Among the oldest of mythological creatures,
dragons appear in the traditions of virtually all peoples back to the beginning
of time. Because of this widespread adoption, the dragon appears in numerous
forms, and local traditions have been created around many of them, crediting
this tribe of monsters with many attributes. In their earliest form, dragons
were associated with the Great Mother, the water god and the warrior sun
god. In these capacities they had the power to be both beneficient and
destructive and were all-powerful creatures in the universe. Because of
these qualities, dragons assumed the roles taken by Osiris and Set in Egyptian
mythology. The dragon's form arose from his particular power of control
over the waters of the earth and gave rise to many of the attributes singled
out by different peoples as the whole myth developed. They were believed
to live at the bottom of the sea, where they guarded vast treasure hoards,very
frequently of pearls. Rain clouds and thunder and lightning were believed
to be the dragon's breath, hence the fire-breathing monster. The significance
of the dragon was its control over the destiny of mankind. As the myth
developed in the western world, dragons came to represent the chaos of
original matter with the result that with man's awakening conscience a
struggle arose, and the created order constantly challenged the dragon's
power. This type of dragon was considered by many to be the intermediate
stage between a demon and the Devil and as such came into Christian belief.
However, in the Eastern world the dragon adopted a rather different significance.
He was essentially benevolent, son of heaven, and controlled the watery
elements of the universe. The Western type of dragon has been variously
described, and individual dragons had their own unique forms. They appeared
to be created from parts of various creatures, with the result that in
general, they were described as having eagle's feet and wings, lion's forelimbs
and head, fish's scales, antelope's horns and a serpentine form of trunk
and tail, which occasionally extended to the head. In parts of Africa where
the dragon is also considered as an evil power, the monster was believed
to be the result of the unnatural union of an eagle and a she-wolf. The
destructive powers of the dragon derived from it's fiery breath, which
can devastate whole countries. Dragon's eyes also have this fiery red quality,
sometimes believed to reflect the treasures they guarded. Later traditions
believed that misers would assume the form of dragons by constantly gloating
over their treasure. The dragon fears nothing except the elephant
with whom he will engage in battle, entwining himself around the elephant
and inflicting fatal blows. However, as the elephant finally collapses,
his fall crushes the dragon to death. The dragon is the enemy of
the sun and the moon, both in Eastern and Western mythology, and is believed
to be responsible for eclipses. These occur when the dragon is attempting
to swallow either of the heavenly boddies; which accounts for the dragon's
appearance in primitive astronomy. In Armenian traditions, the fire and
lightning god had powers to stay the dragon's control of the heavens, as
could thunderbolts in Macedonian myth. A dead man was thought to become
a dragon, while dragons were believed to be the guardians of treasures
in burial chambers. Because the dragon was the natural enemy of man,
his death became the ultimate goal, consequently there are innumberable
battles between gods and dragons, saints and dragons, and in the medieval
world, knights and dragons. In Egyptian mythology there is the conflict
between Horus and Typhon, in Babylonia, the Chaldean Tiamat was overcome
by Marduk. In Greek legends, the dragon fought on the side of the Titans
and attacked Athene, who flung him into the heavens, where he became a
constellation around the Pole Star. Hercules encountered, and killed the
dragon Ladon while fulfilling his eleventh labour. In Scandinavian literature,
Beowulf was slain by a dragon. Throughout
history dragons and human beings have been unable to live peacefully side
by side. As a result, mankind has not been able to benefit from ancient
dragon knowledge. Man's craving for power and religious beliefs have
kept Europe engulfed in interminable and bloody struggles. The dragon lords
could not understand the reasons for man's self-destructive behavior, and
kept well out of the way, retreating to remote hiding places far from all
this confusion. Shrouded in mystery, the dragon's trail remained
lost in the obscurity of legend. However, the dragons secretly pursued
their quest for knowledge without completely excluding the human race,
since they accepted and taught those few men who sought the essence of
truth. We could wonder what would happen if the dragons reveal themselves
to the eyes of the humankind... Would we be able to accept another form
of intelligence probably far superior to our or would we feel the need
to fight those, who at the end, could come to our rescue, and this under
the only pretense that these beings make umbrage to us...?
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