Mystery of Dragons

St. George and the Dragon (continuation)

2006-09-02T23:56:00.000-06:00

Title: Saint George and the Dragon
Author: Raphael

Title: Baptism of the Christ
Author: Master of the Saint Bartholomew Altar
(Dragon and St. George are located at the bottom right corner)

Title: Unknown
Author: Unknown

Title: Saint George and the Dragon
Author: Rogier Van Der Weyden

St. George and the Dragon

2006-09-01T22:48:00.000-06:00

Saint George and the Dragon
Everyone at one point in their time must have heard about St. George and the Dragon (or more like dragons, seeing that there was more than one).

"A dragon makes its nest at the spring that provides the city-state with water. Consequently, the citizens have to dislodge the dragon from its nest for a time, in order to collect water. To do so, each day they offer the dragon a human sacrifice. The victim is chosen by drawing lots. One day, this happened to be the princess. The monarch begs for her life with no result. She is offered to the dragon, but there appears the saint on his travels. He faces the dragon, slays it and rescues the princess. The grateful citizens abandon their ancestral Paganism and convert to Christianity."

St. George traveled all around Europe, slaying dragons and turning people, as a way of saying thanks, to Christianity.

"With only a sword in his hand, the Christian kinght St. George faced a fierce dragon. The dragon charged. Clouds of thick smoke and burst of fire steamed from its hideous mouth.
When the dragon reached him, St. George plunged his sword into its throat. As the terrible beast fell to the ground, a beautiful girl ran to St. George. She was the Princess Sabra. The dragon had been about to eat her when St. George came to her rescue.
Sabta and St. George dragged the dragon to the king’s palace. The king cried out in joy when he saw his daughter. “Thank you,” he said to St. George. “You have saved my daughter and my kingdom.”
To honor St. George, the king, the princess, and all their people converted to Christianity."

Known by his epic adventures of slaving the evil dragon(s) and saving fair princess(es) and kingdom(s), there are my paintings, sculptures and even shields held in his honor.

"Many centuries later, he (St. George) was adopted by an army of medevial crusaders as the patron saint of their nation - and in this way became known as St. George of England."

Here are just a few of the ones I have found in my travels.

Gotten from: Saint George, Wikipedia
Dragons, by Lucille Recht Penner
Dragons, a Natural History, by Dr.Karl Shuker

At the Ishtar Gate

2006-08-29T21:44:00.000-06:00

At the Ishtar Gate
The Ishtar Gate was the eighth gate to the inner city of Babylon (nowadays known as Iraq). It was constructed in about 575 BCE by order of King Nebuchadrezzar II on the north side of the city. Dedicated to the Assyrian goddess of love, fertiliry and war Ishtar, the Gate was constructed of blue glazed tiles with alternating rows of bas-relief Sirrush (dragons), unicorns and bulls. The roof and doors of the gate were of cedar, according to the dedication plaque. Through the gate ran the Processional Way which was lined with walls covered in lions on glazed bricks (about 120 of them). Statues of the gods were paraded through the gate and down the Processional Way each year during the New Year's celebration. This gate was dedicated to show political propaganda. Its main ppurpose was to demostrate the city’s power and also of its ruler.

The Sirrush (derived from Akkadian word “splendor serpent”) is a creature depicted on the reconstructed Ishtar Gate of the city of Babylon. It resembles a plate-like scaly dragon, ending in the tail of a serpent with a poisonous sting, with hind legs like an eagle's talons and feline forelegs. It also has a long neck and tail, a horned head, a snakelike tongue and a crest. It also had projections from the top of its head down its neck. While not matching any known creature, some argue the Sirrush could have been a genuine animal.
Sirrush is an alternative name for the serpent-dragon Mushussu in the neo-Babylonian mythology of Mesopotamia. Sirrush is one of the many dragons in the cohorts of Tamat (also written as Tiamat).

Mushussu (also written as Mushhush and Mušhuššu) is the name of the vast cosmic dragon in the mythology of ancient Babylon and Mesopotamia. Its considered to be the guardan of the Ishtar Gate of the city, associated with the God Marduk.

Note: Art History classes have proven to be very useful when looking for material for dragons.

