History of Dragons

The history of dragons is a very complicated subject to write on due to the mystery surrounding them and because their stories vary from place to place. Dragons are often thought of as myths, legends, fairy tales, monsters and sometimes Gods. They have appeared throughout written history as well as appearing in many artistic interpretations. Their history can best be told by dividing them up geographically. The following is just a fraction of their stories and beliefs.

China

In early mythologies from China, dragons are often seen as Gods or messengers to the Gods and were usually associated with water and wisdom. It was also thought that a dragon would bring good luck and were often prayed to. It is also said that the emperors would ask dragons for advice from the Gods on how to govern their people.

One of the more known stories is of the Dragon Kings, also known as the Four Brothers when they traveled together. The Dragon Kings were all water dragons and served the August Personage Jade who commanded them when, where, and how much rain to deliver to the Earth. The Dragon King's names were Ao Ch'in, Ao Jun, Ao Kuang, and Ao Shun and they each lived in a crystal palace and ruled one of the Four Seas. Their army consisted of crabs, fish, watchman, and ministers. The Four Brothers did not communicate with humans themselves. Instead they had their ministers who were also dragons communicate for them.

As time went on the Emperors made it illegal for anyone but themselves to try to gain wisdom from the Imperial Dragons and stated that only the Emperor could talk to a real messenger of the Gods. All of the people who learned dragon wisdom and used it became known as Foemen. These outlawed individuals who sought out dragons had to prove their worth by protecting villages and their people from bandits, oppression and such. These deeds done by the Foemen are very much like the quests and deeds done by the much later heroes and Knights of the Round Table.

Japan

The Japanese, like the Chinese, also had Dragon Kings. One of these kings was named Ryujin and lived in a palace under the sea. The more popular version of this story includes a dragon, his daughter, a jellyfish, and a monkey.

The jellyfish was a bony creature with ornate fins and walked on four feet. The princess had a craving for monkey liver and Rinjin wanted to spoil his only daughter so he sent the jellyfish out to get one monkey. The jellyfish went out and found a monkey and invited him to dine at the King's Palace. The monkey agreed but on the way back the jellyfish decided that the monkey was a fine creature and so he told the monkey why the King wanted him.

The monkey said that it was ok but he had left his liver in a special jar back home and would go get it. The jellyfish finally realized that the monkey was not going to come back so he returned to his King and told him his story. The King became so enraged that he beat the jellyfish to a pulp and exiled him from the Palace. The Japanese say that this is why jellyfish are now in the shape they are in and look the way they do.

Hawaii

Hawaii has a very well known dragon tale that the natives are very reluctant to even talk about. This dragon is named MO-O-INANEA and is referred to as the mother of all dragons. She is also known as the self-reliant dragon and thought of as sacred. It is said that MO-O-INANEA is still around the Hawaiian Islands and is being protected by the natives.

Austria

In Austria, dragons were not thought of as magical or supernatural beings but rather as an unwanted animal like wolves, bears, and mountain cats. Manuscripts found in Western Austria, in an area called Vorarlbeg, mention dragons taking sheep, cows, and occasionally a horse but would never confront a human and because of that they were never feared or hunted.

Nobles and town folk determined them to be of no threat and so they left them to the wandering wise men and scholars like in China and Asia.

England

The most famous European dragon tale is of St. George and his dragon. St. George was originally a Roman Calvary officer who eventually converted to Christianity. St. George then heard tale of a dragon destroying Cappadocia and sought it out. The townspeople gave their sheep as sacrifices to the dragon and when their sheep ran out they came up with a lottery for the maidens of the town to be select who would be the sacrifice. Eventually, only the Princess was left and so she was taken to the dragon. Before she could be eaten St. George charged and killed the dragon with his lance and because of his heroic deed other Christian knights sought out damsels in distress to save.

Some people say that this is how dragons were slaughtered into now being just a myth. The red cross St. George wore over his armor became the banner of England and April 23rd was declared St. George Feast Day.

