Awakening Lotus

Ornament - Dragon on Cave Tea Light or Candle

Size:  19cm tall.

Available in 2 styles:

• Red
• Blue

All about Dragons:  A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures.  There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons:  Europea and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern mythologies; and Chinese with counterparts in Japan, Korea and other East Asian countries.

The English word "dragon" derives from Greek δράκων (drákōn), "dragon, serpent of huge size, water-snake" which probably comes from the verb δρακεῖν (drakeîn) "to see clearly".  In the New Testament, the Devil takes the form of a red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, in his battle against Archangel Michael.

Dragons are usually shown in modern times with a body like a huge lizard, or a snake with two pairs of lizard style legs and able to emit fire from their mouths.  The European dragon has bat style wings growing from its back.  A dragon like creature with no front legs is known as a Wyvern. Following discovery of how Pterosaurs walked on the ground some dragons have been portrayed without front legs and using the wings as front legs pterosaur style when on the ground.

Although dragons occur in many legends around the world, different cultures have varying stories about monsters that have been grouped together under the dragon label.  Some dragons are said to breathe fire or to be poisonous, such as in the Old English poem Beowulf.  They are commonly portrayed as serpentine or reptilian, hatching from eggs and possessing typically scaly or feathered bodies.  They are sometimes portrayed as having especially large eyes or guarding treasure diligently, a feature that is the origin of the word dragon.  Some myths portray them with a row of dorsal spines.  European dragons are more often winged, while Chinese dragons resemble large snakes.  Dragons can have a variable number of legs too.

Dragons are often held to have major spiritual significance in various religions and cultures around the world.  In many Asian cultures dragons were, and in some cultures still are, revered as representative of the primal forces of nature, religion and the universe.  They are associated with wisdom and longevity.  They possess magical or other supernatural power, and are often associated with wells, rain, and rivers.  In some cultures, they are also said to be capable of human speech.  In some traditions dragons are said to have taught humans to talk.

The term dragoon, for infantry that moved around on horseback yet still fought as foot soldiers, is derived from their early firearm, the "dragon", a wide-bore musket that spat flame when it fired, and was thus named for the mythical creature.

The word dragon entered the English language in the early 13th century from Old French dragon, which in turn comes from Latin draconem (nominative draco) meaning "huge serpent, dragon," from the Greek word δράκων, drakon (genitive drakontos, δράκοντος) "serpent, giant seafish", which is believed to have come from an earlier stem drak-, a stem of derkesthai, "to see clearly," from Proto-Indo-European derk- "to see" or "the one with the (deadly) glance".  The Greek and Latin term referred to any great serpent, not necessarily mythological, and this usage was also current in English up to the 18th century.

The association of the serpent with a monstrous opponent overcome by a heroic deity has its roots in the mythology of the Ancient Near East, including Canaanite (Hebrew, Ugaritic), Hittite and Mesopotamian.  The Chaoskampf motif entered Greek mythology and ultimately Christian mythology, although the serpent motif may already be part of prehistoric Indo-European mythology as well, based on comparative evidence of Indic and Germanic material.  It has been speculated that accounts of spitting cobras may be the origin of the myths of fire-breathing dragons.

European dragons are usually depicted as malevolent though there are exceptions (such as Y Ddraig Goch, the Red Dragon of Wales).

Chinese dragons can take on human form and are usually seen as benevolent.  Dragons are particularly popular in China and the five clawed dragon was a symbol of the Chinese Emperors, with the mythical bird Fenghuang the symbol of the Chinese Empress.  Dragon costumes manipulated by several people are a common sight at Chinese festivals.

Japanese dragon myths amalgamate native legends with imported stories about dragons from China, Korea and India.  Like these other Asian dragons, most Japanese ones are water deities associated with rainfall and bodies of water, and are typically depicted as large, wingless, serpentine creatures with clawed feet.