Dragon (mythology)

Presentation

Symbol of life and power in China, guard in Indonesia, guard of the sabers to the Japan, malefic and kidnapper of princesses in medieval Europe .

In the European tradition (Greek Mythology, Celtic and Scandinavian), it is about a creature winged and blowing the fire, whose scaly body makes think of a membership in the world of the reptiles. It gave its name to the Dragon of Komodo. However, it is a nonsense to classify a fantastic creature in a taxonomy of the animal kingdom. That would mean de facto that real dragons were seen, even studied during the History…

Moreover, the category of the reptiles is itself prone to guarantee from the scientific point of view, including or not the birds because of considerations morphologiques.

The term dragon also indicates similar creatures of other cultures, like the ryuu (in Japanese: 竜) Japan board or the dragons Chinese.

The knights killers of dragons Sauroctones (if as well is as they existed) transfer themselves thereafter canonized, or granted historically incoherent exploits (the holy historical Georges killing a dragon several centuries after its clean dead).
The only testimony of these knights is an abundant and largely diffused medieval iconography which one does not know the exact raison d'être.

In front of the violence conveyed on the level symbolic system in Occident (since the facts with load as certain protagonists are fictitious until proof of the opposite), and the veneration of these creatures as carriers of light and wisdom in the East (the dragons luong and ryu belong to the tembu to protect teaching from Buddha, the Dharma ), it is comprehensible to remain perplexed. From this perplexity (true a cognitive conflict ) could rise:

an effect of mode aiming at explaining it why universality of such a symbol.
a psychological explanation representing the interior fights of the various facets from psyché human.

Around the mystery two movements of fans of the Dragons quoted here as curiosity were built:

draconology, a kind of reasoned and compared study anatomical Dragons: " If the Dragons existed, how would they be structured in order to respect the laws of the natural evolution? "
the draconic Magic, a totemic kind of shamanism turning around the dragons.

Origin of the dragon

An assumption on the origin of the dragons would go back to the first civilizations. The inhabitants would have found bones of dinosaurs. It would be as that which the legends on the dragons would have appeared. However, this theory does not explain the universality of the myth, since it is rather rare to find these fossils with the free air, released by erosion. In manner more problable, the dragons appear, in a form or another, at the same time as the other monsters of the imaginary one. The oldest known traces go back to approximately 6.000 years, in a tomb of Henan, in China: made of shells, its form is detached clearly at the sides from the late one. The discovery of this tomb dating only from the years 1980, it is possible that other archaeological research finds with the monster an older origin, in a near future. However, it is an imaginary religious figure, just like are to it the sphynx, the sirens or any other fabulous creature. Those are based more on existing animal species, that the hybrid man with his imagination, that on the discovery of a gigantic skeleton of dinosaur. One finds monsters with the similar forms thus, but nevertheless different, in almost all the ancient cultures, and these myths are " thereafter; contaminés" ones others, to approach the current figure, from now on universal.

Why is it present in so many civilizations?

The dragon is composed of the 4 elements which are present in the whole world:

the water (in which he swims)
air (where he flies)
ground (where he goes, and sometimes where he hides)
the fire (which he spits)

All these elements are present in each civilization, therefore the dragon is present almost everywhere. That intrigued much the scientists who put themselves at the head to find bones of these behemoths and one could about it manage to confuse a skeleton of bear with that of a dragon.

Three “ages of the Dragon”

One can distinguish three great stages in the history from the beliefs related to the Dragon, three “ages of the Dragon” in the history of the men, corresponding at the successive stages of cosmic Dragon , i.e. Dragon, force of nature and consequently Dragon-God; of Dragon-guard , principle which takes care and which protects; and of Dragon malefic , force of the evil.

Cosmic dragon, at the same time angel or demon, snake and mythical bird… conflict which always haunted the imagination of the men. Certain legends stop with this opposition. Thus it was discovered a prehistoric engraving representing the combat of the Bird and the Snake disputing Egg of the World. One finds in Egypt the combat between Horus, the sun but also the Faucon, and Typhoon (or Apophis), God Snake. In India, the Kāliya snake fights Krishna. In the same way the Aztec sun is opposed to the snake. In the Egyptian Mythology, Apophis, the dragon of Darkness, was overcome each morning by Re, the god of the Sun.

