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List of dragons in mythology and folklore

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is a list of dragons in mythology and folklore.


Asian dragons
Lng (or Loong.
Lung2 in WadeGiles
romanization.)
Chinese dragon

The Chinese dragon, is a creature in Chinese mythology that also


appears in other Asian cultures, and is sometimes called the
Oriental (or Eastern) dragon. Depicted as a long, snake-like
creature with four claws (or five for the imperial dragon), it has
long been a potent symbol of auspicious power in Chinese folklore
and art. This type of dragon, however, is sometimes depicted as a
creature constructed of many animal parts. It might have the fins
of some fish, or the horns of a stag.
Gong Gong
Dragon Kings

Indian dragons

A serpentine dragon common to all cultures influenced by


Hinduism. They are often hooded like a cobra and may have
several heads depending on their rank. They usually have no arms
or legs but those with limbs resemble the Chinese dragon. Other
dragons are the Vrtra the serpent dragon who is defeated by Indra
the thunder god and king of heaven, and the other evil serpent in
Vedic lore, Ahi (cognate with the Zoroastrian Azi Dahaka).
Another dragon who appears in the Indian mythology is- the
Kaliya nag, which was defeated by lord Krishna. It is said that
Krishna did not kill the snake and left it. The Kaliya Nag is said to
have more than 1000 fangs.

Nga

Derived from the Indian nga, belief in the Indo-Malay dragon


spread throughout Maritime Southeast Asia with Hinduism. The
word naga is still the common Malay/Indonesian term for
dragon.[1] Like its Indian counterpart, the naga is considered
divine in nature, benevolent, and often associated with sacred
mountains, forests, or certain parts of the sea.

Indonesian/Malay
Naga or Nogo
dragon

Ry
Japanese dragon

Similar to Chinese dragons, with three claws instead of four. They


are usually benevolent, associated with water, and may grant
wishes.
Ryjin

Neak

Khmer Dragon

The Khmer dragon, or neak is derived from the Indian nga. Like
its Indian counterpart, the neak is often depicted with cobra like
characteristics such as a hood. The number of heads can be as high
as nine, the higher the number the higher the rank. Odd-headed
dragons are symbolic of male energy while even headed dragons
symbolize female energy. Traditionally, a neak is distinguished

from the often serpentine Makar and Tao, the former possessing
crocodilian traits and the latter possessing feline traits. A dragon
princess is the heroine of the creation myth of Cambodia.

Korean dragon

Philippine
Dragon

Yong (Mireu)

A sky dragon, essentially the same as the Chinese lng. Like the
lng, yong and the other Korean dragons are associated with water
and weather. In pure Korean, it is also known as 'mireu'.

Imoogi

A hornless ocean dragon, sometimes equated with a sea serpent.


Imoogi literally means, "Great Lizard". The legend of the Imoogi
says that the sun god gave the Imoogi their power through a
human girl, which would be transformed into the Imoogi on her
17th birthday. Legend also said that a dragon-shaped mark would
be found on the shoulder of the girl, revealing that she was the
Imoogi in human form.

Gyo

A mountain dragon. In fact, the Chinese character for this word is


also used for the imoogi.

Bakunawa

The Bakunawa appears as a gigantic serpent that lives in the sea.


Ancient natives believed that the Bakunawa caused the moon or
the sun to disappear during an eclipse. It is said that during certain
times of the year, the Bakunawa arises from the ocean and
proceeds to swallow the moon whole. To keep the Bakunawa from
completely eating the moon, the natives would go out of their
houses with pots and pans in hand and make a noise barrage in
order to scare the Bakunawa into spitting out the moon back into
the sky. Some say that the Bakunawa is known to kill people by
imagining their death and remote in eye contact.

These dragons' bodies curve lithely, in sine shape, with 12


sections, symbolising 12 months in the year. They are able to
change the weather, and are responsible for crops. On the dragon's
back are little, uninterrupted, regular fins. The head has a long
mane, beard, prominent eyes, crest on nose, but no horns. The jaw
(Ly dynasty, Daiviet is large and opened, with a long, thin tongue; they always keep a
X)
chu (gem/jewel) in their mouths (a symbol of humanity, nobility
and knowledge).
Rng or Long

Vietnamese
dragon

European dragons

Catalan dragon

drac

Catalan dragons are serpent-like creatures with two legs (rarely


four) and, sometimes, a pair of wings. Their faces can resemble
that of other animals, like lions or cattle. They have a burning
breath. Their breath is also poisonous, the reason by which dracs
are able to rot everything with their stench. A vbria is a female
dragon.