Gotten from: Giants,Monsters and Dragons an Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth by Carol Rose
Ishtar Gate, Wikipedia
Sirrush, Wikipedia

Perseus, Andromeda and the Dragon

2006-05-08T22:19:00.000-06:00

Perseus, Andromeda and the Dragon
Long ago, Ethiopia was ruled by King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia, a vain woman who boasted that she was more beautiful than every one of the sea-nymph Nereids. Furious at this insult, the Daughters of the Sea complained to the god Poseidon, asking him to avenge them. He sent a dragon, who devastated the land and began devouring the young people of Ethiopia. The terrified population consulted the oracle Ammon, who told them that their only hope of deliverance was to hand over the beautiful Andromeda, daughter of the king and queen, to the dragon. Both monarchs were reluctant to surrender their daughter. Under pressure by their subjects, however, they finally agreed to the sacrifice.
The soldiers chained the maiden to a rock in the middle of the sea where the monster lived. Weeping and lamenting, the princess’s parents waited on the shore.
It so happened that young Perseus, the son of Zeus, was passing that way on his winged horse Pegasus. On seeing the desperate sovereigns, the hero, who had just killed the terrible Medusa, stopped to ask them what was wrong. Sobbing, the king and queen told him their story.
“We are waiting for the dragon to come up and devour our daughter,” they wailed. “If anybody can save her they will earn our gratitude, the hand of Andromeda, and the throne of Ethiopia.”
Perseus found their offer most tempting, as the beauty of the maiden chained to the rock was evident, and the King was rich and prosperous. So Perseus donned a magi helmet of invisibility, which had been given to him by Hades, King of the Underworld, then he slipped his arm into a shinning shield that has been a present from the goddess Athena-he was related to both these divinities. Brandishing a glittering diamond sword given to him by the god Hermes, Perseus rushed at the dragon.
Since the helmet made Perseus invisible, the monster was unable to defend himself. Andromeda naturally had no idea who was coming to her rescue. Perseus sliced through the dragon’s flesh until he reached the heart, and gouged it out (From the book of Mythology by Edith Hamilton it says that Perseus cut the sea-serpents head just like he did with Medusa, and other versions state that Perseus used Medusa’s head to destroy the dragon). Then he removed his magic helmet and revealed himself at last to the beautiful princess. With one stroke he cut through the chains that bound her to the rock, hoisted the maiden up onto his winged steed (most commonly known as Pegasus, which was conceived by Poseidon and Medusa and sprang from her body upon her death), and headed for the palace.
On reaching the royal palace, however, an unpleasant surprise was in store for him. Standing at the head of the army was Phineus, Andromeda’s former suitor, claiming her as his wife. Perseus, reluctant to give up his well-deserved reward, took out Medusa’s head from a linen bag and showed it to his enemies, who turned to stone at the sight.
Thus Perseus was able to marry the beautiful Andromeda unopposed. They had many beautiful children, one of him fathered Alcmena, the mother of the powerful Hercules. (Other versions never mentioned about Phineus and the struggle of Perseus getting married to Andromeda)

Gotten from: Dragon by Ciruelo
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Pegasus from Encyclopedia Mythica Online

What Dragon God Rules You? (Quiz)

2006-04-22T17:01:00.000-06:00

You are ruled by the Asian Dragon of Logic and Wisdom. You're very smart and on the ball when it comes to thinking on the go. You're on the right track, but you're missing a bit of common sense too (I know quite a few people who whould agree to that). Take the time to look up from that book your head is burried in and experience life.

335 other people got this result!
This quiz has been taken 10981 times.
3% of people had this result.

Taken from the Quiz = What Dragon God Rules You?

The Circle of the Dragon (Link)

2006-04-22T16:50:00.000-06:00

This is another link I found on Internet about dragons and dragonology. It has information about the different dragons around the world and arwork. It has a little bit of history about different types of dragons and other related materials. It's a very interesting site.

I hope you get to enjoy it as much as I did.