On the other hand, other myths join together these two forces, originally antagonistic, in a hybrid being, called “plumed serpent”, like Quetzalcoatl, or “dragon”.

The cosmic dragon: power of nature and symbol of regency

Power of the sky in China

The dragons belong to the myths founders of Chinese civilization, and they are often at the origin of the Dynasties. The cycle of the exploits of Yu watch for example how this mythical emperor organizes his empire with the decisive assistance of a winged dragon. All the emperors of China reigned under the sign of the Dragon, and they were even regarded as “Wire of the Dragon” having received the “mandate of the sky”: their clothing of parade, like the walls of their palates, was abundantly decorated with Dragons with 5 claws, (dignitaries having to be satisfied with dragons with 3 or 4 claws), and it was not rare that an emperor sends in present to a rebellious chief whom it had not been able to overcome by the force, a sumptuous embroidered dress of dragons.

This dragon is the manifestation of the imperial absolute power: the “face of Dragon” appoints the emperor, the “Pearl of the Dragon” the wisdom of the chief, the perfection of his thought and its kinds. Mao Zedong says one day, appears it: “one does not discuss the pearl of the dragon”. Did he want to make hear that the perfection cannot be known, or simply that it was not desirable that its thought is called into question?

In 1894, it is not so remote, the governor of the Province of Moukden would have prohibited the construction of a railroad: it was believed indeed that a dragon lived under ground at this place, and it was feared that the trains do not break the spinal column to him…

Many dragons haunt the sky of China. Some inlassablement continue the Sun and the Moon, causing the eclipses. (It is interesting to note that astronomically, the head and the tail of the constellation of the Dragon is the nodes of the moon, the points where the eclipses take place). A large dragon of fire conditions its moods the life in China: it opens the eyes and it is the day, it closes them and it is the night. Its breath causes the storms. The thunder is a demonstration of its anger, or its combat with other dragons.

Always in China, the dragons also play a crucial role in agriculture. Guards of water, they are rather beneficial, but they can be awkward, to be mistaken in task, to fall asleep, even enivrer, and it is then the catastrophe: the river overflows, the storm devastates the coasts, or, on the contrary, the sources dry up, the dryness threatens. They should then be recalled to the order, or even to punish them: if the rain delays too much in spite of the prayers, one leaves the statue the Dragon out of his temple to expose it to the large sun: because it is well-known that the Dragons do not like too the sun…

The Dragon represents also the cycle of the vegetation. It is illustrated by the hexagramme K' IEN, principle of the sky and the creation, and whose 6 full features represent the 6 stages of the demonstration:

the first of these demonstrations is the " dragon invisible" , with the image of the buried seed, the capacity of not yet expressed creation.
second is named " dragon of the champs" , with the image of the germ which grows, but is not yet visible.
the third names " dragon visible" , and the germ appearing out of ground symbolizes.
the fourth is the " dragon bondissant" : the plant grows and gives its fruits.
fifth is known as " dragon volant" , with the image of seeds and pollen which essaiment.
the sixth finally is the " dragon planant" , it is the spirit which orders the whole, the celestial king-dragon.

One finds this association of the dragon with the element water and the vegetable cycle in the Festival of the boats dragons, which is held on the lakes of certain Chinese provinces, in remembering the suicide in 290 before J. - C., of the poet qu Yuan, despaired of what its talents are not recognized by the king. This ceremony-memory is also related to the time of the road repair of the green growths of the rice, which takes place at the same time, after the large rains of spring.

In the Legend arthurienne

Besides one finds this assimilation of the dragon to the absolute power of the Chief in Brittany, with King Uther (father of Arthur) called “Pendragon”, or “head of dragon”.

