The first mention of dragons refers to the ancient Sumerian culture. In ancient legends, there are descriptions of the dragon as an amazing creature, unlike any other animal and at the same time resembling many of them. According to ancient Akkadian sources, the dragon had the paws of a dog, the head of a lion, and the wings of a bird. The image of the Dragon appears in almost all myths about the creation of the world. The sacred texts of the ancient peoples identify it with the primordial power of the earth, the primordial Chaos, which comes into conflict with the Creator. In these cosmic battles, as a rule, the forces or gods win, personifying order and maintaining balance in the universe, and the sky and the heavenly world are created from the monster: "And he cut her insides, and pierced her heart ... and created the firmament of heaven from one half , and from the other - the firmament of the earth ... "In every country, poets sang this titanic battle. The ancient Babylonian legend "Enuma Elish" speaks of the struggle of the god Marduk with Tiamat, the goddess of the primeval cosmic ocean. One of the gods of the Vedic pantheon, Indra, defeats the dragon Vritra, the Semitic god Baal - the god Yama, the lord of the primordial ocean ... The biblical story about the monster Leviathan, once defeated by the Creator, is also widely known. The dragon symbol is the emblem of the warriors on the Parthian and Roman standards, the national emblem of Wales, the guardian depicted on the prows of the ships of the ancient Vikings. Among the Romans, the dragon was the badge of the cohort, hence the modern dragon, dragoon. The dragon symbol is a symbol of supreme power among the Celts, a symbol of the Chinese emperor: his face was called the Dragon Face, and the throne was the Dragon Throne. On the shield of Agamemnon (11th song of the Iliad) a blue three-headed dragon was depicted. The legends of Buddhism are replete with references to dragons, the legends of Taoism tell of their deeds. Dragons are winged snakes, in the form of which animals were combined, embodying two worlds - the upper (birds) and the lower (snakes). These fantastic creatures in Chinese mythology personified the masculine principle, the primary element yang, along with the phoenix, embodying the feminine principle, the primary element yin. The image of the dragon served as a symbol of the emperor, and the phoenix - the empress. In medieval alchemy, the primordial matter (or otherwise the world substance) was denoted by the most ancient alchemical symbol - a snake-dragon biting its own tail and called ouroboros ("tail-eater"). The image of ouroboros was accompanied by the caption "All in One or One in All". And Creation was called circular (circulare) or wheel (rota). In the Middle Ages, when depicting a dragon, different parts of the body were "borrowed" from various animals, and, like the sphinx, the dragon was a symbol of the unity of the four elements. One of the most common mythological plots is the battle with the dragon: the hero, thanks to his courage, defeats the dragon, takes possession of its treasures, or frees the captive princess. This story tells about the duality of human nature, about the internal conflict between light and darkness, about the forces of the unconscious, which can be used to achieve both constructive and destructive goals. The battle with the dragon symbolizes the difficulties that a person needs to overcome in order to master the treasures of inner knowledge, defeat his base, dark nature and achieve self-control. The exploits of Hercules, the liberation of Andromeda by Perseus, the battle of Jason with the dragon in the legend of the Argonauts, the legend of the Scandinavian hero Sigurd and his victory over the dragon Fafnir, the battle of St. George with the dragon are just some examples of this. Each of them gives their advice on how to fight their own darkness. And although the dragon, like the Egyptian Set, causes severe pain, it helps a person to know himself. Dragons were symbols of powerful life-giving gods: Quetzalcoatl, god of the morning star, Atum, god of eternity, Serapis, god of wisdom. This symbol is infinite, as the ever-developing world, guarded by the ring of ouroboros, is infinite.
Literature Mythology. Encyclopedia, - M.: Belfax, 2002
Of all the mythical creatures, dragons were the most popular (even revered) among the Chinese people. The inscription of the hieroglyph "moons" (dragon), which is a pictogram depicting an animal with a long body and a head crowned with horns (or a crest), was already found in the inscriptions on fortune-telling bones of the Yin era (from the 14th century BC).
There are suggestions that the lizard was the prototype of these pictograms, as well as the connection between the image of the moon (dragon) and the crocodile.
Images of the dragon were distinguished by a variety and quirkiness of forms. But in all cases, the appearance of the monster was majestic, severe and warlike.
Here is one of the descriptions: “The eyes of the dragon are like those of a rabbit, and the ears are like a cow; long whiskers grow above his mouth; the body is like the body of a snake, covered with scales; four tiger paws have eagle claws.
Sometimes the dragon was depicted as a large snake or an animal resembling both a tiger and a horse. Clouds, thick fog, or raging waves were often painted around the dragon to create an idea of its extraordinary strength and ability to cause natural disasters. The dragon soared into the sky and soared in the clouds, bared its fangs and released its claws. The dragon had the ability to transform, he could run, swim, fly. -
The image of the dragon was used as a heraldic emblem on the banners of noble families. In medieval China, the dragon was a symbol of the emperor, he was depicted on the throne, on the sovereign's robe. The highest dignitaries and courtiers wore robes depicting a dragon with four claws, and only for special merits was one of the dignitaries complained of the right to wear a robe with a five-clawed dragon - like on the emperor's robe.
The cult of dragons was associated primarily with water. Dragons, personifying rain clouds that brought rain necessary for crops, seemed to the Chinese to be benevolent gods, bestowing "sweet", "bread" rain. Dragons were also revered as guardians of rivers, lakes and reservoirs, the waters of which were used for irrigation (artificial and natural).
The dragons who gave rain could at the same time be responsible for too much rain, harmful to crops. In such cases, they turned to people with their "dark", "evil" side.
