The Universal Dragon
Dragonscan be friendly or fierce,they can bring good luck or cause death and destruction,but one thing is sure—people talk about them almost everywhere in the world.For a creaturethat doesn't actually exist,that's quite something.
InChinese culture, dragons are generousand wise, although they can be unpredictable.The dragon was closely connected to the royal family: the emperor'srobes have a symbol of a gold dragon with five claws. Other members of theroyal family were allowed to wear dragon symbols, too, but with fewer claws andof a different colour. According to popular belief, if you were born in theyear of the dragon, you are intelligent, brave, and a natural leader.
Butin the west, dragons had a different reputation.The very first text in English, the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, tells thestory of a Scandinavian hero, Beowulf, who fights and kills a dangerous dragonbut is himself killed in the fight. However, across the borderin Wales, the red dragon which appears on the Welsh flag is a positivesymbol, indicating strength and a sense of national identity.
Whyshould the dragon have a different character in different parts of the world?Some experts believe it is due to the animals the myths grew out of. In thewest, the idea of the dragon probably came from the snake—an animal whichpeople hated and were afraid of.
Butin China, the idea of the dragon may have come from the alligator—a shy animalwhich lives in rivers, but which is usually only seen when there is plenty ofwater—a good sign for agriculture.So the Chinese dragon was a bringer of good fortune.