European Dragons



Monday is hard enough to get through. So why not have a few more dragons to make you smile. Today we are going to look at the European Dragon. 


A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that features in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern mythologies, and the Chinese dragon, with counterparts in Japan (namely the Japanese dragon), Korea and other East Asian countries.[1]

European dragons exist in folklore and mythology among the overlapping cultures of Europe. Dragons are generally depicted as living in rivers or having an underground lair or cave.[8] They are commonly described as having hard or armored hide, and are rarely described as flying, despite often being depicted with wings.
European dragons are usually depicted as malevolent under Christianity; pre-Christian dragons, such as Y Ddraig Goch, the Red Dragon of Wales, are seen as benevolent.

We will get to the Chinese dragon and many more as the weeks continue. There are more than just two dragon types, as any dragon lover will know. I plan on showcasing them all.

So lets get some more detail on our fire-breathing buddies. 
SMAUG by moonxels

Hey Smaug, what's up (Images of dragons are from DeviantArt madizzlee There be dragons page. None are owned by me.) When you have time, check out the rest of them.

So the legend goes that dragons breathe fire, have 7 limbs. (4 legs, 2 wings and tail) have lizard like features with horns coming out of their heads. 

Possible spikes that run all the way down to the tail. Such as Toothless is showing off.

Toothless by alicexz

Dragons lay eggs that need to be kept extra hot in order to hatch. Volcanoes are the ideal nesting place.

File:VarnaDragons.jpg


Despite the European way of thinking, dragons have been depicted as both malevolent and benevolent. With a high intelligence and wisdom they can either be highly selfish or giving depending on the color of their scales. D&D shows that chomatic scales indicate goodness where as basic colored dragons are evil. 


Smaug by liga-marta

Sorry Smaug, you're brown, you must be bad. 

With more books coming out, the color scheme has fallen away. No longer indicating the alignment of the dragon. 

How do you see dragons? How many neutral dragons have you seen in stories? What's your favorite dragon?

I'll be going over the Chinese dragon next week. If there is a particular dragon you'd wish to look at, please let me know.


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