies, the last the Geat warriors from over the sea. Before the cremation of Beowulf, "The fire-dragon ... scorched all colours." and measuring 50 feet from head to tail who had "shimmered forth on the night air once." is pitched unceremoniously over a cliff.

The poem ends with a Geatish woman singing a dirge "a wild litany of nightmare and lament" with predictions of invasion, "bodies in piles, slavery and abasement." The hoard along with Beowulf's remains are covered up in a great stone barrow that 12 warriors ride around singing the praises of the great and good Beowulf.
~ new bilingual verse translation by Seamus Heaney (N.Y.: Farrar, Strauss& Giroux, 2000.)

It was Professor J.R.R. Tolkien (famous for his Lord of the Rings trilogy) who first showed that the tale of Beowulf was more than a fictional work of entertainment. Though there are references throughout the poem of the Judeo-Christian world view, but there are also allusions to the beliefs and customs of an earlier tradition. Surely the dire prediction at the poem's end is in some way related to the slaughter of the dragons - especially "Grendel's mother." Saint George, a dragon-slayer along the model of the Beowulf of folk memory, is the patron of Russia, Greece and England (adopted by Edward III in 1348). The characteristic depiction showing a helmed knight on horseback spearing a recumbent dragon appears on the jewel of the Order of the Garter as revived by Queen Elizabeth the First in 1506. Nov. 1883 Society of Antiquaries article on Dragon of St. George plus Edward Burnes-Jones' pre-raphaelite painting. In mediaeval Christian art, Michael the Archangel (usually depicted standing) slays the dragon under his feet that represents the Evil One a.k.a. the 'Old Serpent'. The Greek Cadmus is said to have sowed the ground with dragon's teeth from which sprang an army of armed men. The chariot of the Greek moon goddess Cynthia, was drawn by dragons. Old Testament references to 'dragons' result from an error in translation of the Hebrew "tan" which means jackal but it was taken to refer to a 'giant water-serpent' as a consequence of its relation to the name Tanith, a Semitic (Phoenician and hence also Carthaginian) goddess ie. a naga. To play a St. George game. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------There are literally hundreds of dragon pages on-line ranging from the silly to the scholarly. This page is intended only to underline the fact that a naga by any other name is still a naga. When it flies, it is often referred to as a dragon. The phrase 'fire drake' that is, 'fiery dragon' was used to refer to comets especially as ill omens such as the one that is reported to have preceded the Battle of Hastings [1066] when the Normans successfully invaded England. Awakening the Dragon is a comprehensive article by Shelagh Pierce about the Chinese tradition of Dragon-Boat racing (near end of page.) Some European legends of dragons. See frogs, serpents (2 pages) & nagas (2 pages) on this site. Beowulf for beginners, links for the more advanced.

[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Dragons ] [ Garuda ] [ Makara ] [ Nagas ] [ Next ]

Khandro] Net 1998-2001. Webmaster khandro@videotron.ca

Best viewed at a resolution of 800 x 600 with 24- bit color, at least a 56K modem, and Java capability. If you have eliminated underlining in your Preferences, you could miss some of the 2000 + links on this site.