Paraphrase Notes
Author: New World Encyclopedia Contributors
Title: Dragons
Page: N/A
The dragon is a mythical creature that usually holds spiritual or majestic qualities and often appears to be snake like or reptilian like. Dragons appear in stories, legends, and myths around the world but each culture perceives them differently. In Chinese culture and eastern culture the dragon comes across as a spiritual wise creature that represents nature’s primal forces and the universe. In western cultures like Europe and Asia the dragon appears to be evil. Their dragon legends tell it to be malicious and the enemy of mankind with supernatural forces.

The most common use of the dragon is depicted as a serpent like creature eating its own tail, which becomes a symbol of eternity, natural cycles, and completion. Dragons are more known for their fire breathing and flying. They are known as creatures that are enchanted or have mystical powers. Movies, fairytales, fantasy, and video games usually had the dragon shown as evil and dangerous. Although as times have changed so has the role of the dragon. Now in some cases the dragon is depicted as a creature of wisdom that is kind hearted and only uses its powers for good. Dragons are also being shown as the companions of humans like a dog would be or they are there to protect a human like a guardian angel would.

In ancient Greek the etymological root for the word dragon means “to see strong”, but in Greek the word serpent is translated into the work “drakon”. In Latin the word for serpent is “drakonis”. In the English language the creature became known as “dragon” by taking the root and different variations for the word serpent. If you were to translate the words for serpent in different languages, they would be adjectives for the dragon.

Different cultures have different appearances of their dragons. The dragons vary in size and in length, some cultures show the dragon the size of a bear, some the size of a butterfly, and some the size of giants. Depending on where the dragon’s origins are from it will either be more serpents or reptilians, with scales, wings or neither. Whichever the concept dragons are hatched from eggs with large eyes and are either born good or evil.

Scholars have found evidence that in ancient Greek and Chinese cultures they found fossils of large creatures which they could not identify and, so it is to be believed that the myth of dragons and other large mythical creatures have been created because of them. The fossils that were found may have been dinosaur fossil and even though mankind never co-existed, some scholars say that dinosaurs could be the origin of dragons.

In Slavic mythology the dragon is told to be the protector of crops and fertility. They are seen as three headed creatures made up of snakes, humans and birds that are able to shape shift. In Germanic and Norse mythology the dragon appeared to be more snake like that was evil, greedy, and guarded hoards of treasures mostly living in caves underground or high in mountain tops. In British mythology the dragons were similar to the Germanic and Norse mythology. In British mythology it is to be believed that a white dragon and a red dragon fought to the death, with the red dragon being the victor. The white dragon was supposed to be the Saxons (now the English) who tried to invade Britain, which is also to be believed that it originates from the Arthurian Legend. In Basque mythology the dragon was an evil spirit that took the shape of a serpent like creature. In Christianity there are no direct mentioning of dragons but there are mentioning’s of serpent like creatures that fit the description of a dragon. For instance, the serpent that tempted Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit can be portrayed as a dragon.

Dragons have played a big role in literature as far back as the work of the “Old English” and medieval times. Some know works of literature that feature a dragon are; Beowulf, The Hobbit, Eragon, Puff the Magic Dragon, and King Arthur. With the numerous works or literature that have come around the dragon is no longer portrayed as an evil creature that only a true hero can defeat, but rather as keepers of knowledge, power, wisdom, magic, kindness, and only work for the forces of good.

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Dragon

Elizabeth Roe
English 1301
Direct Quotation
Author: Kevin Owens
Title: Dragons Across Cultures
Page: N/A
“The eastern dragon, sometimes called Lung (in China) or Long (in Vietnam), may almost seem like a completely different creature than the Western Dragon. Their anatomy, their behavior, their symbolism, and what they mean to society are quite different.” “The East seems to value dragons for their magic and beauty.” “However, this view is drastically changed in the West, where dragons were viewed as monsters” “Dragons from the East are used in ceremonies and parades. This creature, like the Western dragon, can sometimes also take on the form of a monster. However, it is made of many different animal qualities and parts. It symbolizes heroism and not so much danger or threat. The Eastern dragon is seen as more of protector than a villain. It is a symbol of beauty and power. The Chinese even have a year of the dragon, and it is said that anyone born in this year will be healthy, wealthy, and wise, all of the things which the dragon of the East represents. The year of the dragon is also said to be a very prosperous year for the people of China.” “Because the Chinese hold dragons in such great respect, there are many tales about dragons and the wealth that they bring to the people of China. One story is about a dr...

