Dragons Species
Albanian Dragon
Amphisabena
An African dragon with two heads, one at the end of its long tail and at the head end. It has a curiously bird like body with the feet of a rooster, and by grasping the tail head with the other is able to travel by rolling around in this hoop. Usually portrayed as having a scaly body and feet of a rooster. It's name means "one that goes in both directions".
Stories say when the female amphisbaena was looking over her eggs, she could keep one head awake at all times. Today, there is a lizard named after this dragon which has markings on its tail that look like a head. When threatened, it lifts its tail and scatters back and forth to confuse its attacker.
Amphitere
This type of dragon can be found in Britain, the Middle East, Egypt, and several Latin American countries such as Peru. Their appearance is similar to that of a gigantic jade-colored snake with multi-colored feathered wings, and some also possess a single pair of front legs. In European and Middle Eastern countries, the Amphitere is thought to know all the secrets of the world save one, and possess such fantastic powers as hypnotic eyes, which are usually invested in guarding the treasures of the land, like myrrh trees, gold, and other assorted riches.
Even the bodily parts of an Amphitere are special. If its teeth are planted, an army of battle ready warriors will spring up, eager to help, its blood, when drunk, will give one the power to understand animals, and a potion of dried Amphitere eyes mixed with honey will cure the consumer's headache. The most famous of the Latin American Amphitere is "Quetzalcoatl," whose name means "most precious serpent." This dragon is believed to be inspired by the quetzal bird, which has a beautiful multicolored tail of almost two feet long. The Latin American Amphitere has only a pair of wings and a jade, feathered serpentine body.
Apocrypha
A huge red dragon with seven heads (see Hydra) with a crown topping each head, and ten horns. This dragon (a personification of the devil) fought a war with Michael and his angels, and was then cast, with his followers, out of Heaven and back onto Earth. The open mouth of this dragon is portrayed as the gateway to hell.
Armenian Dragon
Asturian and Leonese Dragon
Azhl Dahaki
According to Persian mythology, Angra Mainyu, the father of lies, created this fearsome dragon to rid the world of truth and righteousness. He possesses three jaws, three heads and six eyes, and his body is filled with venomous beasts so that none could cut him open without infecting the world. This dragon supposedly tried to extinguish the sacred flame known as The Divine Glory, but was stopped by the fire god Atar. As punishment, Azhl was then bound by the hero Thraetaona and set on Mount Demavend by the Caspian sea. Legend dictates that when Azhl is set free from this imprisonment, the world will end as he devours a third of all living things until stopped and killed by the youth Keresaspa.
Bahamut
Catalan Dragon
Cetus
The Sea Serpent of Greek Mythology to whom Andromeda was sacrificed by her father, Cepheus when her mother compared herself to the Neieds, the sea nymphs. Perseus rode Pegasus to save her, slew Cetus and he and Andromeda were married.
Celestial Dragon
Celestial Dragon - The Ruler of the Chinese dragons. Has five claws curling from its feet. It has 117 scales, 81 infused with yang, the good, and 36 infused with yin, the evil. This was the dragon of the Chinese emperors. There are many types of Chinese Dragons. Others include the the Spiritual, The Dragon of Hidden Treasures, the Winged, the Horned, the Coiling, and the Yellow.
Cloud Dragon
Cloud dragons are solitary creatures, and most encounterd will be with a lone creature. If two are found they will most likely be a mated pair. Cloud dragons look like fringed and frilled gold dragons. Coloration depends on surroundings and mood, ranging from dark gray (angry), pure white (neutral), or golden to rose colored (very pleased). Cloud dragons are a sky dwelling race. Some will make lairs in cloud shrouded caves but most will have their lairs on floating cloud islands.
It is very hard to distinguish cloud dragons from the clouds around them because they can take on a cohesive gaseous form at will. Will in this form the only attacks the dragons can do are spells. Cloud dragons are able to use spells that are weather or wind based. One special spell they have is called `Cloudburst´. It takes all water from a cloud and compresses it into a mass rain that can extinguish all magical and normal fires.Three times a day the dragon can breathe a blast of wind some 3 ft wide, 3 ft deep, and 20 ft long.