The Circle of the Dragon

Dragonology (Link)

2006-03-30T22:26:00.000-07:00

If you are really interested in more about Dragonology here is a great webpage dedicated to the books of Dr. Ernest Drake. I have two of them Dragonology and The Dragonology Handbook. Very exciting books that tell me a lot about the different kinds of dragons all around the world. If you are interested here is a great webpage that has also very fascinating links to other pages about Dragons. Take a look! You won't regret it.

Dragonology

Myths and Facts about Basilisk

2006-03-29T23:37:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention, while I was reading some books on dragonology, that through the years people have confused what a Basilisk is, a type of dragon, and what a Cockatrice is, which is not categorized as a dragon. In this blog I would like to point out the difference between these two fascinating creatures and the truths and facts about the basilisk.

This is a text gotten from the book Magickal, Mystical Creatures by D. J. Conway and it says:
The Basilisk (Scientific Name: Draco basiliskos) and Cockatrice (Scientific Name: Gallicus halitosis) became known as the same creatures by the Middle Age. Earlier, however, they were two separate, but vaguely similar, fabulous beasts. A silver sculpture from about 1600 shows a basilisk with a lizard-like head, webbed and clawed front feet, two wings, and a serpent-like tail. A picture of a Cockatrice from about the same time portrays the creature with a cock’s body two wings, a spiked head, and a serpent’s tail.
The basilisk was a reptile, while the Cockatrice was a combination of rooster and snake with wings. Both creatures were said to have the ability to turn to stone anything they saw. Their breath was considered to be venomous, as was the touch of their bodies and blood. This poison was said to travel through any weapon used to kill the Basilisk or Cockatrice, thus killing the person holding the weapon.
However, Aristotle believed that if the Basilisk saw its reflection in a mirror it would turn to stone. The person holding the mirror of course, had to avoid looking at the creature. Another legendary method of killing either of these creatures was to carry a weasel or mongoose with you. These animals would supposedly attack and kill the Basilisk or Cockatrice on sight and were immune to the deadly stare.

Now we will go to the myths and facts about the Basilisk.

This text is gotten from the book The Dragonology Handbook by “Ernest Drake.”
Myth: Basilisk are mythical creatures that have never existed.
Fact: Basilisk are shape-shifters and so are very hard to spot.
Myth: Basilisk can kill with a single glance.
Fact: There is no antidote to their venomous bite.
Myth: Basilisk look like snakes with a cockerel’s head.
Fact: No one knows what their “real” shape is like.
Myth: Myths of Basilisk started with Pliny’s description of a cobra.
Fact: Hanging a Basilisk corpse from the rafters helps deter spiders and swallows from coming into your house.
Fact about why to carry a mirror when facing a Basilisk: when faced with two enemies – the person and its own reflection – the Basilisk will judge itself the more dangerous and attack the mirror, leaving the person free to flee.

Gotten From: The Dragonology Handbook by Ernest Drake
Magickal, Mystical Creatures by D.J. Conway

European or Western Dragon (Picture)

2006-03-08T23:13:00.000-07:00

You might wonder why this picture is in black and white instead of color. The thing is that I love black and white pictures. This is a dragon that I own (among many others), and I will be posting pictures of my other dragons through time, in black and white of course. There might be times where the pictures will have only one thing is in color, but I'm not promising anything.

