Dragon Mystic

Author: Fran Black

While Europe’s shining knights spent their lives slaying dragons, the Chinese sought after and worshiped Eastern dragons as the most benevolent, wise, and generous of all creatures. Indeed, to be called “dragon face” was a great honor, and it was believed that emperors received counsel and aid from dragons in times of need.

A few emperors even proudly claimed to be direct descendants of dragons. Pairings between humans and dragons were thought possible, since dragons were capable of changing their shape and size to assume whatever form they desired.

Unlike the fierce western dragons who hoarded treasure and demanded virtuous young women as sacrifices, the dragons of Chinese legend showed tenderness toward humans, and even acted in their behalf many times, sometimes at great cost.

This is seen in one of the oldest legends about the Four Dragons. According to this legend, China once had no rivers. The people were dependent on the gods to send rain for their crops. (more…)

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I have loved dragons ever since I read a novel called Tea With the Black Dragon by R.A. MacAvoy. (I highly recommend it, and her series of novels set in the Italian Renaissance, too.)

I especially love the Asian dragons. They are beautiful and mysterious, and they can fly without wings!

I suspect that wings were an idea added for our more literal-minded European ancestors. However, besides the dragons of the air, there are earth dragons and water dragons, who do not need wings. And there are fire dragons, too.

This site is dedicated to honoring and exploring the ancient lore and modern images and stories of dragons of all kinds. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Kathleen Gresham

Disclaimer: This site may sometimes contain advertising.

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The Chinese dragon is a very common symbol in Chinese culture. It is often shown as a very long animal that is very similar to the form of a snake. Yet it has four legs, and feet with claws. It may be depicted with a very small flame be shooting from the mouth.

In the Chinese culture, the dragon is a very powerful symbol of strength. It is a common part of their celebrations, and the dragon is also one of the animals that their years are named after.

The Chinese do not believe that dragons once roamed the Earth, though. Instead dragons are a symbol of the mystical part of life that often cannot be explained.

In many of the early writings the Chinese dragon is believed to be the bearer of the water and the rain. This is why many of the traditional celebrations honor the dragon for what it has offered to the land.

There is material to suggest that the Chinese dragon was the official symbol of early Emperors. It is believed that this was done to remind people of the power that this person held. It also resulted in many of the people making art of dragons in order to honor their respect for the Emperor.

If you take a close look at many forms of early art work and architecture in China, you will see many detailed works of dragons. Many of them have been well preserved over the years as well. They want to be able to continue showing their respect to this type of creature.

For those Chinese people that get tattoo work done, the dragon is the most common. Males often want the dragon on their body as a symbol of strength and honor.

It is common for families of the same origin to have a particular dragon tattoo on them. This is a way to continue showing their pride in their heritage.

The dragon is still an important part of the Chinese culture. It is disrespectful to destroy anything with a dragon image on it.

They also have plenty of advertisements that include dragons. Of course, they only show them in the very best views. They do not allow disrespect of dragons to be shown in movies or films either.

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