Chinese Dragon
See The Chinese Dragon
Chuvash Dragon
Dragonet
A very small dragon that ranges in size from about the length of one's finger to just under a foot. They bear a remarkable resemblance to the newly hatched drakelings of the western variety, but possess wings and are incredibly poisonous to the touch. They also can spit flame or breath fire if they should so choose, and some decide to take an easy life by disguising themselves as one of the children of an unwitting dragon parent.
Drake
This is a Western-type dragon with only legs and no wings. There are two types of drakes, Fire and Cold. FireDrakes have the breath of flame, and are usually reddish in color. ColdDrakes have the breath of snow and hail, and are usually white or light bluish in color. These types of dragons do not fly, they look like large lizards being about 4 to 40 feet long. This dragon has links to the Western dragon in history, but no solid history has been produced. Sometimes young western dragons are mistaken for drakes because of the lack of wings until they reach maturity.
Eastern Dragon
The Eastern dragon is representative of wealth and good luck, unlike its more ruthless western cousins. The dragons are said to be made up of many different types of animals of the Earth: the body of a snake, scales of a carp (fish), head of a camel, horns of a giant stag (deer), the eyes of a hare (rabbit), ears like a bull, a neck like an inguana, belly of a frog, paws like a tigers, and claws like an eagle. Most of the time they are shown to have a lion-type mane around its neck, on its chin, and on each elbow. They have two antler-type horns decorating their wide-mouthed head, and two long "feeler" whiskers spreading out from their snout. Eastern dragons have 117 scales, 81 infused with yang, the good, and 36 infused with yin, the bad. This evens out the dragons temper and personality.
Males are often represented as having extra scales on the neck, a pearl under the skin and several small wings. The eastern dragon is also believed to go through seven forms in their lifetimes of three thousand years, and the most commonly seen of these forms is the sixth. Many of these dragons will freely bless the righteous person with happiness and wealth, and are represented as guardians of the water. Supposedly, there is a dragon in every bit of water, from the tiniest rain drop to the largest ocean.
They are often invisible to mortal eyes, although one can sense their presence or hear their voices through gongs and the jingling of coins. They also sometimes take the shape of a newt or snake so as to visit our world without causing panic. Most fly by using the earth's magnetic current to soar, and are thought to representative of these currents much like the French Wouive. Celestial Chinese dragons have five claws on each paw, and are said to live in and guard the palaces of dead nobility and the gods.
English Dragon
Fafnir
The Norse `Völsunga Saga´ tells of a greedy, evil man who killed his father to gain control of the older man's vast hoard of gold treasure. He then transformed himself into a monstrous dragon and retreated to a lonely cave so as to better guard his wealth. The only person who Fafnir feared would try to steal from him was his brother Regin, the tutor to the young man Sigurd. With the help and insistence of Regin, Sigurd killed Fafnir by digging a pit in the dragon's path, hiding in it with a sword upraised, and stabbing it into the dragon's heart when he went down near the hole for a drink.
As he died, Fafnir told Sigurd that Regin was also planning his young charges death, but Sigurd would not believe him and brought the heart to Regin as proof of the kill. Regin demanded Sigurd to cook it for him, and he complied. As the heart was almost done, Sigurd touched it just to make sure it was hot enough, and burned his finger. Putting it to his lips, the young man found he could understand a pair of birds who were talking about how wise whoever ate Fafnir's heart would be, and how Regin was planning to kill Sigurd. Deciding he had enough warnings, Sigurd turned on Regin and then ate the heart himself.
Faerie Dragons
The Faerie dragon can be found in peaceful, tangled forests in all climes. They will often be found with a group of sprites or pixies. They can become invisible at will. They are able to do the normal claw/bite attack but their more favored weapon is their breath weapon. They are able to shoot a 2 ft cloud of euphoria gas. The victims affected will lose interest in the battle and will wander around in a state of bliss.
A very small dragon of only a couple inches long with a pair of multi- colored butterfly-like wings. They also have large eyes for their face, and some have a long, aardvark shaped nose with a long, straw like tongue. These dragons are vegetarian as they only eat fruit, vegetables, nuts, and so on. These are the rarest of all the dragons, and some believe that the only reason this myth started at all were the large butterflies in some parts of the rainforest. It is said in legend that these dragons sometimes carry faeries from city to city. Since only a few have ever been seen, the history of these types of dragons are next to none.