The Lernaean Hydra

2006-03-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

The Lernaean Hydra
In Greek mythology, The Lernaean Hydra (C.C. not known, in Greek for “water serpent” ) was an ancient nameless serpent-like chthonic water beast that possessed numerous heads—the poets mention more heads than the vase-painters could paint—and poisonous breath (Hyginus, 30). Its lair was the lake of Lerna in the Argolid, though archaeology has borne out the myth that the sacred site was older even than the Mycenaean city of Argos, for Lerna was the site of the myth of the Danaids. Beneath the waters was an entrance to the Underworld, and the Hydra its guardian (Kerenyi 1959, p. 143). (Note: do not confuse this with the other guardian of the Underworld, Cerberus.)
The Hydra was the offspring of Typhon (had 100 heads) and Echidna (half maiden-half serpent), noisome creatures of the Goddess, who became Hera. It was said to be the sibling of the Nemean Lion, yet another creature of the archaic Goddess, and thus seeking revenge for Heracles' slaying of it. As such, it was said to have been chosen as a task for Heracles so that Heracles would likely die.
Upon reaching the swamp near Lake Lerna, where the Hydra dwelt, Heracles (as known as Hercules) covered his mouth and nose with a cloth to protect himself from the poisonous fumes and fired flaming arrows into its lair, the spring of Amymone, to draw it out. He then confronted it, wielding a harvesting sickle in some early vase-paintings; Ruck and Staples (p. 170) have pointed out that the chthonic creature's reaction was botanical: upon cutting off each of its heads he found that two grew back, an expression of the hopelessness of such a struggle for any but the hero, Heracles.
The details of the confrontation are explicit in Apollodorus (2.5.2): realising that he could not defeat the Hydra in this way, Heracles called on his nephew Iolaus for help. His nephew then came upon the idea (possibly inspired by Athena) of using a burning firebrand to scorch the neck stumps after decapitation, and handed him the blazing brand. Heracles cut off each head and Iolaus burned the open stump leaving the hydra dead; its one immortal head Heracles placed under a great rock on the sacred way between Lerna and Elaius (Kerenyi1959 p 144), and dipped his arrows in the Hydra's poisonous blood, and so his second task was complete.
I would like to point out that in different sources they state that the hydra has from seven to nine heads (there was the rumor of the hydra having fifty heads or even a hundred; maybe because of its ability to replace one head with two). In many stories they tell that the hydra had only seven and there have been other cases, like this one, where the hydra has nine heads. But until today Hydra is considered to be a Seven-Headed Dragon. It is also believed that one of the seven (or nine) heads was made of gold and immortal. That head was the one, at being cut, it would not become two heads but instead kill instantanously the beast (why is then immortal, I do not know.)

Gotten from: Lernaean Hydra, Wikipedia.
The Book of Dragons and other Mythological Beasts, Joseph Nigg.
Dragon a Natural History, Dr. Karl Shuker.

Linked to the Outside (Link)

2006-03-04T00:04:00.000-07:00

This link was made from a friend that wants me to "show" this blog (since she liked it so much) to the outside. I have posted it here to tell her, "thank you" and, "I will."

Encyclopedia Mythica (Link)

2006-03-02T23:03:00.000-07:00

Today I encountered this encyclopedia, which deals with forklore, mythology and fantastic beasts. It has been years since I last saw this page, and I thought it would be nice to share this very good webpage.

Dragon
by Graig Bakay
Few creatures of folklore and mythology conjure up the mental images of the dragon. Also known as wurm, wyrm and firedrake, these mercurial creatures pervade almost every pantheon of classical mythology and have become an integral inclusion of an entire genre of fantasy literature.
Descriptions of the beast's benevolence vary from the playful Puff (of Peter Yarrow's song) to the sinister Smaug in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit". Babylonian legends portray the Queen of Darkness as a multi-headed dragon - Tiamat. Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty features a battle between Prince Phillip and the evil Maleficent and the Germanic myth "Die Nibelungen" climaxes with the battle between Siegfried and the giant Fafnir, who has transformed himself into a wyrm in an effort to become more frightening.
Physical characteristics of dragons also vary but several consistencies are usually present. The beasts are typically depicted as huge lizards, larger than elephants on average. Long fangs are generally accepted as are twin horns of varying length. Western cultures generally include large bat-like wings giving the dragon the capability of flight. But eastern dragons, usually wingless, use a more magical means of flying. As well, eastern dragons tend to be more snake-like in nature, albeit with front and rear legs.Most dragons will be covered in scales, although there are some with a leathery skin. Coloring ranges the entire gamut of the spectrum but red, green, black and gold appear to be the most common. It is also generally accepted that most dragons are magical creatures in nature and have the ability to breathe fire (as a weapon). Some dragons may have a modification in this breath weapon (frost, lightning, gas) but this appears to be purely a fabrication of fantasy role-playing games and the myths they spawn.

