Questions tagged [dragons]
For questions about mythological creatures that possess reptilian traits but may, in some tales, have supernatural abilities, such as flying and breathing fire.
21
questions
1
vote
1answer
52 views
Where Did the Legends of Dragons Come From? [duplicate]
There are tons of tales of dragons. But where did they come from? What inspired people to tell of deadly scaly beasts? Especially since the tales of dragons original from around the world, what could ...
6
votes
2answers
166 views
Do dragon myths share a common origin?
We can see ancient references to dragon-like creatures in European, Asian and also many other civilizations.
Did these civilizations come up with the concept of dragons independently and just ...
1
vote
2answers
131 views
Are there any Dragons myths about dragons being the creators of creation? Supernatural beings -as it were - that created the landscape?
I don't have a link to share, just seems to me that ancient man read the landscape and its spiritual and supernatural significance seems to pivot mostly around Dragon myths.
1
vote
1answer
88 views
Dragons and serpents in Norse and Indo-European mythology
Apart from christianity, serpents and dragons are affirmative symbolic beings, i.e. serpents symbolize renewal, healing and rebirth (skin-sloughing of serpents, Ouroboros).
In Norse mythology, that ...
3
votes
1answer
114 views
What is the meaning of the green and red Asian dragons?
A member of my family gave me a scroll with a green and red Asian dragon. Is this particular dragon from a myth in Asia? Or does it have a symbolic meaning?
4
votes
1answer
383 views
How do we distinguish a dragon, a wyrm and a wyvern in terms of the number of legs?
As I have seen lots of interest around this answer, more precisely around the number of legs (as @lfurini said), I have decided to open a question to find a canonical answer.
From the discussion (...
10
votes
1answer
2k views
What more uses are there for dragon parts?
I read this article that tries to describe all things one could do with the body parts and blood of the dragon:
The Uses of Dragon Parts in Mythology and Folklore
Does anyone here know of other uses ...
5
votes
3answers
237 views
Are dragons intelligent?
Intelligent can mean a number of things, so to simplify, lets limit it to capable of human speech. It is a common quality in movies and books to give dragons the power of human speech, but are such ...
3
votes
0answers
46 views
What do we know about Dreg the dragon proper?
In Albanian Mythology, Dreg is mentioned to be the dragon proper. But, I can't find anything else about him. Save for the fact that Christianity demonized him and turned his name into one of the ...
12
votes
2answers
5k views
Where does the idea that dragons hoard gold come from?
Where does the idea that dragons hoard gold come from?
I can't think of many myths of dragons hoarding gold. The closest I come up with is the dragon that guarded the Golden Fleece. And even that's a ...
12
votes
1answer
755 views
Is there a common theme of dragon meat being toxic?
I have noticed a few stories that talk about dragons having toxic blood or meat. Their offshoots(?), wyverns, have a particular association with poison.
Despite this, there is a lot of culture ...
11
votes
1answer
1k views
How did dragons get their wings?
Modern day dragons are, in Western culture at least, imagined as huge, reptilian, fire breathing creatures with both legs and wings. However, as far as I can find out myself by research, dragons were ...
7
votes
1answer
988 views
Have any dragons in mythology been able to breathe fire underwater?
Are there any dragons in any mythological canons that have been able to breathe fire while underwater?
5
votes
1answer
402 views
How large were Norse dragons?
In chapter 10 of the Saga of the Völsungs, Regin is trying to convince Sigurd that Fafnir is an average size dragon:
"Young am I," says Sigurd, "yet know I the fashion of this worm, ...
7
votes
2answers
388 views
Why is the Indian Dragon at war with the Elephant?
Aelian records the following tale of an elephant fighting a dragon:
In India, I am told, the Elephant and the Drakon (Dragon-Serpent) are the bitterest enemies. Now Elephants draw down the branches ...
8
votes
1answer
426 views
When were European and Asian dragons first associated?
What is the oldest historical account of European dragons (Lindworms, Drakones etc.) being associated with Asian dragons (Lóng, Ryū)? Is the association simply because they are both serpent-like ...
5
votes
1answer
126 views
What was the inspiration for the Indian Drakon?
The Drakones indikoi was a legendary being. The can be found from here. It says they came from India.
Was this creature inspired by a real animal? If so, can anyone tell what me what it is?
11
votes
2answers
1k views
Do we know how Hercules avoided the Hydra's venomous breath?
In most all references to the Lernaean Hydra, it says that the hydra has venomous breath and blood.
Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 30 :
"He [Herakles] killed at the spring of Lerna the nine headed ...
8
votes
1answer
340 views
Did the dragons of Chinese mythology originate from tornadoes?
I remember reading that tornadoes disappeared from ancient Asia due to climate change, and so the memory of it is preserved in myth as dragons. Is this true?
22
votes
1answer
11k views
Why do some Asian dragons have fur (or hair)?
In the west, we tend to think outside dragons as purely reptilian in nature - in other words, all scales, no fur - but many Asian representations of dragons show them with substantial amounts of fur (...
36
votes
3answers
13k views
What is the earliest known dragon myth?
The myth of dragons can be found in many different traditions, with the major two being the European dragon and the Chinese dragon.
"There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the ...