But the dragon-deities of the rivers were especially terrible. It was they, according to the ideas of the ancient Chinese, who were responsible for the terrible floods of Chinese rivers, sweeping away hundreds of villages on their way, bringing death to crops and thousands of people. It is with this that people's ideas about the viciousness and bloodthirstiness of dragons are connected. Crazed with fear, people made numerous sacrifices to the rulers of this terrible element, including human ones. This custom continued for a very long time.
The incredible and inexplicable power of dragons contributed to the extraordinary popularity of these creatures in mythical tales. At a later time, motifs appear in folklore of curbing rivers and their lords - dragon-gods, martial arts of heroic fighters against floods and deluges.
There are many legends about the king of dragons Long-wang. According to one of the legends, one day the dragon king fell ill. Among the inhabitants of the water kingdom, there was no doctor who could cure him, and Lung-wang had no choice but to assume the form of an old man and go to people. The lord of the sea visited many doctors, but none of them could determine what kind of illness he had. Finally, he got to the famous healer, who, having felt the patient's pulse, was very surprised to find that the heart beats completely different from that of ordinary people.
The doctor told the old man about it. And he was forced to confess that he was the king of dragons. The healer stated that he could only identify the disease and cure it if the old man turned into a dragon again. Although usually dragons are not shown to people, this time the lord of the waters, in order to be healed of an illness, agreed to fulfill the healer's request. On the appointed day, the doctor came to the seashore, and the dragon appeared above the waves. The doctor examined him and found that a centipede crawled behind the scales of the dragon on his lower back, which caused him severe pain.
Having removed the centipede, the doctor smeared the damaged scales with ointment, and the pain disappeared. As a token of gratitude for the healing, the dragon king promised the healer to send people, at their request, good weather, blessed rains and complete well-being. Since then, every year on this day (Day of Healing), a dragon dance is performed throughout China.
According to traditional ideas, the dragon symbolizes happiness. Drought and flood brought ruin, poverty and famine to the Chinese people. Who could help in the fight against natural disasters? Of course, the king of dragons. If any area was subjected to drought or flood, the locals performed a ritual dragon dance, begging the lord of the sea to send down rain. The prolonged drought was seen as the dragon's refusal to send rain. Then prayers were held before the image of the dragon. If after that the fields remained dry, then the rite of “flagellation of the dragon” was performed: an image of a dragon made of clay or other material was struck with a whip or a bamboo stick, demanding to send down rain.
The cult of Long-wang was extremely widespread in ancient China. Temples dedicated to him were built in cities, villages, near rivers, lakes, crossings and wells. Sailors, fishermen, farmers, and also water carriers asked for his intercession, who believed that underground springs in wells were controlled by Lun-wang and connected underground with the sea. During a drought, the statue of Lung-wang was taken out of the temple and placed in the sun, and during a flood it was carried around the neighborhood to show Lung-wang the extent of the disaster and reassure him. If this did not help, then the statue was drowned in water.
Gustave Moreau
And finally, speaking of dragons, one cannot help but recall the spirit of Zhulun - the Dragon with a Candle from Zhongshan Mountain, which, according to one version of the creation myth, was the creator of the universe.
The story about him is recorded in the ancient Book of Mountains and Seas. This spirit, with a human face, a snake body, and red skin, was a thousand li tall. He had eyes that looked like two olive trees.
When he closed them, they turned into two straight vertical slots. As soon as he opened them, day came in the world, and when his eyelids closed, night descended on the earth. At the slightest breath of the dragon, a veil of clouds appeared, abundant snow fell in flakes and winter set in.
As soon as he breathed in the heat, summer immediately set in, and the sun began to scorch so that metals and stones melted. The dragon lay curled up like a snake. He had no need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe. But from one of his breaths, the wind rose for a good ten thousand li in the area. With the light of the candle that Zhulong held in his mouth, he could illuminate the highest spheres of the sky and the deepest bowels of the earth, where eternal darkness reigned. And since he always held a candle in his mouth and illuminated the darkness in the heavenly gates in the north, he was also called Zhuyin, i.e. "Illuminating the darkness" *.
In much the same way that dragons stood out among animals, phoenixes* stood out among birds (Europeans used to replace the Chinese name “fenghuang” with this word). According to one of the descriptions, “from the front, the phoenix resembles a swan, from the back it looks like a qilin unicorn. He has the neck of a snake, the tail of a fish, the coloration of a dragon, the body of a turtle, the throat of a swallow, the beak of a cock." On bronze vessels with reliefs, fenghuang was depicted with a magnificent tail, huge eyes and a crest in the form of a trident. Fenghuang belonged to the type of royal animals: it was considered a symbol of the emperor (more often, the empress). As for the origin of this fabulous image, the most reliable version seems to be that originally they were peacocks, which were found in China along with elephants and rhinos in ancient times, before climate change.
Among the four sacred animals, since ancient times, especially revered by the Chinese, along with the dragon and the phoenix, were the qilin unicorn and the tortoise.
The qilin unicorn, as the Chinese believed, appeared to people only once every few centuries. He symbolized peace and prosperity and usually heralded the birth of a great sage (there is a legend that he appeared shortly before the birth of Confucius), so the veneration of the qilin was associated with hopes for the birth of wise and virtuous people. Tradition prescribed to depict him without fail with a baby "in his arms" **.?
The "Great Turtle" is the only real animal next to the other three sacred creatures. It has been the most revered since the Yin era, when shells were considered a reliable material for divination, that is, for communicating with the supernatural world. Later, the turtle became a symbol of longevity, strength and endurance. Stone statues of a turtle served as a favorite foundation for stelae (perhaps not without the influence of Indian legends about turtles, on which elephants stood, holding the world on their shoulders). The same stone statues were then built on the banks of the rivers - the turtle was revered as a spirit - the patron of river dams. In addition, it was believed that the female tortoise had supernatural abilities and could give birth to cubs without the participation of the male ***.