Let us remain in Brittany one moment, to evoke Merlin the Enchanter, whose wisdom was legendary as of childhood. The tyrant Vortigern, that one even which had exiled Uther Pendragon and its brothers, to usurp their throne, wanted to build an impregnable fortress. However, despite everything the efforts of its workmen, and the invocations of its magi, the building hardly collapsed left ground, and of its foundations rose a terrifying clamor. A human sacrifice was essential to entreat the bad spirits, and Vortigern was going to condemn the Merlin young person, that its illegitimate birth indicated like ideal victim, when this one gave him the solution: “there is the ground below, just at the point where construction must take support, two enormous dragons. When they start to test on them the weight of the masonry, they are agitated, and the walls collapse. ” The tyrant made dig deeper, and one discovered two dragons, one red and the other white, which, as soon as updated, clashed in a terrible combat, that gained finally the Red Dragon. Merlin then gave the significance of this combat: “King, I will say to you that these dragons represent, the red, the nation Bretonne, the white, you, Vortigern. This country, you have it unduly. But the red Dragon is on the way, misfortune with the white Dragon, because it runs its loss. ”

We find these dragons living the ground in the legends relating to Mélusine, and, more generally, the Vouivre. The ground, itself, were compared a long time with a dragon, and the old ones named Veines of the Dragon these earth currents which they tried to concentrate by raising raised stones and monuments there.

The dragon-guard

The guard of the treasures

The hard combat which put in string dragon and sun (symbolized by the lion, in the Persian tradition), snake and bird, undoubtedly recalling the combat that our first ancestors against the elements delivered, yields little by little the place to the great populated mythical exploits of dragons guards of treasures, and whose demigods or heroes become the actors.

From the Middle East in China, Ireland in the Mediterranean, the world of the traditions and legends is populated watchers and guards mono or multicéphales, provided with scales, claws and wings, spitting fire or the vapors mortals, and showing the guard of the treasures that only most courageous would try to charm to them.

In Antiquity, in the Middle East, the dragon symbolized the evil and the destruction. This design is found, for example, in Enuma Elisha, epic work of the literature mésopotamienne (v. 2000 av. J. - C.). Incarnation of the oceans in the form of dragon, the goddess Tiamat, one of the principal characters of this Legend, order with the hordes of the chaos and its destruction precedes the appearance of the ordered universe.

The Greek Mythologie draws up us a family tree particularly provided in dragons. Échidna generated of a first union with Typhon with the hundred heads of dragon, the Hydre de Lerne, Chimère and Cerbère, the dog with the three heads of the Hells. Then it is linked with Orthros, and gave birth to, inter alia monsters, the Sphinx, the Lion of Némée, Ladon, guard of the Jardin of Hespérides, and the Eagle of Prométhée. The hero presenting the most beautiful table of hunting is undoubtedly Hercules who, during 12 work which Héra imposed to him, met, inter alia, several of these monsters.

These dragons which the heroes face personify sometimes of the natural dangers, such Charybde and Scylla (another girl of Echydna), pit and rock quite real close to the Détroit of Messine, or the dragon keeping the garden of Hespérides, which personifies the GULF-stream surrounding these islands, this large alarming specter, or large dragon of the oceans, such as all the traditions of navigators knew it, Viking S, Danish, Saxons, Celtes.

This treasure which keep the dragons, which is it? Often hidden at the bottom of a cave, symbol of the heart hidden of the Earth, matrix where the hero, the such member elect of the old Mysteries of Éleusis, must die to reappear, or hidden at the bottom of the seas, the treasure (that it is, according to the legends, but, precious stones or Pierre of the dragon, beads or other jewels, Œuf of snake or sea urchin of the seas) represents the interior life, and the dragons which keep these treasures, wild guards of a place prohibited to the layman, are only the images of our desires and our passions which prevent us from reaching so thatthere is with deepest us. To go down in the cave from the Dragon, it is undoubtedly to go down at the bottom from us to even prepare us to receive the light. Gold, metal considered inalterable and pure, often symbolizes in various forms this light, this treasure to be discovered in ourself. In Greek mythology, it appears in the shape of gold apples of the Jardin of Hespérides which Héraklès manages to conceal. The invaluable stones, another shape of treasure hidden at the bottom of the cave of the dragon, would not be the pale reflection of this stone symbolic system: “does stone hidden of Wise”, or “hone rough”?

In the Chinese tradition, the dragon takes care on the miraculous pearl which contains wisdom and knowledge, pure like gold, symbol of spiritual perfection and immortality. This treasure is associated with the life, vital energy, the light, happiness, with the virtue, with all that is positive and worthy to be required.

