* Dragons 3: Western Dragons

PHYSIOLOGY: Thick, long bodied, scaly skin, four strong legs, two bat-like wings, wedge-shaped heads, and long necks. They usually are portrayed as breathing fire. 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.

HISTORY: When most people think "dragon" they most likely think of the Western dragon. Western dragons are usually portrayed as evil, mean, and bloodthirsty. They were also known to have huge hoards of gold and jewels hidden in their lairs. The most famous dragons are portrayed as Western-type dragons: St. George and the Dragon, Beowulf and the Dragon, and Draco in the movie DragonHeart. Some stories have the western dragon as the Devil in Christianity. Other stories in legend 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, and soon most the dragons in the world were destroyed in a very short time. Vikings had dragon figureheads on the prow of their ships. The dragons on the ships were believed to endow keen site and cunning to the Viking warriors. Today the Welsh flag still has a red dragon on a green/white background, and the red dragon is their national symbol.

The other types of Dragons mentioned on this site were:

* The Faerie Dragon - a small vegetarian dragon with large eyes and butterfly wings.

* The Wyvern - Dragons with two legs, 2 wings ( which may have claws ) and a sharp stinger at the end of its tail which is filled with poison.

* The Hydra - A dragon with many heads. It may or may not have wings and legs.

* The Pernese Dragon - These dragons have four legs, and two wings. They have smooth, leathery skin without scales. The dragons eyes are compound and faceted like a fly's that can change color depending on the mood of the dragon. They have a telepathic abilities with other dragons, and their rider. Pernese dragons can also teleport into "between", which is a void, to escape danger. Gold and green dragons are Female. Bronze, brown and blue are Male. They can breath fire by first swallowing a certain type of flammable rock known as Firestone. [This one really captures my interest.]

* 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 and they look like large lizards.

* Amphiptere - Dragons with a snake-like body and wings.

* Wyrm - Also known as The "Guivre". These are snake-like dragons with no wings or feet, and are presumed to be very ancient.

* Lindworm - These dragons have 2 legs [which appear more like arms], and no wings. They were reputedly discovered by Marco Polo while crossing Central Asia.

** The other types of dragons named in the list are: Sea Serpents, Ouroboros, Amphisbaena and the Naga.

[Taken from the site: www.draconian.com which I found to be a fascinating journey to the realm of the Imagination.]

~ Rads