Dragons. Massive reptilian creatures with interlocking scales whose breath can burn a person to cinders within seconds. The beating of their wings bends trees at the trunk, and at full spread they stretch a fields length. Then there are the claws; curved knives at the end of each toe that can tear flesh from the bone in one quick, leisurely, swipe.
But this is just the European dragon.
There are many dragons out there in the mythos, and they’re all different from one another. You’ve likely heard of the Chinese dragon too; a lengthy snake-like, four-legged creature with a large head similar to that of a boar. These are often paraded during festivals, but there are many other kinds of dragon in Chinese lore. Lake dragons, winged dragons, dragons that guard the underworld from thieves, two headed dragons, shapeshifting dragons and some are even legless (not drunk, but lacking legs - although, maybe they are drunk too - who knows?)
There are Indian dragons, Japanese dragons, Korean dragons, Slavic and Turkish and Albanian dragons… and they’re not all the same thing. They have similarities, for sure, but there are enough differences there to keep things interesting. So I give you; The Diverse World of Dragons *fanfare*.
Nāga
A Nāga is an Indian dragon that often appears as a huge king cobra. They are violent and aggressive creatures that possess great muscular strength, and like the king cobra, they’re fangs are capable of delivering fatal venom into the bloodstream of anything that gets in their path.
Despite these characteristics, Nāga’s are not all bad. Some act on the side of good, and a good number are pretty neutral. In Hinduism, Nāga’s are in fact nature spirits that guard bodies of water and can even bless the lands surrounding them. Of course, if you get on a Nāga’s bad side you can expect drought or floods - but keep it happy and you’ll get a damn fine harvest.
Unlike most European dragons, the Nāga can take human form and make curious individuals. In this state they are not aggressive - but can quickly become so if angered or mistreated. In the Buddhist faith, Nāga’s can often have more than one head, which makes the dragon significantly more dangerous.
Japanese Dragon - Ryū
These tend to be good guys - Japanese dragons are heavily influenced by the Chinese and Indian dragons. So it’s unsurprising to hear that the Japanese dragon - much like the buddhist reading of Nāga - is associated with rain, bodies freshwater, and the sea. There are further similarities between the two, and the Japanese borrow heavily from Indian folklore - such as the history of the underwater kingdom in which the Nāga kings live.
Ryū are snake-like in appearance and don’t often have wings. They have short clawed feet and generally are physically very similar to the Chinese Long, but usually have three claws instead of the Chinese four/five. Like many characters in folklore, the Japanese dragons are often quest givers and can easily manipulate the texture of the world around them - perform a deed for a local dragon, and your wish to become emperor might just come true…
Bukunawa
Another moon-swallowing creature, the Bukunawa is a Philippine dragon that threatens to swallow the moon forever. However, the creature is often scared away from total digestion by loud noise or music - and in these circumstances is forced to regurgitate the moon and return home, which is deep under the sea. We know these incidents as eclipses.
The Filipinos believe there are seven moons, not one, and that these moons were created by Bathala to keep the sky light at night. But every time Bathala let a moon rise into the sky the Bukunawa would launch itself from the water and eat it whole. Bathala wasn’t impressed, but there wasn’t a whole lot he could do about it either. He instructed the island's residents to gather outside with cookware and make as much noise as possible so as to confuse and scare the dragon away.
There is a short tales that details the history of the Bukunawa further. Apparently the deep-sea dwelling creature had a sister by who was a sea turtle. She would lay her eggs on the shore, but every time she did so she would bring waves with her which would not settle back to their normal levels after she had left. So, they killed the turtle, and the Bukunawa didn’t like this at all. It’s desire to eat the moon stemmed from this incident.
Lindworm
Away from the East we have the European dragons which are quite different (though equally as fierce). The lindworm is one such example - a serpent creature with no wings, two claws, and an alarmingly strong jaw. You might remember the post on apocalypses - if so, then you’ll remember the Norse concept of the end of the world, and how a creature known as Jörmungandr arrives on the land from the sea. Well, this foul demon is a lindworm. Perhaps the most famous lindworm of them all.
The lindworms physical appearance can vary, however. There are lindworms with four legs or none. There are those privileged enough to have wings. However, most lindworms are snakey, slithery creatures with only two claws with which they pull themselves around.
The stories surrounding the lindworm are various - in many they occupy negative space, and are truly demonic and foul creatures. It’s poisonous bite allows it to kill quickly, and so it has no reason to fear us humans. In Norse mythology the lindworms gnaw at the very bottom of the roots of Yggdrasil, and you can see the influence of the Norse in many tales - in which the lindworms rise from below the earth.
Wyvern
I can imagine the wyvern is familiar to many of us. We know the wyvern as a two-legged dragon with all the features typical of such a creature - there are however also underwater wyverns, who do not have the traditional tail, but a fin instead. Their similarities to dragons makes is difficult to tell them apart. Many a dragon has been called a wyvern by an ignorant writer, and that writer has often been turned to a charred corpse only seconds later…
Wyverns are often considered to be ‘lesser’ dragons. Many wyverns are incapable of breathing fire, and they tend to be smaller than the larger dragon. The wyvern is similar to the lindworm in that they operate largely with poison - though the wyvern has poisonous breath rather than a poison bite. Like the lindworm, there are no redeeming characteristics to a wyvern - they’re unpleasant, foul creatures akin to demons.
Slavic Dragons - Zmey Gorynych & Zmaj
Slavic dragons have much in common with their European counterparts, except they often have more than one head and some can even regenerate limbs. The two names above are specific dragons types - the first, Zmey Gorynych, is a creature particular to Ukrainian and Russian mythology, and the second is a creature of South Slavic origin which is said to be very wise, have incredible strength, and possesses magical abilities.
Zmey Gorynych is a more traditional dragon. It has four legs, though only walks on the rear two, and does all the traditional dragon things - spits fire, munches flesh, throws people around… the number of heads isn’t detailed, but paintings show the Zmey Gorynych owning three heads or more.
The Zmaj is altogether more interesting. Sure it has strength and knowledge and magical abilities, but it’s also said to possess great wealth and has a lustful desire for women. It can reproduce with human woman, and it lurks in the neutral zone of good vs bad. It’s not the most benevolent of creatures, but neither is it the darkest evil. Like other dragons it can breathe fire, but unlike other dragons it’s often highly respected - which makes it sound like an upstanding member of the local community.
They also have the Aždaja, which like the Zmey Gorynych which has many heads but is a creature of absolute pure evil. It lives deep in caves and dark areas and tends to guard specific locations. It’s basically a monster to slay in fairytales, which is rather unfortunate. It’s not really a dragon either - more of an evil creature - but it and the Zmaj get confused frequently.
They also have the Aždaja, which like the Zmey Gorynych which has many heads but is a creature of absolute pure evil. It lives deep in caves and dark areas and tends to guard specific locations. It’s basically a monster to slay in fairytales, which is rather unfortunate. It’s not really a dragon either - more of an evil creature - but it and the zmaj get confused frequently.
There are many other types of dragon existing in the world today. Chuvash dragons, Romanian dragons, Asturian dragons… maybe we will document more in later articles!
These tend to be good guys - Japanese dragons are heavily influenced by the Chinese and Indian dragons. So it’s unsurprising to hear that the Japanese dragon - much like the Buddhist reading of Nāga - is associated with rain, bodies freshwater, and the sea. There are further similarities between the two, and the Japanese borrow heavily from Indian folklore - such as the history of the underwater kingdom in which the Nāga kings live.
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