{"id":4158,"date":"2023-05-08T10:01:38","date_gmt":"2023-05-08T15:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thereligioushistorynerd\/?p=4158"},"modified":"2023-05-08T10:01:38","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T15:01:38","slug":"the-origins-of-dragons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thereligioushistorynerd\/2023\/05\/the-origins-of-dragons\/","title":{"rendered":"The Origins of Dragons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

What are the origins of dragons? It isn\u2019t clear when and where dragons first appeared in the world, or even if there was a \u201cfirst appearance.\u201d Creatures with some of the attributes of dragons are found in the earliest folktales and legends of many cultures around the world. It\u2019s commonly speculated that such creatures were inspired by dinosaur fossils. Anthropologist David E. Jones, in his book An Instinct for Dragons<\/em> (Routledge, 2002), argues that humans are \u201chardwired\u201d to believe in dragons and similar monsters because of our innate fear of predators, programmed into us through millennia of evolution. See also Why serpents & dragons are beloved in the non-western world<\/a> by Ben H. Gagnon here at Patheos.<\/p>\n

We might sometimes quibble about which ancient mythological creatures qualify as dragons. Sumerian myths tell us of the god-mother Tiamat<\/a>, who is said to have transformed herself into a dragon-like being. In the Enuma Elish, the epic Babylonian story of creation, she is described as having a tail.\u00a0 The Enuma Elish dates to no later than the 12th century BCE, which would make Tiamat a very early dragon. Whether having a tail qualifies one as a dragon is a debatable point, however. \u00a0In a much later image she appears to be a cross between a bird and a panther, although her story associates her with water. Again, is a panther-bird a dragon? Eventually, the myths tell us, the evil Tiamat was killed by the god Madrak, and the earth and heavens were formed from her body.<\/p>\n

Today, I understand, Tiamat appears as a five-headed dragon in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons<\/em>. I apologize to D&D Adventurers if I\u2019m wrong about that. But I don\u2019t believe Tiamat ever had five heads and scales in back in the day in Mesopotamia.<\/p>\n

Origins of Dragons of China<\/h2>\n

In China, dragons came into their own. They were not just the occasional superpowered monster but their own species. <\/em>Carved jade dragons have been excavated at sites of the Hongshan culture of north China, dated to 4500-3000 BCE.\u00a0 In Chinese culture and religion, dragons are benevolent and wise. They symbolize power, creativity, heaven, and good fortune. Some of the ancient emperors were said to have been the sons of dragons. There are dragons who live in the heavens, and dragons who live in water. Dragons permeate Chinese arts and decorate temples of all the religions of China.<\/p>\n

Very early Chinese dragons had characteristics of many animals, including deer\u2019s antlers and tiger\u2019s paws. In time, east Asian dragons came to have a distinctly snake-like body. This may be because, through the introduction of Buddhism<\/a>, they came to be associated with nagas<\/em>. Nagas are snake-beings found in early Indus peninsula cultures. In some early art nagas have the upper body of humans, but the rest of them are all snake. Sometimes they look like giant cobras (naga<\/em> is the\u00a0 Sanskrit word for \u201ccobra\u201d), often with multiple heads. In the Mahabharata,<\/a> nagas are depicted as mostly villainous creatures bent on harming others. However, in Buddhist<\/a> scriptures they came to be treated more sympathetically. Sometimes the Buddha is pictured seated in meditation with a huge multi-headed naga-cobra right behind him, spreading its hoods to shield the Buddha from the elements.<\/p>\n

In east Asian Buddhism, nagas came to be synonymous with dragons. But in Tibetan Buddhism<\/a>, dragons and nagas are entirely different critters. \u00a0In Tibet, nagas are nasty water-dwelling spirits that cause disease and misfortune, which makes them more like the nagas of early India. Tibetan dragons, on the other hand, are protectors of Buddhism whose thunderous voices awaken us from delusion. Even so, a Tibetan dragon\u2019s body usually has the same snake-like appearance as a Chinese dragon.<\/p>\n