In the Gospel of Holy Matthieu, the pearl appears the Kingdom of heaven. It “should not be thrown to pourceaux”: another manner of saying that knowledge should not be delivered inconsiderately to those which of it are not worthy, or which is not prepared there. Christianity began again here on its account, like so much of other things, this eternal warning statement with regard to that which reaches a knowledge without having right there (= to be prepared there), like with regard to that which, such Prométhée, reveals without permission this knowledge with the laymen.

The pearl of the dragon points out as the escarboucle as to the face Vouivre carries, and who allows him to see and to move.

The essential mission of the Dragon-guard of treasure is to kill all those which covet this one, and which do not have a rather pure heart. Only the hero, that which was elected by the Gods, of the fact even of its sincerity and the purity of its heart, will be able, thanks to artifices, and often thanks to the assistance of a woman, to seize the treasure and to reach the immortality of the heart and supreme Knowledge.

One finds this topic in the Old Testament when God, after having driven out Adam and Eve of the Terrestrial Paradis, makes keep the tree of the knowledge of the Good and the Evil by Chérubins, in other words, according to their Greek etymology, of Griffons. The effigy of these let us scratch kept the Ark of the Covenant containing the Tables of the Law.

As a guard of treasure, the dragon preserves what is essential in the beings and the things. The secrecy which can be revealed only at the conclusion of a confrontation between that which seeks it and that which keeps it hidden in comparison with the ordinary men.

And makes some, étymologiquement, the dragon is itself “glance”: the Greek word Drakon comes from derkomai , to look at or fix glance. Certain dragons are characterized by their glance. The “simple” snake, more of the dragons, that of the Garden of Eden and which survived until our days, fix its prey of the glance and makes it unable to flee. The glance of the gorgone Méduse keep silent (or petrifies, according to the tradition) those which meet it (Persée will manage to kill her thanks to the mirror that it will use not to meet directly its glance).

That which looks at, which sees all (Argos with the hundred eyes, for example), has the power, and can supervise, keep, the kingdom or the treasure which is entrusted to him. The Parthes, to IIIe century before J.C., had given to their troops of rider-archers charged to supervise the borders the name of dragons, and this name was taken again in France by royal troops. The dragonnades organized under LouisXIV, invented by the intendant of Poitou (which was returned for that) in 1681, aimed at placing the dragons among Protestants to push them with conversion. In 1685, the dragonnades reommencèrent, but the Louvois ministers and Tellier gave the information faked on the reality of the situation.

The guard of knowledge

The image of the Dragon as “universal indicator” returns us to mystical knowledge. That which looks at reveals that which is looked at. The glance of the Dragon becomes the symbol of the revelation. The dragon is the mirror which returns to the man the image of his hidden nature.

It is difficult not to also evoke Python, this other dragon which does not reveal knowledge with that which comes to question it in Delphes only by the “hermetic” revelations of its priestess.

The dragon malefic: the incarnation of the Evil

The evolution of the cosmic dragon to the dragon guard is prolonged in a true climbing. The guard becomes active, it holds to ransom the passers by, requires sacrifices, terrorizes and devastates whole countries. Become malicious, destroying, malefic, the dragon-snake populates the tales. Certain historical events fed this image: the arrival of dragons invaders. They arrived by the sea, (what did not astonish anybody, at one time when the navigators could read on their sea charts: “beyond this limit, the dragons live… ”), Vikings come from North on their Drakkar S and Snekkar S with heads of dragons or snakes; but also by the ground, Mongolian and Tatares come from the East, with their standards decorated with dragons.

Christianity integrated this fear of the dragon, by transforming its significance. It became the symbol of all that is opposed to Christianity, the symbol of cruelty, of the malefic Animal, incarnation of Satan and the Paganisme. Already illustrated since millenia, in Mésopotamie, and Egypt, China (where the dragon is, as well as the flowers of cherry tree or the bamboos, a favorite subject for the Chinese painters, of which some, like Ch' in Jung, devoted their work to him), the dragon will become, with the topic of the Apocalypse, an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the artists. The art which is inspired some makes dragon the image of the Péché and Paganisme, over which with glare the saints triumph and it (S) Martyr S. the apocalyptic characters are especially illustrated in the sculptures of the capitals and the porches of churches. The dragons often decorate the capital letters and the ends of lines of Psautiers enluminés. One does not count any more the tables representing holy Michel or holy Georges embanking the Dragon called also Draco Magnus.