Dragon

French dragons

Authors tend often to present the dragon legends as symbol of


Christianity's victory over paganism, represented by a harmful
dragon. The French representation of dragons spans much of
European history, and has even given its name to the dragoons, a

type of cavalry.

Lindworm
Scandinavian &
Germanic
dragons

Lindworms are serpent-like dragons with either two or no legs. In


Nordic and Germanic heraldry, the lindworm looks the same as a
wyvern. The dragon Fafnir was a lindworm.

Wyvern

Wyverns are common in medieval heraldry. Their usual blazon is


statant. Wyverns are normally shown as dragons with two legs and
two wings.

The worm hill


dragon

700 AD the Anglo-Saxons settled and called it "Wruenele" this


translates as "Wruen" worm, reptile or dragon and "ele" hill.
According to local folklore the hill at Knotlow (Derbyshire) was
the lair of a dragon and the terraces around it were made by the
coils of its tail. Knotlow is an ancient volcanic vent and this may
explain the myth.

The Bisterne
Dragon

The New Forest folktale states that the dragon lived in Burley,
Hampshire, and terrorised the village of Bisterne. It was finally
killed in Lyndhurst, Hampshire by Sir Maurice de Berkeley and its
body turned into a hill called Boltons Bench. Though the knight
survived, the trauma of the battle drove him mad, and soon after
he returned to the hill to die, his corpse becoming a yew tree.

The Bignor Hill


dragon

There is a brief mention of a Dragon on Bignor Hill south of the


village of Bignor near the famous Roman Villa, apparently "A
Large dragon had its den on Bignor Hill, and marks of its folds
were to be seen on the hill". Similar legends have been told of
ridges around other hills, such as at Wormhill in Derbyshire.

Blue Ben

Kilve in West Somerset is said to have once been home to a


dragon called Blue Ben which the devil used as a steed. The skull
of a fossilised Ichthyosaur on display in the local museum is
sometimes pointed out as belonging to Blue Ben.

The Lambton
Worm

The legend says that it curled around Worm Hill near Fatfield in
northeast England, would eat livestock and children, and was
killed during the time of the Crusades by a Sir John Lambton.

English dragons

Y Ddraig Goch

Welsh dragons

In Welsh mythology, after a long battle (which the Welsh King


Vortigern witnesses) a red dragon defeats a white dragon; Merlin
explains to Vortigern that the red dragon symbolizes the Welsh,
and the white dragon symbolizes the Saxons thus foretelling the
ultimate defeat of the English by the Welsh. The ddraig goch
appears on the Welsh

Hungarian
dragon

Zomok

A giant winged snake, which is in fact a full-grown zomok. It often


serves as flying mount of the garaboncis (a kind of magician).
The srknykgy rules over storms and bad weather.
A dragon in human form. Most of them are giants with multiple
heads. Their strength is held in their heads. They become
gradually weaker as they lose their heads.

srkny

In contemporary Hungarian the word srkny is used to mean all


kinds of dragons.

zmey, zmiy, mij,


, or zmaj, or
drak, or smok

Slavic dragons

Smok Wawelski
from Sebastian
Mnster's
Cosmographie
Universalis,
1544

Similar to the conventional European dragon, but multi-headed.


They breathe fire and/or leave fiery wakes as they fly. In Slavic
and related tradition, dragons symbolize evil. Specific dragons are
often given Turkic names (see Zilant, below), symbolizing the
long-standing conflict between the Slavs and Turks. However, in
Serbian and Bulgarian folklore, dragons are defenders of the crops
in their home regions, fighting against a destructive demon Ala,
whom they shoot with lightning.[2][3]

Armenian dragon Vishap

Related to European dragons

Siberian dragon

Yilbegn

Related to European Turkic and Slavic dragons

Romanian
dragons

Balaur, Zburator

Balaur are very similar to the Slavic zmey: very large, with fins
and multiple heads.