/entry/dragon /types.php 1 1301 1519 1658 1972 2 3 4 5 50ft abl absolut accept accord across act actual adam adject afford africa agre agricultur air airplan allig allow almost alreadi also although america among amount anatomi ancient angel anim anoth answer antarctica anymor anyon anyth appear arabia arch archaeologist architectur area aros around arriv art arthur arthurian articl ascend asia ask aspect associ ate attract author away aztec babylon back backbit baffl barley base basic basqu bat battl be beam bear beard beast beauti becam becom bed began behavior belief believ belliger beowulf best bibl big biggest bird birth bishop black blind blood blossom blue bodi bone boney born bottom boy breath bridg bright bring britain british brother brought bubbl bunch butterfli call came cannot canopi carol carri carv case categor cathedr caus cave central centuri ceremoni certain chamber chanc chang chao chaotic characterist charl children china chines christian chromat church citi citizen civil classifi claw climat climb close cloven co co-exist come common companion compil complet compon concept concern conclud confirm confront congo conquer conquistador conscious consid contact contain continu contributor control cosmic could couldn cover covet creat creation creatur credibl cri crocodil crop cross cruel crypto cultur cun curs cut cycl damn damp danger daughter david day dead death deed defeat definit dens departur depend depict describ descript desert destroy destruct devil didn die differ dig dinner dinosaur direct disconnect discov dish dismiss distant documentari doesn dog done door doubl doubt dragon dragon-lik drain drakon drakoni drastic draw drop dude dwindl dynasti eager earli earth easili east eastern eat ebert edward egg either eleph elizabeth embellish embodi emerg emperor empir enchant encount encyclopedia end endur enemi english enorm enough enter epic eragon etern etymolog europ european eve even ever everi everyth evid evil exagger exampl except exist expect explain explan explor extinct eye fact fade fairytal fame famili fantasi far farm fascin fast father fear featur felt femal feroci fertil field fifteen fifth fill find fine finish fire first fit flame fled flew fli fling floor foam folklor fontain food forbidden forc forest forget forgiv form format forti fortun forty-nin fossil fought found four fragment franc fruit fulfil full furi galaxi game gargler gargoyl garment gate gave generos generous georg german get giant gigant gill girl give given go god goe golden golli good got govern great greec greedi greek green greenwel grow guard guardian guess habitat hair hand happen happili hard hatch head healthi heard heart heaven hebrew held hell help henc heresi hero herodotus heroism high histori hoard hobbit hold holi horn hot hous howev huge human hundr hunt husband ice idea ident identifi illus impati imperi import imposs impress increas indescrib indian inim initi inquiri insid insolubl inspir instanc instant instead intellig interest intrigu invad invent investig involv jar joe john journey joy judgment jump jungl justifi keep keeper keg kept kevin key kill kind king kingdom knew know knowledg known komodo lake land languag larg largest last later latin law leader learn least leav led left leg legend legitim lemon lemon-tre length leonard let leviathan libya life light like lineag link list literatur littl live ll long longer look lot love lung made magic main maintain majest make maker male malici man mani mankind map marco mardick marri marshal master may mbemb meal mean medicin mediev meet mention mesopotamia metal metaphys mexico middl middle-eastern mind minotaur modern mokel moment money monster monstrous morn most mother motiv mountain mourn mouth movi much multipli must mute mysteri mystic myth mythic mytholog n/a name nativ natur near need neither never new next nigg night nimoy nine nobil nors note noth nowher nu numer obsess ocean offer often old one open oppos order ordinari origin outpost overcom owen own pack page paint palac pand pang parad paraphras part particular pearl penetr pensiv peopl perceiv perhap perseus personif piec pipe place play polit polo poor portray poseidon possibl poverti power practic precious prehistor primal princ probabl problem proceed progress promis propos prosper protect protector prove provis prowl pterosaur puff punish purest pursu put puzzl qualiti queen quest question quetzalcoatl quick quit quotat r ragach rais rampag rapid rather ration re reach read real realiz realli reason receiv recent reckon red refus regard relationship religion remark rememb repeat report repres reptil reptilian respect rest retain return reviv rice rich richard rid right rise ritual river robber roe role roman room root rule rush sacrif sacrific sadden said san sank sauropod saw saxon say scale scandinavia scari scholar scienc scriptur sea second see seem seen sens sent serpent set sexual shape sharp shift ship shore show shown side sight silk similar simpli sinc singl sit size skeleton skin slain slavic slay sleep slew small snake societi soldier someth sometim son soon sort south sow space span spanish speak speci spew spirit spiritu spoke spread spring st start stay steal steam step still stone stori storm strang stranger strength strike strong summari sun supernatur support suppos surround surviv swallow swamp swath symbol tail take tale talk tchanag tchang teeth tell temper tempt tend term terror testament thank thcang thcnag thing think third thompson though thought thousand threat three throat throughout tianant time titl told tongu took top touch townspeopl track tradit translat treasur tree tri true tuck turn two type unansw uncov underground understand uniqu univers unknown unless unlik unsur unwant upgrad upon us use usual vain valu valuabl vari variat ve victor video vietnam view vile villain viper visit vow wait walk want warm water way weak weaken wealth wealthi wear welcom well went west western wherea whether whichev white white-hair wide wife wing wisdom wise within woman women wonder word work world worm worri worship worthi would wouldn write writer wrong www.draconika.com www.draconika.com/types.php www.newworldencyclopedia.org www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/dragon wyvern yan year young yunxiang zero zoolog zoologist