Other amazing animals
Other animals were objects of reverent reverence in China, sometimes even worship, and there were quite a few of them. Here are the most popular ones.
Perhaps the first place among them has always been occupied by a tiger, in the view of the Chinese - the king of animals. The tiger was revered primarily as a thunderstorm of demons: almost all the great magicians-terrifiers of demons were depicted sitting on a tiger. The hieroglyph "van" (king) was often depicted on the tiger's forehead. In addition, the tiger was considered a thunderstorm of disease demons, and therefore, to some extent, the patron of health. His fangs and claws, elegantly framed in silver, served as valuable amulets; powdered tiger bones were added to water or tea as a cure for fever and other illnesses. Even the muzzles of a tiger simply embroidered on children's shoes, according to Chinese beliefs, could save the baby from adversity.
Like a tiger, a cat has been revered as a storm of pests and demons in China since ancient times. Since rats were considered the main pest of sericulture, the cat was considered as the patron of this craft. In a number of localities, sacrifices were even made to the spirit of the cat in shrines specially built for this purpose. The loss of a pet cat was seen as a sign of misfortune. However, the appearance of a strange cat in the house was also a harbinger of trouble - it was believed that the cat foresees an abundance of rats and mice in the house, and this, in turn, is a clear sign of impoverishment and poverty of the economy. In addition, it was believed that the cat, like the tiger, has magical powers: its ability to see in the dark was taken as proof of the ability to communicate with demons. There are even legends that after death you can turn (reborn) into a cat in order to take revenge on your pursuers and enemies.
The rooster was also an important object of ritual worship in China. Firstly, it was considered as a symbol of the sun, the herald of the arrival of the deity of the day, and secondly, as a protector from fire and fire. The image of a red rooster, usually on a high pole, was erected every New Year at the door of the house. The rooster, like the tiger with the cat, was also a storm of demons: a live white rooster was tied to the lid of the coffin during the days of funeral processions to scare away the demons. It was customary to give a rooster or at least a lollipop in the form of a cockerel at the time of the marriage ceremony.
In addition to the animals listed above, we can mention a lion, a monkey ** and a snake (special shrines were sometimes erected in its honor, where monks bred snakes).?
Along with the dragon, the tiger, cat, rooster, monkey and snake have become symbols of the 12-year calendar cycle of the Chinese, where each of these animals is assigned one year (i.e., the year passes under the auspices of this animal).
Fox
But perhaps the most prominent place in all "animal" folklore was occupied by foxes. The cult of the fox, the demon fox, the monster fox, was extremely widespread in China. The tricks of foxes, "fox charms", numerous stories about the intervention of foxes in people's lives are devoted to special literature in China, headed by the "fox epic" of Liao Zhai. The beginning of the fox cult in China goes back to ancient times. Since fox holes were often next to graves, a fox crawling out from under old graves was considered a mystical incarnation of the soul of a dead person. Foxes were credited with the art of reincarnation: at the age of 50, a fox can turn into a woman *, at 500 years old - into a seductive girl, and at 1000 - become a "heavenly fox" that owns all the secrets of nature.
Any meeting with a fox, as a rule, ended badly for a person. Falling into the clutches of a fox, succumbing to "fox charms" was considered the last thing in the eyes of every Chinese, who usually spent a lot of effort and money to acquire amulets designed to protect him from the influence of foxes. Even the fox hieroglyph was often avoided to be written, replacing it with another, similar in sound. The fear of the fox and the troubles it provokes has always been very great **. At first glance, the fox, this peculiar "king of demons", should have become something like a European devil in China. However, everything turned out completely differently. The fox, despite all its evil spells, was the object of ritual veneration. In her honor, shrines were erected all over the country, she made considerable sacrifices. Of course, to some extent this was due to fear, the desire to appease the evil demon. However, there was another reason - the fox was considered a creature who knows all the secrets of nature and which can therefore (if treated appropriately) cure illness, save trouble, even contribute to enrichment.
miraculous birds
There were ideas in China about other fantastic animals.
For example, there were legends about wonderful birds (along with the phoenix).
Thus, the miraculous biyingao birds (“birds that joined their wings”) looked like a wild duck with red-green plumage. Each bird had one wing, one leg and one eye. They could fly through the sky only in pairs, and singly they could only hobble along the ground on one paw with small steps. According to some sources, in each pair one of the birds was green, the other red. Because of their inseparability, biyingyao birds were considered a symbol of a happy marriage. Poets wrote poems about them.
The appearance of the bifan bird was usually accompanied by a flash of amazing flames. The bifan bird looked like a crane, but it was green, with red stripes, a white beak and one leg.
The miraculous bird chunming (“double light”) settled in the palace of the emperor of the Celestial Empire in ancient times, when the legendary Yao ruled the state. A wondrous bird, in each eye of which there were two pupils, was presented to Yao by the inhabitants of the country?
Zhizhi. Chungmin resembled a rooster but sang like a phoenix. When it was time to molt, she shed all her plumage and flew away. The chunming bird could exorcise evil spirits and drive away wolves, tigers, leopards and jackals. She ate only jade paste. After the bird settled with Yao, it still often flew to its homeland and sometimes did not return for several years. If she did not arrive on time, then people made her image from wood or metal and placed it at the gate in order to drive away evil spirits. Later, images of chunming, including drawings, were placed on windows on the first day of the New Year for the same purpose.
Some very different animals made amazing pairs. So, they talked about the bird Tu and the mouse Tu, who lived on the mountain with the Burrow of the Bird and the Mouse. This bird and mouse together dug a hole in the mountain about four chi deep (i.e., a little deeper than a meter) and lived there together in complete harmony, like loving spouses. The bird went outside to get food, and the mouse in the hole did housework.