The Apocalypse of Jean describes the combat of the Dragon, and the Animal of the Earth against the divine Lamb. The dragon is connected for thousand years, then returns the time of the ultimate combat, and the overcome dragon yields its place to the final reign of God. This combat between the Lamb, triumphing Verb, saver, and the dragon which incarnates Satan, symbolizes the combat delivered by the man to itself in order to control his destroying and regressive tendencies.

Its power remains, but it is not invincible any more: it is not any more that the adversary of the good, intended to be destroyed. The duty of the Knights is to embank it.

Champion of the Christian faith, the knight must be a valiant knight, courageous and in the middle pure. Indifferent to the tangible properties, it has only its horse and its weapons, which it conquers thanks to its victories. Virtues acquired resident in the being, not in having it. In this direction, the combat against the dragon represents an initiatory test. The dragon symbolizes most extremely the adversary, most marvellous that one can fight. In the same way, the stake of the combat is often capital for the hero: delivery of an inaccessible princess, acquisition of an object to the powerful capacity, eternal recognition of the delivered populations. This stake incarnates the goal of the life of the knight where the absolute and the cardinal virtues precede (courage, self-control, etc) which must enable him to arrive at this interior freedom which summarizes the chivalrous ideal: absolute value and purity. The value establishes the dignity of the new man, of the initiate. The purity is essential, it only gives him access to the treasure, the knowledge of its own nature. Thus, that which faces the dragon successfully becomes it what it is, it its full and whole realization reaches. In a similar register, the Christian Hagiographie brings back stories where of monks (hermits, monks, saints, etc) manage to often dominate of the dragons by the only force of their prayer and the assistance of a simple object (cord, scarf): in-outside teaching aspect presenting the victory of Of course the Evil, this action is not possible that thanks to the integrity of the saints, who thus show by their exemplary life that it is possible to fight as well the natural forces as supernatural.

Therefore, the dragon has various significances according to the cultures.

Dragons in modern works

The dragon was included in the modern literature and the cinema, like in the roleplays (primarily those of medieval-fantastic inspiration ), whose in particular Donjons and Dragons celebrates it.

In " Emblem" fire;

The dragon is the symbol of the series fire emblem. In the first episode left to Europe, the " quintessense" , substance of the spirit, very large at the dragon, is the final goal of Nergal, which wants to draw a great capacity from it. He wants for that to make use of Ninian and the Nile, Two dragons having crossed the " Carry of Dragon" , and having taken human form.

In Fire Emblem Path off radiance, the dragons are one of the people laguz, the métamorphes. they have a phenomenal power, and have the greatest capacities of the spirit.

In all the episodes, they are the incarnation of the force, but can be beaten by those which have a sufficient will.

In the Ground of the Medium

In the universe of Prophecy

When there was anything else in the world only nothing, the stars gave rise to the paramount being: Moryagorn. This being had the appearance of a dragon, the first of the dragons. In order to answer the call of the stars, it created the life by giving rise to nine Large Dragon which will give, in their turn, life with many things. We, human, are resulting from the creative madness of these Large Dragons; although we were last the species - and the most succeeded… In the world of Prophecy, the dragons have the appearances of divinities and occupy of the hierarchically high places in all policies founded by the human ones.

