Classical Dragons
The classical western dragon
extensively depicted in heraldry is the ferocious fire breathing, reptalian
nemesis of countless heros from mythological and medieval times. This monstrous
beast was encased in an impenetrable armor of scintillanting scales and
borne upon four powerful limbs with talon tipped feet. It wielded a long
sweeping tail, terminating in an arrow-headed sting; and often, but not
invariably, sported a pair of huge, batlike wings
Sky Dragons
During their evolution, some
serpentine dragons have forfeited terrestrial mastery or aquatic domination
in favor of aerial supremacy, spending much of their time drifting, soaring,
or actively propelling themselves with wondrous wingbeats, often far above
the land and sea, amid the vast cloud-dappled kingdom of the sky.
Neo-Dragons
The heterongeneous assemblage of monsters
known as neo-dragons may not be true dragons in the strictest zoo-mythological
sense, but as their tempestuous confrontaions with humans down the ages
have demonstrated, such pretenders as the basilisk, hydra, peluda, and
other imiators are as dramatically dragonesque in behavior and appearance
as any of their bona-fide brethren.
Semi-Dragons
Lindorms and wyverns fall somewhere
between dragons and serpents. The two-legged, wingless lindorms have greather
affinities with serpants than with the classical dragons, while wyverns,
which possess not only a pair of legs but also a pair of wings, are closer
to the classical dragons.
The Heraldic Dragon
The most widespread and formidable
of it's kind. It had massive fangs, four clawed legs and a ridge of sharp
spines that stretched from it's spiked nose to its barbed and stinging
tail.
The Guivre
The legless and wingless guivre would
have seemed a mere serpent albeit an immensely powerful one, except for
its massive dragon head, horned and bearded. It likes to live in forests
and wells - anywhere near water.
Amphitere
This type of dragon can be found in
Britan, the Middle East, and Egypt. Their appearance is similar to a gigantic
snake with one pair of legs and a pair of wings. Their wings are usually
feathered, and sometimes their bodies as well. They have been worshipped
as Quetzecoatls in many South American countries, and are rumored to have
all sorts of magical powers. They also are thought to know all the secrets
of the world save one.
Wyvern
A huge lithe killing machine, wyverns
love fighting,especially with other dragons. Their squabbles have laid
entire countrysides to ruin, and there is nothing they like to eat better
than each other (and an occasional knight). They boast gleaming teeth twice
as long as your hand (sometimes longer) a tail with a sharp poisoned horn
upon it and tough, saw-edged scales. Wyverns are usually a dirty red or
sickly green. They range in size from human to gigantic.
Lindworm
This is a really long, worm-like dragon
that has no wings nor back legs. It's just about the only dragon from the
Americas, and Marco Polo described them in detail in his journals while
exploring the "New World". The have powerful front legs which they use
to push themselves across the soil, and a long, muscular tail which they
often use to unhorse riders and then eat their mounts. Horses are one of
their favorite foods, and once in a while you find one residing near a
stable. Living in tunnels and streams when they are very young, and moving
to rivers and caves later on, they have very sharp eyesight and can see
in the dark like a cat. They also grow at a faster rate than other dragons,
about the same speed as people, where other dragons live hundreds of years.
Many believe that the Lindworm is only a semi-dragon, and that it's ancestors
may have bred with a serpent or other reptile long ago.
Chinese Dragon
These dragons are believed to have
a camel head, cow ears, demon eyes, a snake neck, clam belly, tiger feet,
eagle claws, 117 carp scales which have 81 of them yang essence and 31
ying. Males often have a pearl under the skin and scales on their necks.
They go through a lot of changes taking 3,000 years, for a total of 7 forms.
Most people see or think of them in their 6th form. Many of these Eastern
dragons will freely bless you happiness and wealth, and they are often
found in bodies of water, even a raindrop. They are invisible, and their
voice is the sound of gongs and jingling coins, but they can become visible
by turning into a newt or snake to visit our world. They have no wings,
for they fly by riding on the earth's magnetic current. Celestial Chinese
dragons have five claws on each paw, and are said to live in and guard
the palaces of dead nobility and the gods.
Leviathan
When God made life, he made a Leviathan
and counterparted it with Behemoth, who lives in the desert because it
is extremely large. On Doomsday, the Christian Bible says that God will
kill them bo th, therefore ending the earth.
Serpent Whale
Similar to the Legendary Loch Ness
Monster, but witout a neck. Basically a whale or large dolphin with a dragon
head. They are water-dwelling.
Tiamat
Before Earth was populated with humans,
ther were only two dragons, Tiamat and Aspu. Tiamat was ruler of the salt
water and Aspu of the fresh. Tiamat became pregnant, and she and Aspu had
not dragons but human shaped gods. One named Marduk killed his father and
then killed his mother by cutting her in half and making land out of one
halfand sky out of the other.
Tatzelworm
This dragon has the appearance of
a snake and the forearms of a cat. Many Sicilian farmers have seen it,
and a few have even claimed to kill it. They consider it a great threat
to both themselves and their farms. It has not yet been formally discovered
by science.
Bunyip:
The Bunyip lives in Austrailia. It
has the body of a cow, the tail of a whale, the head of the bulldog, horns
and is considered one of the largest types of dragons. The Bunyip is thought
to have created the first black swans from a human tribe.
Sirrush of Babylon
The Sirrush was first found painted
on the walls of on buildings in Babylon. Unlike most mythological animals,
the image wasn't painted differently over time. Many believe that it was
modeled after a living dinosaur in a swamp. It is called mokele-mbembe
by the natives, and resembles a brontosaurus with claws that is twice the
size of a human. Since the swamp it lives in is almost inaccesable, it
hasn't been formally discovered but it has seen by a lot of people on many
ocasions. It looked the same to all of them.
Dragonet
This is a full grown dragon about
the legnth of your finger that is exteremly poisonous to the touch and
can breathe flames or spit acid.
Peluda
A neo-dragon with a back like a porcupine.
They behave very much like wyverns, except the fact that they cannot fly
and their back is covered with *extremely* sharp quills.
Hydra
According to Greek Legend, the Hydra
was a type of dragon with nine heads, one of which was immortal. The others
were just as bad to an ambitious hero, because as one was cut off, two
more grew in it's place. Hercules' second labor was to slay one which lived
in a swamp in Lerna. He finally suceeded by searing the neck of each mortal
head as it was chopped off, and burying the immortal one under a rock.
Salamander
Salamanders really exist, but there
is a legendary kind that was thought to be immune to fire. They lived in
the center of the Earth, and their voices were the popping and hissing
of flames. Every once in awhile, they were believed to do a ceremonial
dance within the flames. During the time of colonial witch hunts, "witches"
were believed to be able to turn into salamanders to escape the flame of
the stake if the wished. It was another lose-lose test; if you escaped
alive, you were a witch and were killed another way, if you died, you weren't
a witch, but you were dead so it didn't really matter to you anyways.
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