A completely different pair was made up of a multi-colored phoenix and a black snake, who lived on two different mountains that were in the neighborhood. Phoenix watched the snake all the time and did not allow it to do evil deeds.
strange creatures
Many stories have been preserved about strange living creatures, the appearance of which was striking in its unnaturalness. These were, for example, black bees and red moths, which were larger than an elephant, and a flying hare with a mouse head, whose wings were fur on its back. No less strange looked similar to a pheasant.
The image of the wonderful bird bifana - it resembles a crane, but is green, with red stripes, a white beak and one leg From ancient engravings
Bingnyao bird, from which the legend of two halves, a symbol of a happy marriage, originated From an old engraving, a bird with whiskers growing on both sides of its head, replacing its wings. It was said that the meat of this bird healed eye diseases. And there was also a one-eyed four-winged bird with a dog's tail. According to legend, the one who ate it was forever cured of pain in the abdomen.
Many strange animals were by no means harmless. For example, a bird similar to a bee, but the size of a duck, brought death to animals and birds; as soon as she pecked at a tree, it dried up. The man-eating monsters were a green beast that resembled a dog, and a winged tiger, whose body was covered with needles, like a hedgehog. The appearance of a striped bull, like a tiger, was accompanied by a severe flood. A bull with a white head, one eye and a snake tail, on the way of which the rivers dried up and the grass withered, foreshadowed pestilence everywhere in the Middle Kingdom. And when a five-colored bird with a human face and long hair descended on the land of any kingdom, this kingdom perished. As soon as a serpent called feyi, with six legs and four wings, appeared in the sky, a terrible drought immediately began on the earth. Another bird appeared, like a snake, with four wings, six eyes and three legs; wherever she flew, there was bound to be general confusion.
Mythical creatures - an inexhaustible source of food
A special group of mythical creatures were animals that served as an inexhaustible source of food for people. More often than others, the magical animal shizhou is mentioned. It was a living creature, completely devoid of bones and limbs, representing only a lump of meat, but with a pair of small eyes. According to legend, its meat could not be eaten without a trace: eat a piece, and the same one grows in this place, and the shizhou regains its former form. They also told about a cow from which a large piece of meat was cut off, and a day later it grew again in the same place. Her body was black, the horns were thin and long - more than four chi (that is, almost one and a half meters). At least every ten days it was necessary to cut off some of her meat, otherwise she could die. And there is also a legend about sheep with an unusually thick and fat tail, which weighed about ten jin (five kilograms), people cut off this tail and cooked food from it. After some time, these sheep again grew the same tail.
Fantastic marine life
There were fantastic creatures among the inhabitants of the sea.
Once a certain merchant went on a ship to the sea on his trading business. Far away in the open sea, he saw a small island, overgrown with emerald green trees. The merchant ordered the sailors to land on the island. Everyone jumped ashore and tied the ship. Then they chopped branches and lit a fire to cook food. But the water had not yet had time to boil, when they felt that the island was moving and the trees began to sink into the water. Frightened people in confusion rushed to the ship, cut the rope and, saving their lives, swam away from the sinking island. It turned out that it was not an island at all, but a huge crab, whose shell was singed by the fire of a fire.
It was also said that fish people lived in the southern seas. And although they lived in the sea, they were engaged in ordinary human labor. On a quiet night, when the sea is calm and there are no waves, the noise of looms coming from the depths of the sea was heard on the shore. Amazingly beautiful sea pearls, of which there are many in the depths of the southern seas, are nothing but the footprints of fish people.
Fish people were very similar to ordinary people, and all of them - both men and women - were distinguished by their extraordinary beauty. Their thin white skin resembled jade, and their ponytail-like hair reached five to six chi (more than one and a half meters) in length. When a wife or husband died among the coastal inhabitants, they caught a man-fish, settled in a small pond and called her their wife or husband.
Dragon (Greek δράκων)- a collective name that combines a number of mythological and fantastic creatures. The word "dragon" is used in the names of some real species of vertebrates, mainly reptiles and fish.
The image of the dragon has found wide circulation in fantasy, and is also used in feng shui, in horoscopes (the year of the Dragon) and astronomy. The study of dragons is called draconology.
mythological dragon
The dragon, as one of the most common mythological creatures, is a creature consisting of the body of a reptile, sometimes combined with body parts of other animals, birds, and fish.
Particular signs of the dragon are the ability to fly, the presence of several heads or tails, fiery breath and intelligence.
Some difficulties are caused by the question of the coincidence of the images of the dragon and the serpent. Some researchers of heraldry (A. B. Lakier, P. P. Winkler) do not separate them, while others (Yu. V. Arseniev) do, pointing to a different number of paws (the snake has four, the dragon has two) . The word "serpent" is found in Slavic texts from the 11th century (including the Bible of 1663), and the word "dragon" was borrowed from the Greek language only in the 16th century, it appears for the first time in texts translated by Maxim the Greek. Andrei Kurbsky applied the word "dragon" to the devil (similarly, in the King James Bible, the words "serpent", "dragon" and "Devil" are used interchangeably). In the Bible of 1663 the devil is called a serpent, in the Bible of 1756 and later both "serpent" and "dragon" are used. In the sources of the XVIII century there are translations of the foreign word "dragon" by the Russian "serpent". So, in the description of the state emblem, made by F. Santi in 1722 in French, there is "dragon". In the translation, apparently made soon after Santi's work, this word is rendered as "serpent".
In the 19th century, "serpent" was renamed "dragon", probably because the latter was already in widespread use. And one of the options was chosen for translation. The history of the use of the words "dragon" and "serpent" shows that they denoted the same creature.
D. J. Conway sees six families of dragons containing related species. The first refers to Northern Germany, Scandinavia and the islands of the North Atlantic. The second - to France, Italy and Spain. The third is to the British Isles, including Ireland. The fourth - in Greece, Asia Minor, South Russia and North Africa. Fifth, the most numerous, - to China, Asia and Indonesia. The sixth, limited in size and abundance, is to North and South America and Australia.