Brorne is the first wire of Moryagorn. Its element is the stone and, with the image of the latter, Brorne is wise, patient and considered. Its laconic words are always listened because the Lord of Pierre never speaks anything to say.
Kroryn is the second wire of Moryagorn. Its element is fire. Kroryn is the incarnation even of ardor. Unverifiable, he lives only for the war and the combat.
Ozyr is the first girl of Moryagorn and its third child. Its element is the ocean and it is the guardian of any knowledge. Formerly extremely wise and calm, Ozyr became a paranoiac being which protects its oceanic territory jealously.
Kezyr is the third wire and fourth child of Moryagorn. Its element is metal. Kezyr is before a whole creator and a legendary craftsman able to work metal better than whoever. Majestic in the past, Kezyr seems to be corroded by a tragedy of passed and blindly seeks the forgiveness of his/her son.
Heyra is the second girl and the fifth child of Moryagorn. Its element is nature. When Heyra was born, the world was covered with a luxuriant flora. Heyra is thus naturally good and proves extremely protective towards any form of life.
Nenya is the third girl and sixth child of Moryagorn. Guardian of the dreams and the desires, Nenya is the gasoline of the Magic in Kor. Impregnated mysteries and of onirism, Nenya is soft and reigns on Ether, world where each dream takes life.
Khy is the son of Kezyr and the seventh Large Dragon which was born. With its birth, Khy did not have any element on which to reign and is a long time to question on many questions that its pars were not posed. When that the human ones were create, Khy became the Large Dragon of the Cities, guard of the human race. It is peaceful although very enigmatic. Even the other Large Dragons have evil to encircle Khy.
Szyl is the son of Nenya and the eighth Large Dragon. Its element is the air and, with its image, it is free and off-hand. Haï by some of its pars because of this ease, Szyl does not hold account and traverses inlassablement of it the skies, its kingdom, in the search of palpitating adventures.
Kalimsshar is the last wire of Moryagorn and the ninth Large Dragon. Born from the doubts and the nightmares of his/her father, Kalimsshar is the lord of the shade. Far from being the incarnation of the evil, Kalimsshar asserts what all its pars rejetent " because they are necessary for the balance of the monde". It perpetually seems plotting and, for a long time, was rejected by his brothers and sisters. Today qualified of Herault of Fate, Kalimsshar works in the shade in order to arrive at a goal that only knows to him.

In the universe of Warcraft

Once Azeroth ordered by the Titans, those prepared to leave this world. But, before leaving, they decided to give to the greatest new species of the world the capacity to supervise Kalimdor against any possible threat. At that time, there were many groups of dragons. Five of these troops dominated their cousins. These were these five groups that the Titans chose to keep the incipient world. The members most important of the Pantheon of the Titans gave part of be able to them on each chief of the groups. These majestic dragons were known as from this moment like the Great Aspects.

dragon Nozdormu the Bronze has the capacity to keep time and to regulate the ways whirling of the destiny. Stoical, honourable Nozdormu became known like That-which-be-out-of-Time.
the red léviathan, Alexstrasza, later known like the Sheaf-binder of Life, would work to safeguard all the alive creatures of the world. Thanks to its supreme wisdom and with its unbounded compassion for all the alive things, Alexstrasza was crowned like the Queen of the Dragons and accepted the domination on those of its race.
the green dragon and nimble Ysera, young sister of Alexstrasza, is seen granting of a capacity on the thoughts and the dreams. Ysera fell into an eternal fright, related to the daydream of creation. Known as Rêveuse, it keeps the wild grounds of the world since its green kingdom, the Emerald dream.
the blue dragon, Malygos, known like Tisserand of the Fates, guard of the magic and the mysteries would be hidden.
the black dragon Neltharion, which became the Guard of the Earth, accepted the responsibility for the ground and the hidden places of the world. He endorsed the force of the world and becomes the greatest support of Alexstrasza.Il results a very powerful creature from it. After its passage in the obscure forces, it will be famous Deathwing the Destructor .

One can find these creatures in 4 works of Richard A. Knaak of the saga literary Warcraft.

In the universe of Keeps and dragons

In the universe of Warhammer

In the play of battle under its current form, the played dragons are used as mountings to the powerful lords, and represent young dragons. The races making use of dragons are:

Top-Elves of Caledor (in particular, Princes Dragons assembled on dragons are a rare choice of unit at the time of the countryside of the War of the Beard),
Chaos (mutant dragons with two heads),
the Elves Sylvains d' Athel Loren (Sisters of the Twilight),
the Empire (which has a single dragon with the zoo of Altdorf, personal mounting of the Emperor),
Black Elves (black dragons),
the Counts Vampires (dragons zombies).

The only dragons fighting in an autonomous way are Galrauch, first dragon of the Chaos, which is in fact an old dragon of Caledor had by a Duke of the Change, and the dragons zombies of the armies of Nécrarques.

In old versions of the play of battle, the dragons could be accommodated on the battle fields in an autonomous way, and were divided into dragons, princes dragons and dragons emperors, according to their size. Forgeworld (a die of Ranges Workshop specialized in the production of figurines of play of very big size) produced a dragon emperor on a figurine scale, of a 50 cm length approximate size! Part more collection than of play, therefore.

