Dragon Cult

The Dragon Cult is an offshoot of ancestor worship in China, owing to the association between dragons and longevity. Jameson, R.D (1972). "Dragon Cult", in Leach, M. (ed) Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend. 3rd ed. pp.323
== Beliefs ==
One of the earliest beliefs is that in the 4th millennium BCE, a dragon granted the bagua trigrams to a legendary Chinese ruler, leading to the inception of daoism and taoism. The dragon itself was considered to be a manifestation of Yang, or the male element. 
Supposedly, it was during the Xia Dynasty when the dragon cult became an offshoot of ancestor worship. This occurred when one of the Xia kings was visited in his palace by two of his ancestors in the forms of dragons. He collected foam from these dragons' mouths and put it in a box. At the end of the reign of King Li of the Zhou Dynasty (842/841 BCE), the box was opened, causing foam to spread throughout his palace before turning into a black dragon and entering the women's apartments. The king told his wives to stand naked before it, and it impregnated them. This later led to the dragon being associated with the imperial family. 
In 1110 CE, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty divided all Chinese dragons into five clans:
* Blue Dragons - associated with compassion
* Red Dragons - associated with lakes
* Yellow Dragons - associated with oaths
* White Dragons - associated with virtue and purity
* Black dragons - associated with mysterious lakes
Furthermore, dragons were divided into two main groups: spirit dragons who live in Heaven, and earthly dragons who live underground and guard treasure.
These dragons were all associated with pools of water, and it was believed they could disguise themselves as carp. 
They have been influenced over time by Hindu lore about nagas, rakshasas, and other similar creatures. 
== History ==
Zhou scholars collected as much early dragon lore as they possibly could, but were notably vague about them, making them open to reinterpretation during the Hundred Schools era, leading to the vast range of dragon beliefs in China. 
== References ==
Category:Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend
Category:Religious Traditions