Image roots.
Dobrynya Nikitich and the serpent defeated by him
According to the hypothesis of some scientists (A. Leroy-Gouran, V. Ya. Propp), the image of a dragon in the form that combines the features of birds and snakes refers to approximately the same period when the mythological symbols of animals as such gave way to gods that combine the features of a person and animal. Such an image of a dragon was one of the ways to combine opposite symbols - the symbol of the upper world (bird) and the symbol of the lower world (snake).
Spreading
The image of the dragon is represented in the mythologies of Sumer, Egypt, Ugarit, India, Greece, China, Japan, Mexico and the Andes. In most cultures, the image of the dragon is associated with the cult of reservoirs, which is associated with artificial irrigation as the basis of the economy of these states.
The further use of the fantastic image of the dragon (in particular, in the mythologies of East and Southeast Asia, as well as in later European culture) was also associated with the actual aesthetic role of this symbol in art. It remains an open question whether the image of the dragon in the mythologies of the early states of Western, South and East Asia, pre-Columbian America, is the result of independent parallel development or is associated with cultural mutual influences (the influence of the ancient Near Eastern dragon myths on the Greek myth of Python, traced in a later era, can be traced in a later era). the use of the Chinese dragon symbol in the mythologies of Japan and other neighboring countries, as well as the Indian Makara in the mythologies and art of many countries of Southeast Asia).
In Vietnam, the evolution of the image of the dragon as a symbol of imperial power was a reflection of the periods of prosperity and decline of Vietnamese society. According to the traditions of feudal culture, in Vietnam the dragon symbolized moral perfection.
Dragon Meaning
Ouroboros. A snake that swallows its own tail
The mythological dragon symbolizes the test that must be passed in order to receive the treasure. It is associated with immortality, which can be obtained by invading the body of a monster (both from the outside and from the inside, for example, by being swallowed by a dragon). The battle with the dragon is an initiatory mystery with the symbolism of temporary death and rebirth. Many snake-fighting plots are based on an initiatory theme with an inversion of the relationship between the initiator and the serpentine patron of initiation.
The themes of sleep (monster, hero or woman) and blood (dragon's blood or woman's vaginal blood) also matter. Sleep has a different nature: heroic sleep, necessary for recuperation; analogue of death; the passivity of the monster to gain victory over him; a passive state from which something wakes the sleeper. The theme of sleep and awakening is also expressed in the Kundalini serpent, but here the active-passive, awakening-sleep relationships are inverted: vishap sleeps already stretched out, while Kundalini awakens from sleep to stretch upwards; The king-maiden sleeps, available for the hero's intercourse with her, while shakti herself, having awakened, rushes to blissful merging.
Vaginal blood (postnatal, menstrual) attracts the snake. This is expressed in the myth of Arnhem Land about the Babylak sisters and in myths where the snake demands or steals virgins (looking for a bride). The demand for the virginity of the bride is directly related to vaginal blood and death: the bride must be "killed" as a stranger and reborn as her own, and blood after the wedding night is a sign of this. The serpent is a phallic symbol, and the twining around the virgin carries a coital meaning. At the same time, thanks to this blood, in dragon-slaying plots, the female image intersects with the image of the dragon itself. Killing the serpent means "killing" the hero's bride. The bride has a snake essence, traits of a pest, often in myths, victory over a dragon is replaced by intercourse with a girl (often also of a chthonic nature, for example, the Tsar Maiden, Sonya the Hero) or implies it later.
In addition to the phallic symbolism of an elongated serpent, there is the symbolism of a tree, which is often woven into the plot of serpent fighting if it is embedded in a common myth. The serpent-dragon is depicted wrapped around a tree, or located at the roots of the world tree, or in its branches, or carries its attributes (the image of a feathered serpent on a tree, in which a bird and a snake are combined, marking the top and bottom of the world tree).
The sex of the dragon in myths has its own characteristics. As a male, he is evident in myths with the theme of locking up the waters and taking the maidens. As a female, it is evident in the myths about the creation of the world by the dragon. In many myths, gender is less defined; the dragon personifies the masculine principle, but also has the features of a feminine nature (androgyne).
The dragon is associated with water, a reservoir. He both takes away (locks) water, and brings its excess (flood, downpours).
The transformation of the image shows how the man-dragon ratio changes in examples of mystical rebirth: first, the man is inside the snake, then he is outside, and finally, the snake is placed inside the man.
The dragon as an assistant is also associated with water, harvest and fertility. In ancient Chinese mythology, the winged dragon helps the cultural hero Yu, the founder of the Xia Dynasty, dragging its tail along the ground and thereby determining the paths along which to dig channels for water supply. Historically, the assistant dragon in such myths is traced to the myth of a snake tamed by heroes who harness it to a plow (in Babylonian mythology; also a Slavic myth about two divine blacksmiths who harnessed a serpent they pacified to a plow and with its help dug the channel of the Dnieper, or the legend of Nikita Kozhemyak). An assistant dragon can bring treasures to people (in Slavic myths about a dragon - a flying snake, in African legends typologically similar to them, etc.).
The widespread motif of the abduction of a girl by a dragon goes back to the ritual, during which the girl was sacrificed to the spirit of the waters (in China, the most beautiful girl was married to the Huang He by throwing her into the water, in ancient Egypt, before sowing, a girl was thrown into the Nile, also dressed in wedding clothes, to ensure the flood of the Nile, without which the harvest was not possible, among the Mayan Indians, girls were thrown into the sacred reservoir of Chichen Itza). The myth corresponding to this rite usually takes the form of a dragon claiming maidens as an annual tribute.