Gotten From: Encyclopedia Mythica, concept: Dragon

The Bride of the Lindorm King

2006-02-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

The Bride of the Lindorm King
In Sweden, centuries ago, the queen lay in her bedchamber about to give birth to twins-the fulfillment of many years of empty longing for the children she had seemed destined never to conceive. She smiled as she recalled how she had consulted a soothsayer, who had assured her that in less than a year she would be granted two handsome sons, provided that she ate two fresh onions as soon as she returned to the palace.
Although this advice had seemed quite bizarre, the queen had been so aroused by the chance it offered her that she had rushed away, ignoring the voice of the soothsayer calling after her. Arriving back home, the queen had ordered two crisp onions to be brought to her at once.
The queen was so excited by the promise the onions held that she ate the first one without stopping eve to peel the skins from it. Not surprisingly, it tasted disgusting and so, in spite of her enthusiasm, she spent time carefully peeling the second one, stripping away every layer of skin before eating it. Nine months had passed since then and now precisely as foretold by the soothsayer, he greatly desired sons were about to be born.
Outside the royal bedchamber, the courtiers and palace staff were eagerly awaiting the official announcement of the birth of the new princes. Suddenly, an ear-splitting scream echoed within the chamber. But it was not the lusty cry of a newborn baby; it was, instead, a shriek of horror, a wail that sprang from the throat of the royal midwife when she set eyes on the queen’s first child. It was male- but it was not human.
The queen had given birth to a lindorm (Cientific Name: Draco Serpentalis), a hideous, snakelike dragon, whose wingless body thrashed upon the marble floor in scaly coils, and from whose shoulders sprang a pair of powerful limbs taloned feet. So repulsed by the creature that she was unable to even whisper, let alone scream, the queen leaned down, look the young lindorm in her hands and hurled it through the window into the dense forest surrounding the palace. Weakened from the exertion, the queen sank back upon the be and gave birth again, this tie to a perfectly healthy, fresh-faced boy, with golden hair and sparkling blue eyes.
Years passed, and the boy became a youthful prince in search of a bride, but what he found was his brother, the lindorm. The prince was riding around the edge of the vast forest encompassing the palace when, without warning, a huge head emerged from a thorny bush directly in front of him. Rearing up until its green-scaled body resembled a towering tree, the lindorm gazed down at the youth with unblinking amber eyes that penetrated his innermost thoughts. And as the prince stared back, mesmerized and motionless, he heard its voice assuring him that he would never find a wife until he, the elder brother, had obtained a true love of a willing bride.
Accordingly, over the next few months a succession of village maidens was given to the lindorm in the hope of overcoming this barrier of the young prince’s quest of a bride. Needless to say, none of the maidens came willingly, however, and so none was accepted by the monster. The situation seemed irredeemable, until the next maiden selected to be the bride of the lindorm had the good fortune to encounter the same soothsayer whom the queen had consulted so many years before. After listening while the maiden spoke of her impeding plight, the soothsayer whispered into her hear a few words that swiftly replaced her sadness with a smile of delight.
That night, the maiden was presented to the lindorm, who gruffly told her to take off her dresses, of which she seemed to be wearing a surprising number. She agreed to do this, but only after extracting from the lindorm the promise that for every dress she took off, it would shed a layer of skin. This it did, until only one remained, and until the maiden was clothed in just a single garment.
Despite remembering the soothsayer’s words, it was not without nervousness that she removed this final gown and stood naked before the great dragon. The lindorm moved towards her, and the maiden tensed-fearing, yet also desiring, what was to come, for if the soothsayer had spoken truthfully there would be great happiness and great love ahead. And so she stood erect and motionless as the serpentine monster leisurely, almost tenderly, enveloped her body in its scaly coils. She had expected them to feel cool and slimy, but was pleasantly surprised by their warmth and softness when they embraced and caress her. Even so, she felt a flicker of terror rising within her and a desire to flee. Then the words of the soothsayer came back into her mind, calming her, and she relaxed again.
Gazing about, she noticed that the lindorm’s last layer of skin, so tin as to be almost translucent, was starting to peel away, folding back upon itself like a cluster of withered leaves. At the same tie, a strange green mist manifested itself, enveloping the lindorm, until she was aware of its presence only by the embrace of a sinuous body. Gradually the mist dispersed and revealed that she was no longer wrapped within the serpentine coils of a lindorm, but held in the firms arms of the most handsome man she had ever seen.
The soothsayer had indeed spoken truthfully. By following her instructions, the maiden had dispelled the enchantment that had incarcerated him within the body of a lindorm, and here was the elder prince, her to the throne, for whom she would certainly be a willing bride.
The joyful marriage took place without delay, and after the old queen had given her blessing to the newlyweds, now the king and queen, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. It was the soothsayer, who revealed the information the queen had not stayed to hear all those years ago-to be sure to peel both onions before eating them.

