The dragon is probably mythology’s most famous creature. It is also the most universal, featuring in the mythology and ceremonial art of almost every ancient culture. The Romans and Greeks designed dragon mosaics and the Babylonians used their image as landmarks. The Egyptians applied the dragon icon to government seals and burial shrouds, like the Asians who also painted them on pottery. South America’s Mayan civilisation carved terrifying sculptures representing dragons. Dragons also feature in Aboriginal, African and Native American rock paintings.

The earliest references to the dragon associate it with Mother Earth, the god of the water and the warrior god of the sun. Dragons were considered the most powerful creatures in the universe, with both favourable and unfavourable qualities. They were believed to live at the bottom of the sea where they guarded vast reserves of treasure – usually pearls. Their breath was symbolised by heavy, dark storm clouds, thunder and lightning. The legacy of their scale-covered bodies grew from the fish inhabiting the dragon’s watery home. The dragon was considered responsible for eclipses, which ancient cultures claimed occurred when the dragon attempted to swallow the sun or the moon. Ancient astrology contains many references to the dragon.

Over time the paradox of the dragon’s characteristics evolved, until Eastern and Western cultures came to hold two very different opinions of this creature. While many Eastern beliefs consider the dragon a relatively benevolent being and the son of the heavens in control of the universe’s water elements the Western dragon has become a predominently evil creature. In some respects this is perhaps due to the rise of organised religion, which consigned the dragon to a role somewhere between that of a demon and the Devil. The dragon’s fiery breath is a destructive force, capable of devastating entire nations. They are sometimes depicted with red glowing eyes, said to reflect the treasure they voraciously guard. African mythology says the dragon fears one creature above all - the elephant. The two will fight to the death, but neither will ever win. The dragon will inflict terrible blows upon the elephant, but as the elephant finally collapses in death, his immense weight will crush and kill the dragon.

The dragon’s appearance can be broken into five major types:

THE AMPHITPTERE
Legless winged serpent native to the banks of the Nile river and Arabia. Guardian of frankincense-bearing trees this dragon threatened all desiring to harvest the precious resin.

THE GUIVRE
A legless, wingless serpent with a massive horned and bearded dragon head, found living in forests, wells and close to any body of water.

THE HERALDIC DRAGON
The most famous and formidable dragon, with massive four clawed legs, huge fangs and a ridge of spines running from its spiked nose to the tip of its barbed, stinging tail.

THE LINDWORM
A serpent’s body with a pair of legs, this flightless dragon was supposedly sighted by Marco Polo when in crossed the Central Asian steppes.

THE WYVERN
With its coiled trunk and eagle’s legs hidden underneath its wings this vicious dragon brought pestilence to Ethiopia, Greece and northern Europe.

The dragon has been a staple of the fantasy genre for centuries, and this fascinating character’s popularity shows no signs of abating. Studying different cultures’ myths based on the dragon is interesting, and you may find yourself applying a few of these traits to your next dragon story. After all, a new approach to a traditional fantasy favourite might just give your story that “uniqueness” all fantasy readers and writers seek!

AFRICA
Egyptian mythology’s Apep was a dragon symbolising mayhem and evil. Every evening the Sun god Ra fought Apep for the power of the sun whenever it sank below the horizon. Amphisbaena was another African dragon with a head at either end of his snake-like body, renowned for holding the head on its tail with its front head, creating a circle allowing it to roll across the land at great speed.

ARMENIA
A dead man was believed to become a dragon, the mythological guardian of treasures contained in burial chambers. Only the god of fire and lightning could control the dragon’s power in the heavens.

CENTRAL AMERICA
The Feathered Serpent dates back to 1100 BC, and was a symbol of death and resurrection. It was also considered the deity responsible for bestowing knowledge upon mankind.

GREECE
During the battle of the Greek gods against the Titans, the dragon fought for the latter group. When he attacked the goddess Athena she threw him into the heavens and turned him into a constellation. Hercules eleventh labour saw him slay the dragon Ladon.

