Dragons

     Long after dinosaurs passed into the earth, the dragon uncoiled in the cave of the human mind.
     In the West, the dragon slithered up from the foundations of the world, shaking mountains as it came, and emerged as a great scaly serpent, its eyes shinning with wisdom and evil. It wrestled with gods and tempted humans with the gift of knowledge. It grew legs and spiny wings and thrashed a barbed tail. It breathed fire and soared in the windy darkness. It captured maidens, guarded treasure, and battled knights to the death. Among the fiery legions of the Devil, it engorged sinners. It stalked the righteous, roaring at the edge of dream.
     In the East, the dragon unfolded from the earth in the spring of the year and ascended into the sky. The grandest of creatures, its nine forms were those of animals of earth, sea, and sky. Long whiskers curled from its muzzle, and under its bearded chin glowed a pearl of great power. Its breath formed clouds and rain; its swirling movement created wind, lightning, and thunder. Others of its race spread through other regions of the world, some to build palaces in the sea, others to direct quadrants of the sky, to reside in the upper heavens. The dragon of the East, seen as a protector and benefactor of humankind, is honored as the embodiment of wisdom, strength, and good fortune.
     King of the wonder beasts, the dragon has roamed the world since the beginnings of the human imagination, changing form and character through time and place, from nightmare monster to awesome force of nature.

Beowulf’s Dragon Fight
The Dragons Around The World
The Dragon Of The Past



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