Gotten from: Dragons a Natural History by Dr. Karl Shuker

Leviathan

2006-02-27T19:30:00.000-07:00

Leviathan
On the fifth day of Creation, the day upon which God shaped and breathed life into all of the creatures of the sea. He fashioned the mighty and magnificent serpent dragon Leviathan to serve as the ruler of this vast marine kingdom. The boundless cols of its immensely long body were encased in an impervious sheathing of the overlapping scales, and it trashed through the water with such explosive force that the ocean depths boiled like a fathomless cauldron. Its incandescent eyes, more than 300 in number, illuminated the seas beyond and the skies above with their radiant glow. Seething steam jetted forth from its flared nostrils, and brilliant tongues of fire flickered from its enormous jaws.
No mortal weapon could penetrate the shimmering armor of Leviathan’s scales, no living thing on earth could oppose its might, and nothing could ignite a flicker of fear within its firm, indestructible heart. Dragons a thousand miles in length were devoured like mice, and the waters of the River Jordan emptied themselves into its cavernous maw, which brimmed with teeth of terrifying proportion and quantity. In the wake of its passage through the ocean, the waves glittered as if spangled with phosphorescent hoar frost, and all the world marveled at the wonder of Leviathan.
Initially, God created a pair of these fantastic beasts, but when it became clear that their collective power was so awesome that the entire world was threatened by the prospect of a race of such creatures ultimately establishing itself, God destroyed one of them. As further measure, He created the stickleback. This tiny, seemingly innocuous fish was specifically designed by God to counter the wilder excesses of the surviving Leviathan, to whom, as compensation for the loss of its partner, He granted immortality.
Since then during the final three hours of every day, God has played with Leviathan, disporting with His gargantuan creation-and this will continue until the Day of Judgment. Only then will Leviathan die, slain by the Archangel Gabriel, after which its flesh will serve as food for the righteous, who will be housed within a glorious tent fabricated from a portion of its iridescent scaly hide. The remainder will be spread over the walls of Jerusalem, from which its radiance will pour forth to illuminate every corner of the globe.

