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The Chinese dragon, unlike its western cousin, is considered to be a benevolent creature, the custodian of rain, river and lakes, and a harbinger of good fortune.
In Chinese mythology the dragon is described as having the body of a snake, the face of a horse, antlers of the deer and claws of the eagle. The dragon has the beard of a goat and the scales of a fish. But where did such a creature come from? Is there any evidence to suggest such a creature ever existed?
In contrast, the Western Dragon is probably based on a snake. Snakes are also associated with evil in oriental culture. Early western accounts told of dragons constricting elephants to death, suggesting the story first started with a constricting boa or python, among the largest living snakes. The snake and the prey probably got larger as the tales spread further from the original sighting location. Legs, wings and other appendages probably also slipped into the tale with the telling.
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