Application of the image in modern culture
Mythological images of dragons are embodied in architecture and sculpture, including those specially created to attract tourists.
For example, in the Ryazan region, a carved dragon ship was created from an old garage. And in China in 2007, it was planned to build a new attraction - a dragon 30 meters high and 21 kilometers long, which would be located on the ridge of Mount Shizu in the central province of Henan. The Dragon was scheduled to be completed in 2009, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the communist regime in China.
In the UK, Wales is planning to build a 40-meter observation tower with a dragon statue 25 meters high. The dragon personifies Welsh mythology, can compete with the Statue of Liberty in New York and Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.
The dragon is very popular as an image on the body (tattoo). The Prince of Wales (King Edward VII) had a dragon on his body, tattooed by the most prestigious master of Japan. The world's largest tattoo is also a dragon. It was placed on the backs of 20 people by the Japanese in 1804.
The dragon is often present in the name of institutions that want to emphasize their belonging to oriental culture, for example, tattoo parlors, restaurants, martial arts schools.
Despite the change in the meaning of the dragon over time, Christianity has a negative attitude towards it. Installed in October 2010 in Varna (Bulgaria), the sculpture of two dragons (male and female), holding a golden "egg of knowledge", caused outrage among Orthodox believers. They argue that the sculptural composition personifies evil, and dragons are the devil and she-devil.
Dragon in western mythology
"The battle of St. George with the dragon"
(Paolo Uccello, c. 1456)
The mythological motif of the battle of the hero-serpent fighter with the dragon later became widespread in folklore, and then penetrated into literature in the form of the legend of St. Literary adaptations of this legend and the images corresponding to them are characteristic of medieval European art.
Dragon in Slavic mythology
In Russian fairy tales and epics, the three-headed dragon Serpent Gorynych is mentioned.
In Russian fairy tales and epics, they talk about a snake that was drowned by Nikita Kozhemyaka.
Seven-headed dragons are mentioned in Old Slavic legends.
Miracle Yudo from a Russian folk tale is an analogue of the Greek Hydra.
Zmiulan is the king of snakes, has wings, like snakes.
Dragon in Eastern mythology
Dragons of China
Chinese dragon (龍, lun)- in Chinese mythology and culture, a symbol of the masculine principle (yang) and the Chinese nation as a whole. Unlike the European dragon, the Chinese one represents a good start. In honor of the dragon, an annual dragon boat festival is established.
According to Chinese beliefs, the moon serpent lives in rivers, lakes and seas, but is also capable of soaring into the sky. It clearly shows traces of the deity of moisture and rain, originally associated with the cult of fertility. Rain-making rituals were not complete without dragon images as early as the 6th century BC. BC e.
The main dragon breeds are as follows:
1.) Tianlong - A heavenly dragon that guards the halls of the gods and carries them in chariots.
2.) Futsanglong - A hidden treasure dragon that guards precious stones and metals underground and agitates the earth with volcanoes.
3.) Dilun - Earth dragon, who controls the seas and rivers.
4.) Yinglong - Divine dragon, on which the weather, wind, rain depend, and which thunders from the sky with thunder.
The last two types of dragon in the popular imagination have grown together into the figures of dragon kings, which have the body of a man and the head of a dragon. They live in the seas in the east (East China Sea), south (South China Sea), west (Indian Ocean) and north (probably Baikal).
As the king of animals, the dragon served as a symbol of imperial power. According to Chinese myth, the Yellow Emperor, at the end of his life, turned into a dragon and soared into the heavens. A true emperor must have a dragon-shaped mole. The imperial throne of many dynasties was called the dragon throne. During the Qing Dynasty, a Chinese dragon adorned the state banner. For wearing clothes with figures of a dragon, a commoner was subject to the death penalty.
Dragons of Tibet
The Tibetan dragon is one of the representatives of the eastern mythological dragons and is closest to the Chinese. The "fierce dragon" decoration is typical of Tibetan temples, such as the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. There are many fairy tales and stories about dragons in Tibet. It is said that when young Dorgzong Rinpoche visited Yonten Ritro in Rongmy, Kham, the whole village saw nine dragons.
One of the stories tells of a hunter who fell into a cave and couldn't get out. A sleeping dragon was in the cave and illuminated it with its own light. In order not to die of thirst, the man began to lick the dew from the pearl, clutched in the dragon's paws, and found out that the dew is very nutritious and makes him happy and healthy. In the spring, the dragon woke up and took off from the cave, and the hunter, who grabbed his tail, got out with him.
Also famous is the flight of the dragon into the sky from the hill in front of the Nubchen monastery in Gonjo, Kham. This happened during the 8th Dorzong Rinpoche's visit to this place to "enthrone" one Rinpoche and bless the reconstructed altar that was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. The ceremony took place inside the temple on June 16, 1993. But most of the people did not fit inside and were placed outside. Suddenly, someone saw a dragon, rapidly taking off into the sky from the top of the hill. As is customary in Tibet, and especially among the inhabitants of Gonjo in joyful moments, everyone shouted: "Kyi ... Lha Je Lo ... Kyi ... Lha Je Lo ...". This is an old cry meaning: "Be happy! May the gods be victorious!"
When the screams reached the temple, those inside thought that those outside were "drunk with happiness" and were thus expressing joy. This is what Dorzong Rinpoche was told. At that moment, they ran into the temple and said that the dragon was rising directly into the sky from a hill located next to the monastery. Tibetans believe that if you make a wish when you see a flying dragon, it will surely come true. They usually pray for the peace and happiness of all living beings, chanting: "Sem che there che la ga mo sid mo yongoe."
Konchok Tashi, Dorzong Rinpoche's photographer, went out to look at this strange phenomenon and saw a dragon flying from one peak to another, wagging its tail. He rushed to the llamas' room to grab a camera and take a picture of it. But when he returned, the dragon had almost completely disappeared into the clouds. And only part of the tail was visible.
