Dragons

The Chinese and Japanese cultures have looked upon dragons as being a most potent symbol of the beneficent, rain-giving powers of the gods. These magnificent creatures are symbols of power, royalty and sovereignty. Among the Chinese people, the dragon is one of the four great protective beasts of the country, along with the unicorn, the tortoise, and the phoenix.

The Asian and Middle Eastern dragons are depicted with more of a snake-like body, horse-like heads, and four paws with three or four great curving claws on each of them. Descriptions of these beasts by the scholar Wang Fu, during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. - A.D. 220) grant the dragons the horns of a stag, the head of a camel, the eyes of a demon, the neck of a snake, the belly of a clam, the scales of a carp, the talons of an eagle, the feet of a tiger, and the ears of an ox. The Asiatic Dragons were said to have a grand total of 117 scales. Of these 117 scales, 81 of them are believed to be imbued with yang energy. The remaining 36 scales are imbued with yin energy.

The Dragon has always played an important part in Chinese culture. The Emperor of China always sat on the Dragon Throne and wore Dragon Robes. All the Dragon's that adorned the Emperor's robes sported five toes instead of the usual four. These dragons were called shen-lung or Imperial Dragons. According to myth the first Emperor was the dragon-god Yu. The ordinary people of China even refer to themselves as the Children of the Dragon or the People of the Dragon.

The Chinese Dragons and most of the other Asiatic dragons live for millenias and undergo many, many changes during their lifetimes. A Chinese dragon is not considered to be fully mature until it reaches approximately 3000 years. Baby dragons are hatched from a brilliantly coloured, gem-like egg that was laid some 1000 years before. The babies look nothing like their adult forms, but resemble a very large water snake or eel. When the hatchling reaches 500 years, it will develop a head similar to a carp. During this stage, the youngling is known as a Kiao. At 1500 years of age, the young dragon will have grown 4 stubby legs with four claws on each paw, an elongated head and tail, and a profuse beard. It is now called Kiao-lung. By the time that two millenia has passed, the dragon will have grown horns and a new name Kioh-lung. During it's final millenia to full maturity, it will grow wings. Finally, at 3000 years of age, the dragon is now fully grown and is named Ying-lung. When most people today think of Chinese or Japanese dragons, the last two forms mentioned are what come to mind.