Chuvash dragons Vere Celen

Chuvash dragons represent the pre-Islamic mythology of the same


region.

Asturian and
Culebre
Leonese dragons

In Asturias and Len mythology the Culebres are giant winged


serpents, which live in caves where they guard treasures and
kidnapped xanas. They can live for centuries and, when they grow
really old, they use their wings to fly. Their breath is poisonous
and they often kill cattle to eat. Leonese language term Cuelebre
comes from Latin colbra, i.e., snake.

Bolla

In the Albanian mythology Bolla (also known as Bullar in South


Albania), is a type of serpentic dragon (or a demonic dragon-like
creature) with a long, coiled, serpentine body, four legs and small
wings in ancient Albanian folklore. This dragon sleeps throughout
the whole year, only to wake on Saint George's Day, where its
faceted silver eyes peer into the world. The Bolla does this until it
sees a human. It devours the person, then closes its eyes and sleeps

again.[4] Bolla was worshiped as the deity Boa by the ancestors of


Albanians, Illyrians.[5] Bolla appears in the coat of arms of the
House of Bua Shpata.

Albanian
Dragons

Kulshedra

In its twelfth year, the bolla evolves by growing nine tongues,


horns, spines and larger wings. At this time it will learn how to use
its formerly hidden fire-breathing abilities, and is now called a
kulshedra or kuedra (hydra). The kuedra causes droughts and
lives off human sacrifices. Kulshedras are killed by Drangue,
Albanian winged warriors with supernatural powers.
Thunderstorms are conceived as battles between the drangues and
the kulshedras.

Dreq

Dreq is the dragon (draco) proper. It was demonized by


Christianity and now is one of the Albanian names of the devil.

Portuguese
dragons

Coca

In Portuguese mythology coca is a female dragon that fights with


Saint George. She loses her strength when Saint George cuts off
one of her ears.

Greek dragons

Cadmus fighting the Ismenian dragon (which guarded the sacred


Drkn spring of Ares) is a legendary story from the Greek lore dating to
before ca. 560550 B.C. Greek dragons commonly had a role of
protecting important objects or places. For example, the Colchian
dragon watched the Golden Fleece and the Nemean dragon
guarded the sacred groves of Zeus.[6] The name comes from the
Greek "draken" meaning "to see clearly".[7]
Zilant

Tatar dragons

Really closer to a wyvern or cockatrice, the Zilant is the symbol of


Kazan. Zilant itself is a Russian rendering of Tatar ylan, i.e.,
snake.

Turkish dragons

Ejderha or Evren

The Turkish dragon secretes flames from its tail, and there is no
mention in any legends of its having wings, or even legs. In fact,
most Turkish (and later Islamic) sources describe dragons as
gigantic snakes.

Lithuanian
Dragons

Slibinas

This dragon is more of a hydra with multiple heads, though


sometimes it does appear with one head.

Other dragons in mythology and folklore


Aido Wedo, the Rainbow Serpent of Dahomey mythology
Apalala, a mythical river dragon who was converted to Buddhism
Apep or Apophis the giant snake or serpent from Egyptian mythology
Azazel is described as a dragon in the Apocalypse of Abraham
Azhi Dahaka in Avestan mythology.
Qinglong (or Seiry) in Chinese mythology, one of the Four Symbols (Chinese constellation)
Bisterne Dragon, a New Forest dragon of English folklore
Bolla (also "Bullar"), the sleeping dragon of Albanian mythology
Boitat The name comes from the Old Tupi language and means "fiery serpent" (mbo tat). Its great
fiery eyes leave it almost blind by day, but by night, it can see everything. According to legend, Boi-

tat was a big serpent which survived a great deluge.