Even if they are not extremely visible on the tables of plays, the universe of Warhammer (through its roleplay and novels based in this world) comprise other many dragons, although much less present than in the other fantastic universes (that being because mythology warhammerienne is coupled with that of the universe of Warhammer 40k, a universe of science dark fiction, and that thus the dragons have there no semi-divine statute as in Warcraft, for example).

The dragons of the world of Warhammer are thus presented like creatures " like the autres" , without any the crowned atours which characterize them in the other universes (for example, their propensity to pile up piles of gold is due to a desire to attract the females, rather than with a feature of " caractère"). The dragons would be former on arrival of Old on the world of Warhammer, and thus would be the fruit of a natural evolution, and not of Chaos. The same origin " indigène" concern the terrible Dragon-Ogres (present in the armies of Chaos). However, it seems that the high elves and the human ones of Cathay dedicate a worship to them. It as should be noted as the dragons of Caledor, in the time of the War of the Beard, were able to use the magic (wizard of Fire of level 1).

In world of Warhammer, majority of dragons can apparently to be found in mountains of Naggaroth, of Caledor (although those are prone to a fate of torpor launched by the Black Elves centuries ago, which prevents their intensive recruitment), of the Edge of the World (where they took part in the destruction of the dwarf citadels, in particular Karak Azgal which was occupied by the large Skaladrak dragon), of Norska, and - more hypothetically - Mountains of the Tears surrounding Cathay. Rumors also metionnent the fact that the Emperor-Dragon of Cathay is in fact a real termagant, and not simple human carrying an honorary title.

In the Ballade of Pern

The Dragons of Pern are the guards of a planet which seems to leave very right the Middle Ages, but whose medieval appearance recovers the regression of a Terrienne colony in a future distance. To create Dragons starting from indigenous animals of Pern became the only recourse of the colonists vis-a-vis Wire, of the organizations devastators which fall down regularly on Pern at the time of the passage of a close comet.

Like the lizards of fire, from which they come, the Dragons of Pern are empathic, at will have the capacity of téléporter through space and to a lesser extent time, and can spit of fire after having chewed a special stone rich in combustible matter. To the blossoming, a dragonnet binds its spirit to Human, in a indéfectible way. If its rider is killed, the Dragon téléporte without return. In the contrary case, the surviving knight-dragon carries forever the loss of its Dragon and often ends up giving itself death.

The Dragons fight Wire in formation on several floors, spread out by size. They must burn Wire before those do not reach the ground and do not devour all the surrounding vegetation. They are organized in Weyrs, kind of air regiments, and this name is also that their districts of dwelling, dug in the middle of extinct volcanos. Each Weyr protects a given territory.

The Ballade of Pern , written by Anne McCaffrey and inserted in its universe of the future, is to date made up of almost forty novels and news. It tells the daily life on Pern and its animated history, of the tragic beginning of colonization with the redécouverte of their past by the downward distances of the original colonists.

In the universe of The Legend off Zelda

One finds in this universe videoludic several remarkable dragons.

Aquamentus is the very first boss of the series of play-video. It appears in the first keeps of The Legend off Zelda and of The Legend off Zelda: Oracle off Seasons . It is a green dragon, whose weak point is the horn, that you must touch with your sword.

Volcania is a dragon formerly overcome by Goron armed with legendary Masse of the Titans. Awaked by Ganondorf in The Legend off Zelda: Ocarina off Time , it will take possession of the Temple of Fire at the top of the Mount of the Danger and will control the Goron people. It will be finally overcome by Link, armed with the Masse antique Titans.

Valoo is the Spirit of the Sky. It resides in the summit meeting of the Island of the Dragon, and takes care on the Piaf people. It is one of the rare characters being able to be opposed to Ganondorf, as it will make the demonstration of it by saving Link and Tetra in The Legend off Zelda: The Wind Waker .

Pyrodactylus (Argorok) is a dragon which traumatize inhabitants of Célestia in The Legend off Zelda: Twilight Princess and which constitutes the boss of the keep.

In the universe of Dream of Dragon

This Roleplay of Denis Gerfaud, going back to 1985 and published by the NAVE, refers strong to this type of creature.

If one bases oneself on this talk, this universe of play (always expanding) presents the Dragons in a completely virtual form because they are the creators of any thing there.

