Dragon

A dragon is a mythological creature, typically depicted as a large and powerful serpent or other reptile, with magical or spiritual qualities. more...

Overview

The various figures now called dragons most likely have no single origin, but spontaneously came to be in several different cultures around the world, based loosely on the appearance of a snake and possibly fossilized dinosaur and Tertiary mammal megafauna remains.

Chinese dragons (among others) or Long are generally seen as benevolent, whereas European dragons are usually malevolent. However, malevolent dragons are not restricted to Europe and also occur in Persian mythology (see Azi Dahaka) and other cultures.

Malevolent dragons are prominent figures in Christian belief. In Revelation 12:3, an enormous red dragon with seven heads is described, whose tail sweeps one third of the stars from heaven down to earth (held to be symbolic of the fall of the angels).

The biblical dragon carries over thirty possible references, with the fire-breathing Leviathan described in Job 41. Strong's Hebrew 03882: , 08568, 08577, and Greek 1404.

In iconography, some Christian Saints are depicted in the act of killing a dragon: for instance, Saint George in Egyptian Coptic iconography , at the coat of arms of Moscow, or, in Italy, Saint Mercurialis, who was the first bishop of the city of Forlì. In the Book of Job Chapter 41, the sea monster Leviathan, which has some dragonlike characteristics, is described as God talks about the "king of beasts" that lived upon the Earth at a former time. Leviathan was birthed from an enzyme from the garden of Eden. God fed Leviathan to Israel while they wandered in the wilderness for forty years (Psalm 74:14).

In medieval symbolism, dragons were often symbolic of apostasy and treachery, but also of anger and envy, and eventfully symbolised great calamity. Several heads were symbolic of decadence and oppression, and also of heresy. They also served as symbols for independence, leadership and strength. Colors often determined the symbolism a dragon carried. In the hero's journey pattern, dragons represented fear.

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