HUNGARY
Several dragons feature in this country’s mythology. The Sárkány are giant dragons with human forms and multiple heads containing all their strength. As they loose their heads so they grow weak. The Zomok looks like a snake, and lives in swamps killing pigs or sheep for food. A fully grown Zomok is called a Sárkánykigyó, and has wings. It rules over bad weather and thunderstorms, and will offer transport to a magician named Garabonciások.

INDIA
Nagas, the main dragons in Hindu mythology, live under water. Their king wears a golden crown, and these dragons are associated with Buddha and the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. As a child Krishna challenged and defeated a Naga obstructing a lake.

INDONESIA
Like its Indian counterpart, this dragon wears a golden crown and is called Naga – another name is Nogo. It is a divine, benevolent creature associated with sacred forests, mountains and seas. It is thought the Nogo still lives in undiscovered mountains, lakes and active volcanoes. To the people of Bali and java dragons represent goodness sent to earth by gods to give people prosperity and maintain the force of good. It is considered good luck to see a dragon, but bad luck will befall anyone to whom a dragon speaks.

ITALY

Italy’s Scultone (aka Ascultone) was legendary around Sardinia. This immortal dragon was a basilisk, supposedly hatched from a serpent’s egg by a rooster. It looks like a lizard and has the power to kill, using either its voice, its piercing gaze or by its evil touch

KOREAN
Yong is the sky dragon, associated with the weather and water. The hornless ocean dragon is Yo, and Kyo is the mountain dragon. Korean mythology claims the dragon originated with man and has always had four toes. When the dragon travels east or north, he loses toes, but when he travels south or west, he gains toes. As the world grew the dragon travelled west and grew even more toes. However it was a long walk, and by the time he arrived at the Americas, he lost all his toes and could no longer walk.

MAORI
The Taniwha live in dark caves, the sea or deep pools and rivers, protected by whirlpools, waves and dangerous currents. These enormous creatures have a rown of spines down their backs, and sometimes take on the form of a floating log, but will move in a strange, terrifying manner. They are strong, and can tunnel into land underground, uprooting trees and often causing landslides near dams and lakes.

THE PHILLIPINES
The Bakonawa lives in the sea and at certain times of the year leaves his watery home to consume the moon. When this happens the natives create a lot of noise to frighten Bakonawa so he spits out the moon and returns it to the sky. There’s an alternate story to this myth based around Bakonawa’s sister, who is represented as a sea turtle. She would lay her eggs on one of the islands, but every time she came ashore the water would follow her, and the island seemed to grow smaller. The worried residents, thinking their island would disappear, killed the sea turtle. On hearing of his sister’s demise, the grieving Bakonawa ate the moon and disappeared into the sea. The terrified locals asked their god Bathala to intervene. He refused, telling the people instead to make a great noise to disturb Bakonawa. They complied, banging their pots and pans to frighten the dragon. It worked – he regurgitated the moon and disappeared into the sea, never again to be seen.

PORTUGAL
The dragon associated with this country is unique in that she’s female. Her name is Coca, and she is famous for losing one of her ears AND some of her strength during a battle with Saint George.

SPAIN
Asturian mythology tells of giant winged dragons named Cuélebres, who live in caves guarding their treasures and the kidnapped nymphs called Xanas. Its saliva turns into a magical stone capable of healing many diseases. They live to a great age, with their scales growing thicker as they grow older. They seldom move, and when they do it is simply to search for food – their diet consists of humans and cattle. It is thought a Cuélebre can be killed by feeding it bread full of pins or a red-hot stone.

TURKEY
The dragon Evren does not breath fire from his mouth – he passes flames from his tail. He is described as a snake, and has no wings and no feet. His blood is medicinal, but be warned – blood drawn from his head will heal while blood from his tail is lethal.

VIETNAM
These dragons control the weather and are responsible for crops. Named Rồng (or Long) their bodies are divided into 12 parts, one for each month of the year. A row of small fins runs down its back, and it has no horns. Its eyes are prominent and it has a long mane of hair and a beard. These dragons hold a jewel in their mouths, symbolising intelligence, nobility and humanity.

I must apologise for the length of this newsletter. I had no idea the dragon was such a global fantasy icon! The next issue I am editing is due on 29 August, 2007 and will feature "The Griffin" - as requested by dusktildawn.