Indeed, through specific mythology to this universe the whole of the Dragons seem to have lived there their the first two ages ( cosmic Dragon : Dragon-God and Dragon-guard owing to the fact that they are in withdrawal in their own dreams, but by keeping a strong destructive capacity from the alarm clock) but they seem to be stopped with this last.

Famous dragons

See too

dragon

Dragon (other meanings) - Hydre - Ouroboros - Tarasque - draconic Magic - Wyvern

Historical bibliography

Alexandre Hislop, both Babylones , 1916
Daniel Beresniak and Michel Random, the Dragon (Edition of Cat-like, collection Symbols)
Jean Markale, the Mount St Michel and the Enigma of the Dragon (Pygmalion Edition, collection secret French history)
Gilles Ragache and Francis Philips, the Dragons (Hatchet Youth, Collection Myths and Legends)
Pierre Carnac, three ages of the Dragon (in Atlantis N° 306, Nov.-DEC. 1979)
Gueusquin Marie-France, the Month of the Dragons (Popular Library Shepherd-Levrault, Collection Arts and Traditions)
Michele Curcio, the Dragon (Sand Edition, collection Chinese Astrology)

Literature

the Ballade of Pern of Anne McCaffrey
the Heritage of Christopher Paolini
Bilbo the Hobbit of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
Eragon of Christopher Paolini

Catalog of films

the Dragon of the lake of fire (1981): The abominable pact concluded between a king and a dragon ready with very to preserve its throne in exchange of virgin young girls.
Heart of dragon (1996): To the Middle Ages, the improbable friendship enters a knight of the old code and the last of the dragons.
Keeps & Dragons (2000): A epic adventure inspired of the famous roleplay.
the Reign of fire (2003): at the beginning of the 21e century, work in London awakes the dragons which invade the ground and destroy

all human civilization. Only some handles of men resist.

Le Monde secrecy of the dragons (2006): And if they had existed: This film is assembled like documentary, as if one had found true bodies of dragons in Germany.
Keeps & Dragons, supreme power (2006): Epic adventure inspired of the roleplay of the same name.
Eragon (2006): Film of style fantasy drawn from the book with success of the same name.

Web sites

The dragon in the heraldry the dragon in the heraldry: article with an encyclopedic and historical approach; many blazons comprising a dragon

Dragons Here a site which presents all very well to you that is dragon, the various races, how spits fire… Many information if you want to write a history with dragons!

Midgard Legend: An online game allowing you to raise your own virtual dragon. You will see it growing and you will be able to confront its various competences (combat, agility…) with the other stockbreeders. Created in 2004.

Erwelyn.com Here a very complete bibliography to read some and see more on the dragons (news, novels, films, youth, tests, data base and roleplays and video)

the Laboratory of dracology: An approach different from the dragons, studied by professor Pilgrim and his team. Site in constant evolution, proposing an index of the studied species, a newspaper of press and many articles around the dracology, the science of the study of the dragons. Created in 2004.

File Dragons of Elfus Taxis: comprise many information on the dragons with approaches variable between the fantasy, mythology, the symbolic system, the dracology, etc…, and contains a dictionary of the dragons. The site is a wiki and the articles are modifiable after inscription.

Documentations Dragon, snake and kundalini of sexpansion.org: Many documentary bonds (books, films, sites) in connection with the energy of the dragon.
Approach cryptozoologic symbolic system and of the existence of the Dragons, many documents and rare images

See too

The decoration of the frontage of the XV° century of the Priory of Saint-Arnoult watch a combat against a dragon.

Simple: Dragon

Random links:

Dragon (mythology)

Presentation

Origin of the dragon

Why is it present in so many civilizations?

Three “ages of the Dragon”

The cosmic dragon: power of nature and symbol of regency

Power of the sky in China

In the Legend arthurienne

The dragon-guard

The guard of the treasures

The guard of knowledge

The dragon malefic: the incarnation of the Evil

Dragons in modern works

In " Emblem" fire;

In the Ground of the Medium

In the universe of Prophecy

In the universe of Warcraft

In the universe of Keeps and dragons

In the universe of Warhammer

In the Ballade of Pern

In the universe of The Legend off Zelda

In the universe of Dream of Dragon

Famous dragons

See too

Related articles

Historical bibliography

Literature

Catalog of films

Web sites

See too