Draigon

A draigon is a lairge, serpent-lik leegendar craitur that appears in the fowklair o mony culturs aroond the warld. Beliefs aboot draigons vary drastically bi region, but draigons in wastren culturs syne the Heich Middle Ages hae eften been depictit as weenged, horned, fower-legged, an capable o braithin fire. Draigons in eastren culturs are uisually depictit as wingless, fower-legged, serpentine craiturs wi abuin-average intelligence.

The earliest attestit draigons resemmle giant snakes. Draigon-lik craiturs are first descrived in the meethologies o the ancient Near East an appear in auncient Mesopotamie airt an leeteratur. Stories aboot storm-gods slayin giant serpents occur ootthrou nearly aw Indo-European an Near Eastren mythologies. Famous prototeepical draigons include the mušḫuššu o auncient Mesopotamie, Apep in Egyptian meethologie, Vṛtra in the Rigveda, the Leviathan in the Ebreu Bible, Python, Ladon, Wyvern, an the Lernaean Hydra in Greek meethologie, Jörmungandr, Níðhöggr, an Fafnir in Norse meethologie, an the draigon frae Beowulf.

The popular wastren eemage o a draigon as weenged, fower-legged, an capable o braithin fire is an invention o the Heich Middle Ages based on a conflation o earlier draigons frae different tradeetions. In wastren cultures, draigons are portrayed as monsters tae be tamed or owercome, uisually bi saunts or cultur heroes, as in the popular leegend o Saunt George an the Draigon. Thay are eften said tae hae ravenous appetites an tae live in caves, whaur thay huird treisur. Thir draigons appear frequently in wastren fantasie leeteratur, includin The Hobbit bi J. R. R. Tolkien, the Harry Potter series bi J. K. Rowling, an A Song of Ice and Fire bi George R. R. Martin.

The wird "draigon" haes an aw come tae be applee'd tae the Cheenese lung (龍, Pinyin long), that are associatit wi good fortuin an are thocht tae hae pouer ower rain. Draigons an thair associations wi rain are the soorce o the Cheenese customs o draigon dancin an draigon boat racin. Mony East Asie deities an demigods hae dragons as thair personal moonts or companions. Draigons war an aw identifee'd wi the Emperor o Cheenae, that, in later Cheenese imperial history, wis the anerly ane permittit tae hae draigons on his hoose, cleidin, or personal airticles. 


Category:Cryptids
Category:Heraldic beasts
Category:Meethological hybrids