Dragons of Korea
The Korean dragon (Korean 용, Yong) has a number of Korean-specific features that distinguish it from dragons of other cultures. The closest relative of the Korean dragon, both in appearance and cultural significance, is the Chinese dragon.
Korean dragons in myths usually act as positive creatures, patrons of reservoirs and rice fields. They are believed to bring rain to the earth. Korean dragons usually live in rivers, lakes, oceans or deep mountain ponds. The mention of the dragon is ubiquitous both in Korean mythology and in the art of the Koreans. In politics, the dragon personifies the emperor, thus, the vans (kings) were forbidden to wear jewelry with dragon symbols. The phoenix bird was usually associated with the Vanir.
In ancient legends, one can often find mention of talking dragons, dragons capable of experiencing such complex human feelings as devotion, kindness and gratitude. One of the Korean legends speaks of the great Wang Munmu, who, on his deathbed, wished to become the "Dragon of the Eastern Sea, whose goal is to protect Korea."
The Korean dragon, unlike many dragons of other cultures, does not have wings, but has a long beard. As with Chinese dragons, the main number of Korean ones is nine. According to legend, they have 81 (=9x9) scales on their backs.
Occasionally, the dragon was represented holding in one of its paws a "dragon power", known as Yuiju (Kor. 여의주). According to legend, a daredevil who manages to take possession of Yuiju will become omnipotent, however, only four-fingered dragons (who have a thumb to hold the orb) are so wise and strong that they can possess Yuiju.
Dragons of Vietnam
The dragon is a widely used and significant symbol in the history of Vietnamese art. According to the ideas of the ancient Vietnamese, their ancestor was the legendary Ruler - the dragon Lak (Lak Long Quan).
Also in the myths of the Thai people of Vietnam there is a water deity Tuongluong, which has the image of a snake or a dragon that lives in the deepest places of the reservoirs.
Dragons of Japan
The Japanese dragon (竜?, ryu:, tatsu) has three toes on each paw, which distinguishes them from other dragons of Eastern mythology.
The most famous Japanese dragon is the eight-headed Yamata no Orochi (Jap. 八岐大蛇?). According to legend, for seven years in a row, every year he ate a daughter, who lived in the country of Izumo (in the upper reaches of the Hi River in the southwest of Honshu), the earthly god Ashinazuti and his wife Tenazuchi. In the eighth year, the divine hero Susanoo no Mikoto appeared from heaven and, having drunk the dragon, killed him, receiving the saved girl as a reward, finding the sword of Kusanagi (Murakumo no Tsurugi) in the middle tail of the dragon.
Dragon in the mythologies of ancient America
Dragons of Mexico
The roots of the Serpent cult in Mesoamerica go back to ancient times; the first images of bird-like snakes date back to the period 1150-500 BC. e. The snake represented earth and vegetation, but this was in Teotihuacan (c. 150 BC) where snakes were depicted with quetzal feathers. More detailed images were found in the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, built around 200 BC. e., on which you can see a rattlesnake with long green quetzal feathers.
Dragons of the Andes
In the Andes, the dragon - Amaru (Quechua Amaru) - is a flying kite, an intermediary between the Upper (Khanak Pacha), Middle (Kai Pacha) and Lower (Uku Pacha) worlds, patron of shamanic travels.
dragon in heraldry
The dragon is one of the most famous heraldic characters. In particular, it is depicted on the flag of Wales.
The image of the dragon in biology
Among the scientific (Latin) and Russian names of living organisms, there are many names related to the Latin word draco, Russian "dragon" or derivatives from them. In zoology, several taxa of reptiles and fish bear such names, in botany - several taxa and non-taxonomic groups of flowering plants, distinguished by their unusual appearance or fruits.
Dragon in various teachings
In astrology, the points that correlate the Moon's orbit with the Earth's orbit around the Sun, or the North and South Lunar nodes, are called the Dragon's Head (lat. Caput Draconis) and the Dragon's Tail (lat. Cauda Draconis), respectively. The first symbolizes inhalation and positive influences, and the second symbolizes exhalation and negative ones.
In alchemy, the dragon is matter, metal, and the physical body, while its sister is the spirit, metallic mercury, and soul. A dragon with a tail in its mouth - a symbol of the infinite - means a symbol of the spiritual work of alchemists. The winged dragon is female, and the wingless is male.
Of all the myths and tales about legendary creatures, the stories of dragons, which have incredible power and inspire fear and awe, are perhaps the most common throughout the world. It is surprising that very similar images of these serpentine winged creatures are present in different cultures that did not have any historical contact with each other.
In the modern world, dragons are incredibly popular in fantasy books, animated and feature films, visual arts and computer and games.
European winged creatures that belched fire and possessed poisonous breath were most often associated with evil, as, for example, in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf or in Russian folk tales about the Serpent Gorynych. In Christian iconography, the legendary monster symbolized dark forces. But there were good exceptions in the form of a red Welsh dragon, which flaunts on the flag of Wales and is the official symbol of the country. In order to perpetuate the glorious legend, in the city of Wrexham, local residents are going to build a tower 42 meters high, crowned with a huge red dragon, which will be visible for many kilometers. It is planned to open cafes, restaurants, an art gallery, a language learning center and an observation deck on the roof in the building.
Unlike most European dragons, who abducted princesses and burned entire villages, in Asia and the countries of South and Central America, these creatures were honored and respected as masters of the forces of nature with magical abilities. Quetzalcoatl - a cross between a bird and a snake - in Aztec mythology was a symbol of ancient wisdom and one of the main gods of the pantheon.