Faerie dragons don't usually attack directly unless they are conered or protecting their lairs. Most of the time they will use magic to cause mischief from a distance. All their spells are chosen solely for their mischief making potential. Though many faerie dragon pranks are spur-of-the-moment affairs, months of preparation often go into a single grand practical joke.
All faerie dragons can communicate telepathically with one another at a distance of 2 miles. They also have the ability to communicate with animals and will often use forest creatures in their pranks.
French Dragon
Gargouille
A dragon which rose from the waters of the Seine, the river in France. It spouted a tremendous blast of water from its mouth which flooded the countryside and was called Gargouille or "gargler". The sign of the cross subdued it, and the people of France erected statues of the creature on the buildings to instill fear. The statues are known as gargoyles.
Greek Dragon
Grendel
This horrible monster was killed by Beowulf after consuming many people. Few knew what Grendle was exactly, the descriptons range from troll to serpent. After it's death Grendel's mother then avenged her son, but was slain in the attempt.
Guivre
A serpent dragon who's breath would generate plagues and disease. It was ashamed of nudity, so would flee in the presence of a nude person[?].
Hydra
The dragon of Greek Mythology usually represented as an immense dragon with thick legs and a even thicker tail with multiple heads. According to Greek legend, the Hydra possessed nine heads atop nine snaking necks, one of which was immortal. When any of the other eight were cut off, another two grew in its place. The second labor of Hercules consisted of having to kill the Hydra of the Lerna swamp, and finally succeeded only in having his nephew Iolus searing each neck at the base with a burning stick as its head was cut off, and burying the immortal head under a rock. (Another source say Hercules was alone at this moment, so...)He then cut up the remainder of the Hydra's body to prevent regeneration, and dipped his weapons in its gall so the least wound from one of them would be fatal. Also in Greek mythology, Jason killed a hydra to get the Golden Fleece.
This dragon is a symbol of the fertilizing powers of water throughout mythology because of its ability to regenerate itself when hurt or even killed. The earliest representations of the Hydra can be seen on a Syrian seal which dates back to the 1300´s BC, and is a clear representation of the Babylonian influence on the Canaanite.
Indian Dragon
Indonesian and Malay Dragon
Jade Dragon
A small dragon from East Europe, with impressive long claws and teeth. Mostly hunted for the eyes. (Sad to be deep, hypnotizing green.) Storytellers say they give eternal life. The recepie are, however still a secret. (If this author find it, the mystery will be solved.)
Japanese Dragon
Khmer Dragon
Korean Dragon
Lindworm
The Lindworm seems to be a variation on the classic wyrm. These are dragons with no wings; have powerful forelegs which they use to push themselves across the soil, and a long, muscular tail that can be used like a whip as a weapon. They usually have very long tails, and short legs. Lindworms were apparently discovered by Marco Polo while crossing Central Asia. He described them in great detail in his journal as,
Swifter than it looks. Easily able to take down a man on a galloping horse.
And yes, one of the dangers of the Lindworm is they enjoy eating horses immensely, and will often kill a rider in the simple attempt to make the horse buckle to its knees. These often reside in streams and under the earth, and have very sharp eyes which can see in the dark like a cat's. Some believe that the Lindworm is a semi-dragon whose ancestors consist of both lizards and wyrms. This type of dragons (see Oroboros) are frequently represented as "prima materia" in the first stage of the Alchelmy process.
Lambton Worm
The legend of the Lambton worm tells of the ancient family of the Lambtons. One of the sons was wild and cared nothing for religion, to the disappointment of his parents. One Sabbath, he sneaked out of church to go fishing and caught the Lambton Worm as a drakeling. Finding it too ugly to eat, he threw it in a well. That night, he had terrible dreams about his life as a sinner and the next morning went to the priest to repent. The priest advised the young boy to join the crusades. When the young Lambton had returned, the same worm he had caught as a boy had grown to its full size and was a menace to the country side. Even worse, it was cut in half, the two parts joined together again as if nothing ever happened.