Norse

The Norse have a famous story of the dragon Fafnir and the dragon slayer Sigurd, also known as Siegfried in some stories. One version of this story tells of two dwarf brothers named Regin and Fafnir. One day Fafnir was recruited by the Gods to kill Otter, one of their enemies. When Otter was defeated Fafnir was rewarded an immense hoard of gold but because of his delight and greed for the gold he was slowly turned into a great dragon.

The brother Regin wanted his brother's gold so he persuaded Sigurd to kill this evil dragon so they could share the dragon's hoard of gold. They dug a hole and when Fafnir walked across it Sigurd stuck his sword into the dragon's belly and killed him. Regin then cut out the dragon's heart and Sigurd cooked it because it was good luck to eat certain parts of the dragon. As Sigurd took the heart out of the fire he burnt his fingers and put then into his mouth. The heart had magical powers and because if the small taste of blood he was able to understand the speech of the birds. The birds then told Sigurd that Regin was planning on killing him so he could have all the gold to himself. Sigurd then loaded all of the gold onto his horse and road away.

Gernamy

One dragon tale from Germany takes place in Brand, a remote village in a mountainous valley. One day a dragon appeared and began eating all the cattle and was mischievous toward the many villagers. A traveling scholar arrived one day and was told of this dragon and all the trouble it was causing. The scholar gave them a choice of fire or water to get rid of the creature but warned that the cure could be just as devastating as the dragon. The villagers then chose water as the scholar's weapon.

The next evening the skies roared with thunderstorms and descended on the mountains above the village. Around midnight the storm reached its peak and the hillside where the dragon lived collapsed. The dragon could be seen outlined in lightning still struggling to get about the landslide of mud and rock until a bolt of lightning struck him and he disappeared into the muddy torrent.

The next morning the end of the valley was covered in a landslide of rocks, trees, boulders and mud. No one ever saw the dragon or the scholar ever again and the area became known as "Dragon's Grave."

Ireland

The most famous Irish dragon tale is a very short one and is about a dragon named Ollipiest. It is said that when St. Patrick came to Ireland the first thing he did was rid the land of snakes. When all of the snakes were gone he turned his attention to the dragons and started catching and imprisoning them. When Ollipiest learned of this he knew his fate would be to join them so he fled the country. When he fled he left his mark with his tail in what is now called then Shannon Valley.

The most famous dragon slayer in Switzerland is the historical figure St. Magnus. He is known to have been born between 1698 and 1702 and was claimed by the Irish, Romans and the Alemannians. He died sometime between 1750 and 1772.

Magnus' first encounter with a dragon was in the city on Kempton. The Romans originally founded the city around the time of Christ and over the years it became a battleground for beliefs. Kempton was conquered by both Pagan and Christian armies many times only to be lost again.

When Magnus came to the city it was said to have been full of snakes and dragons with no sign of human life. He decided to sleep out in the open, against his companions' advice, just outside the city. That evening the dragon Boas attacked Magnus. Magnus called upon the power of his God and killed the boss dragon and chased all the other dragons and snakes out of the city. Because of this people were able to move back into the city the next day.

Real Dragons

To this day no one has been able to find proof that dragons did or do exist. The closest we can get to seeing a dragon is the Komodo Dragon. The Komodo is the world's largest living dragon and live on the Indonesian Island of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Rintja and Padar. Komodo and Rinca are very hot, dry, and relatively barren compared to some of the lush islands east and west of them.

The locals refer to the Komodo Dragon as Ora and there are a few tours available that will allow you to see these magnificent creatures. You must be very cautious around the dragons, very still, and quiet as not to draw too much attention to yourself.

The dragons are very large and ferocious predators that are capable of killing and eating a human being. They are also capable of running just as fast as a dog. The Komodo Dragon (Varanus Komodoensis) is a monitor lizard and it is a protected species.