Dragonmaid's Sanctuary - Definitions of Dragon

Definitions of
~ DRAGON

The following is a collection of meanings of dragon. The sources include Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and Books etc. Go to the Glossary of Draconic Terms for other meanings and words, and things to do with draconity.

~ Dictionary Meanings

Dragon: n. mythical fire-breathing monsterwith a scaly body, wings, claws, and a long tail

Collins Gem Australian English Dictionary
1996

Dragon: n. 1. Mythical monster like crocodile or snake usually with wings and claws, and often breathing fire; freq. in legends as guardians of treasure, of female chastity, etc 2. (bibl.) Whale, shark, serpent, or crocodile; jackal

The Readers Digest
Great Encyclopaedic Dictionary
1965

Dragon: n. Fire breathing Monster like winged crocodile or snake; Guardian of fabulous treasure and c.,

Pocket Oxford Dictionary
1961

Dragon: n. a mythical winged and clawed monster, often breathing fire

The Penguin Pocket English Dictionary
1986

Dragon: n. 1. a mythical monster variously represented, generally as a huge winged reptile with a crested head and terrible claws, and often spouting fire 2. a huge serpent or snake

The Macquarie Dictionary
1982

Dragon: n. mythical beast

Webster's Family Dictionary
1989

More to come...

~ Encyclopaedia Definitions

Dragon: a legendary reptilian monster similar in form to a crocodile and usually represented as having wings, huge claws, and a fiery breath. In some folklore of antiquity, the dragon symbolizes destruction and evil. This conception is found, for example, in Enuma Elish, a Mesopotamian creation epic written about 2000 BC. One of the central figures of the legend is the goddess Tiamat, a dragonlike personification of the oceans, who headed the hordes of chaos and whose destruction was prerequisite to an orderly universe. In the sacred writings of the ancient Hebrews, the dragon frequently represents death and evil. Christianity inherited the Hebraic conception of the dragon, which figures in all the important apocalyptic literature of the Bible, notably in Revelation, and appears in later Christian traditions. In Christian art, the dragon is a symbol of sin. It is often represented as crushed under the feet of saints and martyrs, symbolizing the triumph of Christianity over paganism.

In certain mythologies, the dragon is more generally credited with beneficent powers. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed that dragons had the ability to understand and to convey to mortals the secrets of the earth. Partially as a result of this conception of the monster as a benign, protective influence, and partially because of its fearsome qualities, it was employed as a military emblem. The Roman legions adopted it in the first century AD, inscribing the figure of a dragon on the standards carried into battle by the cohorts. The folklore of the pagan tribes of northern Europe contained both beneficent and terror-inspiring dragons. In the Nibelungenlied, Siegfried kills a dragon, and one of the principal episodes of Beowulf deals with a similar achievement. The ancient Norsemen adorned the prows of their vessels with carved likenesses of dragons. Among the Celtic conquerors of Britain the dragon was a symbol of sovereignty. The legendary monster was also depicted on the shields of the Teutonic tribes that later invaded Britain, and it appeared on the battle standards of the English kings as late as the 16th century. Beginning in the early 20th century, it was inscribed on the armorial bearings of the prince of Wales.

The dragon also figures in the mythology of various Oriental countries, notably Japan and China. It is deified in the Taoist religion and was the national emblem of the Chinese Empire. Among the Chinese people, the dragon is traditionally regarded as a symbol of good fortune.

Dragon: a mythical beast in the folklore of many European and Asian cultures. Legends describe dragons as large, lizardlike creatures that breathe fire and have a long, scaly tail. In Europe, dragons are traditionally portrayed as ferocious beasts that represent the evils fought by human beings. But in Asia, especially in China and Japan, the animals are generally considered friendly creatures that ensure good luck and wealth.

Many European legends tell how a hero slew a dragon. For example, Apollo, a god of the ancient Greeks and Romans, once killed a dragon called Python. Saint George, the patron saint of England, rescued a princess from a dragon by slaying the beast with a lance.

According to some medieval legends, dragons lived in wild, remote regions of the world. The dragons guarded treasures in their dens, and a person who killed one supposedly gained its wealth.

In China, the traditional New Year's Day parade includes a group of people who wind through the street wearing a large dragon costume. The dragon's image, according to an ancient belief, prevents evil spirits from spoiling the new year. Another traditional Chinese belief is that certain dragons have the power to control the rainfall needed for each year's harvest.