Horrified, Lambton went to the village witch who advised him on how to kill the dragon, but demanded that he kill the first creature he saw after the worm's death as her fee. Otherwise, she would curse the family so that nine generations of Lambtons would die away from home. He agreed, and went out to kill the worm, first telling his father to let the old and sickly hunting hound to go ahead when he came to greet his son after the labor. Lambton succeeded, and the happy father, quite forgetting Lambton's instruction, ran ahead of the hound. Lambton refused to kill his father, and so for nine generations every Lambton died alone and far from home.
Leviathan
According to Christian legend, when God created life, he also created the great dragon Leviathan and counter parted it against the desert dwelling Behemoth. On Doomsday, God will destroy them both and therefore end the earth.
Lithuanian Dragon
Mo-o
This Polynesian dragon's name means "great sea creature." The dragon was thought to steal people's possessions, and move oysters to different lands so that people could not make their livings by harvesting oysters.
Midgård Serpent
The Midgard Serpent, also known as Jornungand's worm. One of Loki's children, and was thrown off the Sacred Ash, Yggdrasil, by Odin when it was just a little baby. Some call it a dragon and according to Norse legend, it lays under the sea with its tail in its mouth, regurgitating the ocean even as it swallows it. However, this small serpent grew to encompass the world, and now the huge serpent twines around the earth, twisting and writhing. If its tail was to ever be removed the Ragnarok are near. This dragon-snake had many run-ins with the mighty Thor, and the two of them will face off during the final battle on earth (Ragnarok, the doom of gods).
Mist Dragons
Mist dragons can be found only near waterfalls, seacoasts, and areas where rainfall is heavy. They can assume a cohesive gaseous form and appear as mist, which is their favored state.
Besides the normal claw/bite attacks this dragon also has a breath weapon. They can breathe out a clould of misty vapors that can blind and cause creatures caught in it to drown. Mist dragons are also able to use cloud or water based spells. Mist dragons resemble gold dragons in body form. They are semitransparent even in material form and have a grayish-white to blue-white color.
Naga
Indian serpent-like creatures with the torso and head of humans, and the body and tail of a snake. They have their own society and kingdoms under the earth. There are different types of nagas, such as the Divine, the Heavenly, and others.
These are thought to be snakes with human faces which live in Patala, an under water region beneath the earth. This type of dragon originates from Pakistan, from the legend of the Naga Apala, a god who was able to keep evil dragons away in exchange for offerings from the locals. However, when they gradually forgot to do this, he changed himself into a poisonous dragon and became the plague of the countryside himself.
Ouroboros
A dragon who holds its tail it its mouth. First discovered in Egypt, and later in Greece,it is the symbol of the universe. It also is sometimes referred to being the symbol of "eternity" or "never ending". The name Ouroboros means "tail eater". A similar dragon is his Norse cousin the Midgard Serpent whose huge body circles the entire world. He was also known for biting his tail, when he was not trying to bite the Norse god Thor.
Peluda
A wingless neo-dragon with a back like a porcupine.
Philippine Dragon
Portuguese Dragon
Quetzalcoatl
The name of this god-dragon means "most precious serpent," and he is the personified form of the king of the native Latin American Toltecs. He is held to be the god of winds, peace, and industry, is called the Lord of the Morning Star, and most closely represents the feathered Amphitere. He was a good and gentle god responsible for all inspiration, and often went among his people as an old man with a white beard and broken walking stick or a young man in a feathered cloak. He taught them agriculture, mining and the secrets of the zodiac thus. He also would not permit human sacrifice in his presence, and only wanted flowers and fruit to be laid on his altar.
This time of peaceful reign was ended when his sister, the Moon Goddess Tlazoteotl, gave him magic mushrooms and wine, then seduced him in the form of a sensual woman with dubious mortality. When he realized what he had done, Quetzecoatl left his palaces and sailed, naked, on a raft of serpent skins into the sunrise. The fire of the sun set the boat aflame, killed Quetzecoatl, and sent his soul to join with the sunrise. It is believed he will one day return to his people, and once upon a time the Spanish conqueror was mistaken as his reincarnated form, and used this advantage to defeat the mighty Aztecs.