Brnensky drak (The dragon of Brno), the dragon killed nearby Moravian city (legend)
Con rit is a water dragon from Vietnamese mythology
Dragon Kings, from Chinese mythology
The Dragon of Loschy Hill, of Yorkshire folklore
The Dragons of St. Leonard's Forest, of Sussex folklore
Fafnir, transformed dragon (Germanic mythology)
The Green Dragon of Mordiford, of Herefordshire folklore
Gorynych, Zmei, the most famous of Russian dragons
The Graoully of Metz, symbol of christianization over paganism.
Guivres from Medieval France
Huanglong, the Yellow Dragon of the Center, in Chinese mythology
Jrmungandr, the sea serpent or dragon in Norse mythology
The Knucker from Lyminster in Sussex
Kur, the first ever dragon
Lagarfljtsormurinn, a lake monster or dragon living in the Lagarfljt, near Egilsstair, Iceland.
The Hydra, also called the Lernaean Hydra, from Greek Mythology is described as a dragon-like
animal
Illuyankas from Hittite mythology
Ikuchi, of a youkai dragon water in Japanese mythology
Ladon from Greek mythology
The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh, of Northumbrian legend
The Lambton Worm, of Northumbrian legend
The Worm of Linton, of Scottish legend
The Ljubljana dragon, the protector dragon of Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia
The Longwitton dragon, of Northumbrian legend
Lotan/Leviathan from Levantine mythology and Hebrew scriptures, a demonic dragon reigning the
waters
The Meister Stoor Worm of Orkney legend
Mushussu, musrussu or sirrush, the Babylonian dragon from the Ishtar Gate
Nhggr (the 'Dread Biter', also spelled Nidhogg) from Norse mythology
Ouroboros the "tail-eater."
Orochi, the eight-headed serpent slain by Susanoo in Japanese mythology
Piasa Bird of Illini people, Americas
Python, from Greek mythology, the snake killed by Apollo
Quetzalcoatl from Aztec mythology has a dragon-like aspect
Ryjin, the dragon god of the sea in Japanese mythology.
Srkny, dragon of Hungarian mythology
Sea serpent, water dragon from Worldwide
Smok Wawelski (the Wawel Dragon) from Polish mythology, was killed by a clever shoemaker's
apprentice
The Tarasque, tamed by Saint Martha
Thevetat
Tiamat and Abzu from Babylonian mythology are sometimes considered dragons
Typhon from Greek mythology is often thought of as a dragon
Vritra, a major asura in Vedic religion
The Whitby Wyrm of Yorkshire Folklore
Xiuhcoatl is a serpent from Aztec mythology
Yam from Levantine mythology
Teju Jagua from Guaran mythology is described was a huge lizard with seven dog-like heads, entitled
to a "fiery gaze", and being associated as the god of fruits, caves and (more common with the Dragons
in Europe) as the protector of hidden treasures
Zilant, by the Tataro-Bulgarian mythology lived in present-day Kazan and is represented on the city's
coat of arms

Zirnitra, dragon-god in Wendish mythology. It was later used in the Royal Danish heraldry as a
representation of Wendland
Zmey Gorynych The dragon of the Slavic mythology. Its name is translated as "Snake son-ofmountain" (due to the fact it lives in a mountain), it has three heads, wings, and it spits fire.
The Amaru Dragon or (Chimera) of Inca Mythology. It had a llama's head, fox's mouth, condor
wings, snake's body, fish's tail and dragon scales.
The unnamed five-headed dragon subdued by the Buddhist goddess Benzaiten at Enoshima in Japan in
A.D. 552
The unnamed dragon (referred to by the Saxon draca and wyrm) defeated by Beowulf and Wiglaf in
the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf.
The unnamed dragon defeated by Saint George.

See also
Dragons in Greek mythology
European dragon
Chinese dragon
List of dragons in literature
List of dragons in popular culture
List of fictional dinosaurs

References
1. "dragon." kamus.net. 2010. http://www.kamus.net/result.php?w=en-usa&q=dragon&submit=Search&e=0 (29 June
2011).
2. , (1981). . Belgrade: " " : . (A
book in Serbian about mythical creatures of Serbian traditions)
3. -, . "". . Retrieved 2007-08-13. (An extract from the book
(The Dragon in Bulgarian Folklore), in Bulgarian)
4. Lurker, Manfred (1984). The Routledge Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses, Devils and Demons, Taylor & Francis eLibrary. p.35
5. Evans, A.; Destani, B.D. (2006). Ancient Illyria: An Archaeological Exploration. I. B. Tauris. p. 18.
ISBN 9781845111670. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
6. "Dragons of Ancient Greek Mythology THEOI.COM". theoi.com. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
7. "dragon Facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about dragon". encyclopedia.com. Retrieved
2015-06-12.

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