A Dragon Folk Tale<\/h2>\n

There was once a man named Yeh Kung zi who was besotted with dragons. He filled his home with dragon art and studied dragon lore. He would talk on and on about dragons to anyone who would listen. One day a dragon heard of Yeh Kung zi and thought, how lovely that this man truly appreciates us dragons. I will go visit him. It will please him so much to meet a true dragon. So the dragon flew to Yeh Kung zi\u2019s house and quietly entered in the night. But when Yeh Kung zi woke and saw scales and teeth glittering in the moonlight, he screamed in terror. Then he grabbed a sword and lunged at the dragon, who flew away.\u00a0 Yeh Kung zi lost his interest in dragons after that.<\/p>\n

Many generations of east Asian Buddhist teachers have used the True Dragon story in their teachings. A person who loves porcelain dragons but is terrified of a true one is like a person who keeps beautiful Buddhist art but makes no effort to practice the Buddha\u2019s teachings to realize enlightenment. The Japanese Zen master Eihei Dogen<\/a> (1200-1253) once wrote, \u201cI beseech you, noble friends in learning through experience, do not become so accustomed to images that you are dismayed by the true dragon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dragons of China often carry an orb in their paws. The orb is a pearl, and the pearl has power to grant wishes. There are a number of folk tales<\/a> about people who came into possession of the dragon\u2019s wish-fulfilling pearl.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A Chinese dragon lantern lights up the sky. Source: Photo 18356494 \/ Chinese Dragon \u00a9 Dazhi Wang | Dreamstime.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Origins of the Dragons of Europe<\/h2>\n

European dragons are said to have evolved from Greek dragons, who may have been influenced by Near Eastern dragons and the dragons of old Mesopotamia. The European dragon does bear a resemblance to the Chinese one except that it is more obviously reptilian and breathes fire, which Chinese dragons rarely do. The fire breathing signifies they are creatures of hell. The association between dragons and guarded treasure seems to come from Greek mythology. Greek dragons often guarded precious things. A dragon guarded the Oracle of Delphi<\/a> until Apollo killed it, for example. The English word dragon<\/em> evolved from the Greek drak\u014dn.<\/i><\/p>\n

The European dragon is a thing to be feared and must be slain by noble knights like Saint George<\/a>. The one exception I know of is Y Ddraig Goch<\/em>, the Red Dragon who is the national symbol, protector, and team mascot of Wales. I once attended a lecture in Caernarfon Castle<\/a> in which the lecturer said dragon imagery came to Wales from China via the Roman occupation, which is entirely possible considering Romans occupied Britain<\/a> at the same time the Silk Road<\/a> enabled trade between China and Rome. The draco\u00a0<\/em>\u2014 Latin for dragon \u2014 was sometimes used as standard by Roman troops.<\/p>\n

Other Dragons<\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s a shout-out to Quetzalcoatl<\/a>, the winged serpent of the Aztecs. god of the morning and evening star who brings both death and resurrection. But beware of the kikituk, a seagoing reptile known by Inuits of Alaska that walks ashore hunting humans. And one would do well to avoid Apep, or Apopsis, the ancient Egyptian god of chaos who takes the form of a serpent. Was he related to the serpent who tempted Eve, I wonder? Apep was the chief foe of the sun god, Ra, who was the father of creation.<\/p>\n

There are no end of dragons in popular fiction today, which makes dragons one of the most consistent features of all of human civilization, throughout time. They deserve some respect, even if they are fictional.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What are the origins of dragons? It isn\u2019t clear when and where dragons first appeared in the world, or even if there was a \u201cfirst appearance.\u201d Creatures with some of the attributes of dragons are found in the earliest folktales and legends of many cultures around the world. It\u2019s commonly speculated that such creatures were […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4714,"featured_media":4176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,7,402,139],"tags":[88,399,348],"class_list":["post-4158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buddhism","category-christianity","category-paganism","category-religious-art-and-music","tag-buddhism-in-china","tag-mythology","tag-religious-art"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Origins of Dragons<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What are the origins of dragons? 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