Romanian Dragon
Salamander
In medieval times, the Salamander was believed to be part dragon and therefore immune to fire. Some believed that the hissing and popping of the fire was a Salamander singing to them, or perhaps even casting a spell over their house. Through this, the Salamander soon became associated with witches, and a true witch was believed to be able to escape the fire by turning into a Salamander and escaping to hell where she/he was given a new form.
Sardinian Dragon
Scandinavian and Germanic Dragons
Sea Serpent
These are dragons that live in water, fresh or salt. Since man has been sailing on boats, sea serpents have been in history. These creatures were shown on maps early in European history, where unknown territory was marked "HERE BE DRAGONS". Some scientists believe that these sea serpents sailers were actually gigantic squid, large masses of sea kelp, or even seafaring dinosaurs. The Basilosaurus had a very long body, and short neck, its mouth filled with long sharp teeth. If it came out of the water near a boat, it could very much be thought of as a sea serpent.
"Nessie" the Loch Ness Monster in Scotland, is one famous "sea serpent". This creature has been seen by peoples of Scotland, and lives in the great Loch Ness. She is a sleek watertight creature, similar to a whale or other sea creature. A common belive is that the lake, that Nessie suppose to live in, actually are not a lake in its common sense but are directly connected to the ocean.
Shadow Dragons
The shadow dragon is nocturnal, subterranean, or found on planes of dimness. This species is also independant and solitary. Shadow dragons prefer to walk rather than fly, for they are poor flyers and will tire quickly. The visual capabilities of a shadow dragon are inferior in bright light. They see normally in star light. The female lays a clutch of 5-8 eggs in a dark place. The first one to hatch will devour the others.
All shadow dragons have a great ability to hide in shadows. Due to their nature and substance they can only be harmed by magical weapons. They are immune to life drains of all type and they can't be subdued or sold. Shadow dragons appear as wormlike dragons of lighter and darker shadows. The bat-like wings are semitransparent, as is most of the body.
If someone is trying to spot a shadow dragon, the eyes, pools of feral gray opalesense, are the easiest to detect. They are able to use 3rd and 4th level spells depending on age. They tend to know spells that deal with darkness and will shun the spells dealing with light or fire. Besides the normal claws/bite attack the shadow dragon's breath weapon is a cloud of darkness some 40 ft long and 20 ft high. This darkness not only blinds but drains the life energy of creatures caught within to a quarter of it's normal strength.
Sibirian Dragon
Sirrush
The Sirrush was first found painted on the walls in buildings of the ancient city Babylon. Unlike many mythological animals, the Sirrush was not represented differently over time, but kept its same form over the ages. Many believe that it could of been a representation of a living dinosaur which may have lived in the nearby swamps at this time. It is called the mokele-mbembe by the natives, and is thought to resemble a double human-sized Apatosaurus with claws.
Slavic Dragon
Tatar Dragon
Tatzelworm
This dragon has the appearance of a snake with the forearms of a cat. Many Sicilian farmers say they have seen it, and a few even claim to have killed it. They consider it a threat to both themselves and the over-all well being of their farms. It has not yet been formally discovered by science.
Tiamat
In the ancient Babylonian creation epic known as Enuma Elish the story of the dragoness Tiamat first unfolded. According to this epic poem, in the beginning there was nothing but two elements - Aspu, the male spirit of fresh water and the abyss, and Tiamat, the female dragon spirit of salt water and chaos. The two had an uncountable number of children which became gods and goddesses, and upon looking at their numbers and boisterous ways, Aspu resolved to kill them all. The Gods ended up killing him after inadvertently learning of his plot.
Tiamat, upset at the death of her husband, laid low for a time and plotted to take revenge against her children with the help of twelve monsters (the viper, the shark, the scorpion man, the storm demon, the great lion, the dragon, the mad dog and four nameless ones) she had spawned. The company was truly a fearsome sight and none would stand up against her but Marduk, who was armed with a bow and arrows, a mace, lightning, and net woven out of the four winds. He eventually managed to catch her in this net, and as she opened her mouth to devour him, he drove an evil wind down her throat so she could not close her mouth.
Marduk then killed her by driving arrows down her throat until she bled to death. Deciding to create a new world for his siblings to live on in peace, he used half of Tiamat's body to create the sky, and the other half to create the earth. He then took her blood and used it to fashion the human race as a slave for the gods to use as they saw fit.