Among the Maya Indians, a similar deity was called Kukulkan and was depicted with a human head. In Korea, dragons brought rain to the earth, patronized rivers and rice fields, and in Vietnam they symbolized moral virtue. The beginning of Chinese worship of dragons goes back to the distant past.
Traditionally, the winged creature was the deity of rain and fertility, associated with the element of water. The ancient rulers of the Middle Kingdom revered the dragon as a symbol of imperial power. In honor of the mythical animal, the country holds an annual dragon boat festival, and the dragon dance is a very beautiful tradition and an important ritual of celebrating the Chinese New Year, which is one of the main and longest celebrations in the country. And all over the world they love to study the Chinese horoscope, corresponding to a 12-year cycle, where a certain animal rules every year. According to Chinese legend, the Buddha called to his feast all the animals who wished to come voluntarily. And a dozen animals appeared, to which he gave a year of reign. The dragon that came in fifth was the only mythical creature of all.
Traditionally, preparing for the New Year, we know in advance which of the representatives of the Chinese calendar will accompany our deeds, and we read horoscopes with interest. There are a lot of colorful calendars, plush toys and a wide variety of figurines depicting an animal corresponding to the next 12 months in stores. Horoscopes say that the Dragon is an auspicious sign that brings good luck, success and prosperity.
legends about dragons- the most common monster tales on our planet. The creepy monstrous reptile has found its place in the folklore of almost all peoples of the world. At the same time, judging by some literary and musical works, this creature was perceived more as a real monster than as a character in myths.
Edward Topsell in his History of the Reptiles (1608) reported: "Among all the species of reptiles, there is not one comparable to the dragon, or one that can provide sufficient historical material to reveal the essence and nature of this animal."
When you analyze the "true stories" about dragons in the folklore or written records of some cultures, the questions immediately arise: why are dragons everywhere so similar? Did dragons really fly over the earth and devour the unfortunate villagers, while demanding the sacrifice of young girls and instilling terror in every heart? And is it true that no one but a brave knight could stop them?
Which of us has not seen the icon where St. George the Victorious kills the dragon? And on the other hand, what child has not read fairy tales about lazy and kind, gentle and timid dragons?
In every myth there is a piece of truth and reality. Many serious scientists adhere to the theory that a small number of dinosaurs could have survived into the human era. Pick up any book about dinosaurs and you will see that, for example, a royal tyrannosaurus rex could be an excellent dragon in some legend. Such a huge reptile plodding along the fringes of early Europe would certainly fit even the most impressive descriptions of dragons.
Today, no one says that there were a lot of dinosaurs. But the handful of these prehistoric reptiles, which lived in remote lakes and forested valleys, could not have gone unnoticed even in sparsely populated Europe in the 1500s BC. e. A meeting with just one of these "monsters" would give rise to legends and traditions for centuries to come.
The following theory may be of more interest to the average reader: the fact is that ancient historians often described huge python-like snakes that reached more than 15 meters in length. Many stories about dragons that have come down to us from the Middle Ages tell how these creatures wrap around their prey and slowly crush it, which is fully consistent with the behavior of a python or boa constrictor.
But all these theories do not explain why the dragon can move on four limbs.
Some species of giant lizard would probably fit the description of a dragon and would satisfy many theorists. One of them is known as the Komodo dragon, which often exceeds 3.5 meters in length, but it lives in Eastern India.
It would have taken St. George the Victorious and the other dragon slayers a long time - in terms of Western history - for a perilous trip to the tropics. Probably, the battle with the dragon itself would have been a much lesser test than such a campaign.
If in Europe there did exist such a species of lizard (presumably several million years ago) that survived to the appearance of man, this would be the solution to the mystery of the origin of dragon myths.
A third theory—and a very plausible one—suggests that a medieval adventurer accidentally discovered a cave filled with the bones of a giant cave bear and mistook them for the skeletal remains of a dragon. It happened that even workers who dug pits during the construction of churches found fossilized bones of dinosaurs.
It was only in the 19th century that pundits realized that the age of fossil remains is often estimated at millions of years (before that, it was believed that the skeletons found belong to some giant animals that died out quite recently).
If, at a time when dragon legends were at the peak of popularity in Europe, the remains of a fossil were found in the ground or in a cave, the existence of fabulous monsters would certainly have been proven.
Now let's try to independently develop a theory according to which the peasants, digging a well, found mammoth bones in the ground. The diggers immediately concluded that this was the grave of a dragon. Well, where there are the remains of one, there may well be another, a living dragon! The inhabitants of the village must have been tormented by the question: how to get rid of a huge beast - so that it does not fly in and devour them all to one? We need a sacrifice! The priest said that this does not work on the dragon, but it can propitiate the ancient gods!
The peasants chose a young beauty, took her into a dark forest and tied her to a tree, hoping in this way to appease the dragon. It is hard to imagine all the horror that the girl experienced when wolves or bears attacked her at night ... The next day, the most daring village peasants went to the forest. The way it is! The dragon flew in and ate the girl!
A month passed - it turned out that the victim "worked": the monster did not appear in the village, it did not hunt the locals. So the girl's flesh appeased him. If they continued to offer sacrifice from time to time, even if it was a calf or a goat, the dragon would leave them alone.
It is possible that in Europe such bones - be it a mammoth, a Sumatran rhinoceros or a giant cave bear - were not considered something unusual. Mammoth tusks are very common in medieval recipes for the elixir of love. On the market square of the Austrian city of Klagenfurt stands a statue of a giant slaying a dragon; the head of this monster, apparently, was molded in the shape of the skull of the Sumatran rhinoceros.
Evidence of this connection is the fact that the ancient manuscripts mention the "dragon skull" found in Klagenfurt in the 16th century. All these long years the skull has been under the protection of the city government, and today it can be easily identified as the skeleton of the head of an Ice Age rhinoceros.