~ Book Definitions

When the huge, fossilized bones of dinosaurs were first unearthed, many people believed that these were the remains of dragons.

However, dragons are imagenary creatures. They were first mentioned in stories told long ago when they were first mentioned in stories told long ago when they were described as magical lizards.

In later tales, dragons became fierce monsters with huge wings, sharp claws, scaly bodies and nostrils that belched fire and smoke.

Dragon: The dragon or 'winged serpent' (occasionally called a worm as with the Lambton Worm) is probably the most complex, widespread and ambivalent of mythical monsters, appearing in the mythology and symbolism of all nations. Originally it was a wholly beneficent creature, its serpent-like body representing matter and the life-giving waters, while its wings identified it with the spirit and the breath of life. It was an attribute of the Sky Gods and their earthly counterparts and representatives - the emperors and kings. It occurred as a divine or imperial emblem in Babylon, Egypt, China, Japan, Greece and Rome, and also for the early kings of England and Wales. Later it became ambivalent, symbolising either the supreme celestial creative power or evil and destruction; wasting the land by fire or by trampling it to death. This dual symbolism was that of the beneficent sky and the fertilising rains on the one hand and the malefic forces of lightning and flood on the other. This division is apparent in the Eastern and Western attitudes to the dragon; in the Orient it maintains its beneficent aspect, representing celestial power; in the West it is evil, chthonic and baleful.

When dragons appear as monsters they are autochthonous 'masters of the ground' and must be fought for mastery of the land or to win the guarded treasure. In this role they play a considerable part in the sagas of heroes and conquerors, in the legends of saints, in knight-errantry and chivalry. The well-known legend of St George and the Dragon has its counterpart in many ancient traditions: the conflict between Horus and Typhon, Bel and the Dragon, Marduk and Tiamat, Perseus and Medusa, Bellerophon and the Chimera, Apollo and the Python, Hercules and the Hydra, Thor and the Dragon; added to these there are endless 'local' slayers Of dragons.

Killing the dragon depicts the conflict between light and darkness; overcoming the dark nature and attaining self-mastery, or, if the dragon is a guardian, it symbolises the winning of the treasure of inner or esoteric knowledge, or in rescuing the princess it releases pure forces kept in bondage by the powers of evil.

'The dragon is frequently a fire-breathing monster Euripides describes it as breathing forth fire and slaughter; in the Old Testament Moses has fiery serpents and Isaiah a fiery flying serpent.

Dragons represent the power of darkness in Sumero-Semitic myth; they are the Adversary. In Babylonian lore Marduk - the Sun - slays Tiamat, the force of evil and chaos. The Egyptian dragon was an emblem of Osiris as God of the Dead, but it was also an imperial attribute. The dragon of darkness, Apophis, was overcome each morning by the Sun God, Ra. In Graeco-Roman myth it was an attribute of Heracles/Hercules as a slayer of monsters. Ceres flew to heaven in a chariot drawn by two dragons and later lent it to Triptolemus to distribute corn all over the world; Medusa fled from Jason in a chariot drawn by winged dragons and Apollo may be taken as a dragon-slayer when he killed the Python, the dragon and Serpent being largely interchangeable in mythology.

In Semitic lore dragons were associated with death and destruction. The Hebrew symbolism of the malefic powers of darkness depicted by the dragon was carried over into Christianity when it was equated with 'that old serpent', the power of evil, symbolising the Devil, the Tempter in conflict with God and the powers of righteousness. In the Old Testament the 'place of dragons' was associated with the 'shadow of death' and the waters of the deep. In the Middle Ages the dragon was synonymous with sin, paganism and heresy, the Devil and all evil that is overcome by St Michael. In the Apocalypse the dragon is again the 'old serpent', the deceiver. St George is only one of the saints involved with dragons. St Cado, Clement, Keyne, Margaret, Martha, Samson, Sylvester, Cuthlac and the Apostle Philip were all associated with the dragon in one way or another. In the Bestiaries the dragon or Draco is 'the biggest of all serpents, in fact of all living things on earth'. It has a crest and its strength is in its tail. It symbolises the Devil, who also has a crest, or crown, because he is the King of Pride.