Tatsu
Japanese Dragon with three claws, similar to the Chinese lung.
Turkish Dragon
Vietnamese Dragon
Welsh Dragon
Western Dragon
When most people think of dragons, this is what comes to mind. Thick, long bodied, scaly skin, four strong legs, two bat-like wings, wedge-shaped heads, and long necks. Gigantic fire-breathing lizard with a nasty temper and an affinity for chaos and gold, have huge hoards of gold and jewels hidden in their lairs. Some the scourges of the country side, demanding tribute for their protection, but others are fair and just. Some kings, such as the legendary Uther Pendragon, has chosen to make these dragons their symbols. The western dragon is thought to symbolize sovereignty, the power of evil, and sin. Some breeds of these dragons have been known to be shape changers, and others have the chameleon power to change color of their background. They are sometimes displayed as having a spade or spiked tail. They eat but once a month on a sheep or ox, or even a human (myth says they prefer virgin maidens). They can be any color, or many colors, depending on the breed of the dragon.
Legends say that eating a dragons' heart will give the consumer the power of understanding birds, eating the dragons' tongue enables the person to win any argument, and rubbing the dragons' blood on skin will protect against stab wounds. Another myth references Vlad Drakul to mean Son of the Dragon, or Devil. The end of the dragon came with Christianity, and knights that were eager to prove their faith. The knights quickly discovered that dragon-hunting was very profitable.
Wyrm/Worm/Wurm
Supposedly the most ancient of dragons, the wyrm looks basically like a huge snake with no legs or wings.Also known as The Guivre. These dragons seem to have originated in England, and are said to live in forests and wells. They love any place near water.There are many famous worms in England's history, the most famous perhaps is the Lambton Worm. This is about an Heir to Lambton Hall in England who caught the small worm, but thought it too ugly to eat, so he thew it in the local well.
Over the years the worm grew to enormous proportions and left the well to harass the locals. When Lambton came back from a war to see the horror he had created, and was told by witch he must slay the worm, but also must kill the next creature he saw. He slayed the worm, but unfortunately, the next living creature he saw was his own father, of whom he could not kill. It was said that the Lambton family was cursed for the next nine generations, and doomed to die abroad, and never at home.
Wyvern
The Wyvern is a dragon with a single pair of wings which sometimes act as arms, a tail, and a pair of forelegs. Other spellings include the Old English form, wyvre, and the Old French, wivre. The French Wyvern was known as Vouivre or Wouive, is portrayed as a serpent with the head and body of a beautiful woman with a ruby or garnet set between her eyes. This jewel was used to guide her through the mortal underworld. She was the protector of the earth and all living things, and as one author poetically put it, she is ‘the spirit that breathes or inspires.'
The Wouive was a personification of the magnetic currents that, which even then the ancients knew, spanned the earth. However, once brought west, the Wyvern was inverted as so many dragons in western culture are. It becomes a ruthless, lithe killer whose only joy is to destroy young maidens and other wyverns. Even its looks differ, as it is given a mean, pointed head, small beady eyes and bat's wings. In this form it represents war, pestilence, envy and viciousness.
These are dragons which have two wings, but only two legs. Sometimes shown as having claws on the wings, acting like another pair of "hands". The Wyvern is sometimes depicted as having a razor sharp stinger filled with poison on the end of its tail.
The history of the wyvern seems to come from Europe. The history of this dragon is not so clear, it seems to be mixed in with the history of the 4-legged dragon. Wyvern's have been depicted in heraldry on shields and banners for hundreds of years, and is considered a sign of strength to those who bear the symbol.
Wizard's Dragon
Powerful wizards could by magic make their own Dragons. Mostly made of jewels like ruby, emerald, sapphire, or quartz. They prefered jewels before stone, beacuse they seemed to be more powerful as a Dragon. Less fortunate wizards have to do with stone, tough.
These creations become the wizards slave and have to obey his will, and to gain its freedom are in case of his masters death. And the only way to kill this Dragon is to directly ame to its heart with a silverarrow [blessed by a priest] or to say the magic spell backwards.
Dragons - Content | Myths and Legends