In contrast, the Celtic and Teutonic dragon represents sovereignty, power or a-chief, such as Pendragon, the Celtic word meaning 'chief. The Red Dragon of Cadwallader or Cadwaller is the emblem of Wales - 'upon a mount vert, a dragon passant, wings expanded and endorsed gules - the Red Dragon Dreadful'. It was blazed on King Arthur's helmet in battle, later it was associated with Geoffrey of Momnouth and Owen Clendower. The Saxons had the white dragon as a royal standard. In early Britain it depicted supreme power.

The Heraldic dragon varies greatly, especially in the shape of its ears, but the wings are always those of a bat; the tongue and tail can be barbed; it breathes out fire and is a symbol of power, wisdom and one who has overcome an adversary or fortress. The Tudor Red Dragon indicates Welsh origins, and a Welshman always holds the position of Rotige Dragon in the College of Heralds. Dragon-Tygre and Dragon-Wolf are composite creatures and support the arms of the City of London.

In Hinduism the dragon is manifest power and the uttered word, it is an attribute of both Aruna and Soma. Vitra is the Dragon of the Waters which had to be slain by Indra to release the waters.

It is in China that the dragon reaches the height of its symbolic and mythological significance. It represents the highest spiritual power and is the emblem of the delegate of that power on earth the Emperor. It is the masculine yang power, with the phoenix as the yin, the Empress. The dragon typifies the supernatural, infinity - the rhythms of Nature manifest in the divine power of change and transformation. It is the Celestial Stag, the sun, the heavens and their fertilising rain, but it is also present in the waters of the deep; it is also the chief of the Four Spiritually Endowed or Auspicious Animals and is one of the Twelve Symbolic Creatures of the Zodiac. Dragons influence and control every aspect of life. As supreme power they live in palaces and in earlier times offerings were made to them; there are also dragon palaces under the sea. They symbolise all that is sacred and can be deities of the five regions: North, South, East, West and Centre. They are also shape-shifters and can make themselves invisible or manifest at will. Dragons can be of different natures; the Azure or Celestial Dragon T'ien Lung lives in the sky and guards the mansions of the gods, preventing them from falling; it represents infinite supernatural power and is the vital spirit; Fu-tsang guards hidden treasure. The lung, or Imperial Dragon, has five claws and its head points southwards and its tail to the North; it symbolises the fertilising rain and the East, the sun. The ordinary dragon has four claws; it is the mang and depicts temporal power. The three-clawed dragon was an early form in China and later became the Japanese dragon. Li is hornless; it lives in the sea and controls the deeps and symbolises the scholar, while Chiao lives in the mountains or on land and depicts the statesman. According to Wang Fa the dragon has 'nine resemblances': 'His horns resemble those of a stag, his head is that of a camel, his eyes those of a demon, his neck that of a snake, his belly that of a clam, his scales those of a carp, his claws those of an eagle, his soles those of a tiger, his ears those of a cow.' In Chinese art two dragons are often depicted facing each other, these portray the yin-yang and eternity; chasing each other's tails they signify the two-way creative force and action of the dualistic powers. The dragon is often represented with the 'dragon ball' or 'flaming pearl' which has been suggested as representing the moon as rain-bringer, rolling thunder, the dragon swallowing the pearl as the waning moon, or the cloud-dragon swallowing the sun, but in Taoism and Buddhism it is the 'pearl of perfection', the 'pearl which grants all desires' and symbolises wisdom, enlightenment and the spiritual essence of the universe. The dragon and Phoenix portrayed together are the union of all opposites, Heaven and Earth, Emperor and Empress, macrocosm and microcosm, the rhythms of involution and evolution, the Androgyne. Depicted with the Tiger the dragon becomes lust and the tiger anger.

Both China and Japan have a tradition of the dragon being able to change into a bird. A monastery in Kyoto depicts a composite creature, half-dragon, half-bird, like the Chinese winged dragon. The Japanese dragon, derived from the Chinese, lives in deep lakes and springs. 7he three-clawed dragon, the Tatsu, represents the Mikado, imperial and spiritual power.

Dragons are also depicted in Cambodia in the sculptures of Ankor Wat and in the Brahmanical caves at Ellora.

The dragon fears iron and centipedes, but it has only one enemy, the Elephant; when they fight both die, as the dragon overcomes the elephant but as the elephant falls it crushes the dragon.

The Dragon and Crocodile were often treated as one in early times.