Gotten from: Dragons a Natural History by Dr. Karl Shuker

A Legend of the Dragon Kings

2006-02-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

A Legend of the Dragon Kings
Long ago, there were no rivers or lakes in China. Rain fell from time to time to water the people’s crops, but the only large body of water in the world was the Eastern Sea. At the time, this body of water was home to the four Chinese dragon (Cientific Name: Draco Orientalis) kings-the Black Dragon, the Long Dragon, the Pearl Dragon, and the Yellow Dragon. All of these dragons, like everything on earth, were under the rule of the Jade Emperor, who is also known as Father Heaven, or the August Personage of Jade. He lived with his court in his heavenly palace that lies far above the clouds, and from there he oversaw the affairs of the world.
Now one day, the four dragon kings had rise out of the sea to fly around in the sky, when the Pearl Dragon suddenly noticed that everything was not as it should be on earth. All the people had grown very thin, fro there had been no rain for a long time, and their crops were withering and turning yellow in the fields. The Pearl Dragon saw them outing out fruit, cakes, and other offerings as they prayed to the Jade Emperor.
“O, great Jade Emperor,” called out one particularly thin woman who was carrying a little boy on her back, “please send us some rain so that we may grow rice for our children to eat!”
When the Pearl Dragon pointed this out to the other dragon kings, they all became greatly concerned. “These poor people are sure to die if there is no rain soon!” exclaimed the Yellow Dragon.
“We must ask the Jade Emperor for help at once!” suggested the Long Dragon.
And so all four dragons sped away up into the clouds to visit the Jade Emperor in his heavenly palace.
In the palace, the Jade Emperor was not pleased to see the four dragon kings-he was enjoying listening to some specially delightful fairy music.
The Long Dragon stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, I beg of you to send some rain to the people quickly, for their crops are withering and dying in the fields.”
But the Jade Emperor wanted to continue listening to the lovely music, and so he pretend to agree to the Long Dragon’s request.
“Yes, all right,” he said. “You four go back down to earth, and I will send some rain tomorrow.”
The four dragon kings were happy with this answer, and so they returned to earth. But nearly two weeks passed by, and not a single drop of rain had fallen. By now the people were getting so hungry that they were trying to eat grass and roots in order to feed themselves.
The four dragon kings felt very sorry because they now realized that this time the Jade Emperor had not paid any attention to the problems in China. It was up to them to help solve the problem. So they call wondered what to do, and eventually the Long Dragon had an idea as he gazed at the Eastern Sea.
“There is so much water in this sea where we live,” he said. “Why don’t we use that to help the people? We can stoop it up and spray it towards the sky. Then it will be just like raindrops!”
The three other dragons agreed that this seemed like a good plan, but they were all worried because they new that the Jade Emperor would be angry if he discovered that hey had helped the people without asking his permission.
“Well, I am happy to risk the anger of the Jade Emperor,” exclaimed the Yellow Dragon.
“Indeed,” agreed the Black and Pearl Dragon. “We must do anything necessary in order to help the people.”
So the four dragon kings flew back and forth, scooping up the water fro the sea in their mouth and, with a noise like thunder, carrying it far over the land, where they sprayed it all over the earth. The people bellow were happy that it was raining at last, and they came out and danced with joy.
Soon the rice and wheat and sorghum in the fields started to look a lot healthier. But the god of the sea had been watching what the four dragon kings had been doing and he reported what he had seen to the Jade Emperor.
The jade Emperor was outraged that the four dragons had acted without his permission, and he soon called out his heavenly general ad their troops to arrest them. Soon the four dragon kings were brought to the Jade Emperor’s heavenly palace.
“Fetch me four mountains!” the Jade Emperor told the Mountain God. “These four dragon must never escape to disobey me again!”
And so it was that the Mountain God summoned up four great mountains, and pressed them down on the four dragons, one in each part of China.
But the story does not end there, for the four dragons were all determined to do what they could to make that the people never went without water again. They transformed themselves into the first rivers in China, flowing out of four mountains. The Black Dragon become the Heilong Jian in the far north; the Yellow Dragon became the Huan He, or the Yellow River, in the north; the Long Dragon became the Chang Jiang, or Yangtze, in the center; while the Pearl Dragon became the Zhu Jiang, or Pearl River, in the south. Those four rivers are still flowing to this day.

Gotten from: The Dragonology Handbook by Ernest Drake

Cosmic Dragon

2006-02-27T18:56:00.000-07:00

Cosmic Dragon, Source of Earth and Sky
The mother of all Dragons was the Babylonian monster, Tiamat. In the beginning, before skies and earth were named, she was the saltwater of the dark primal sea. Only later did she become a Dragoness with a hide so thick that weapons could not pierce it.
Her mate, Apsu, was the freshwater. From the mingling of their waters, Tiamat and Apsu produced airs of offspring, whose own unruly progeny so annoyed Apsu that he plotted to destroy them. Hearing of his plan, the younger gods bound him with a spell of words and killed him. Incited to vengeance by her older offspring, Tiamat bore all manner of monsters to battle the usurpers: Giant snakes filled with venom, serpents with horns, demons, scorpion-men fish-men and bull-men.
With Tiamat’s forces assembled to crush them, the younger gods declared Marduk their king and sent him out to do battle with the mother of gods and abominations. Marduk armed himself with a bow, arrows, and a net. He gathered the winds beside him and drove to her in the chariot of a tempest. He ensnared the raging goddess in his net and directed a wing into her face. When she opened her mouth wide to swallow it, the other winds filled her, opening her throat distending her belly. Marduk shot an arrow straight into her heart. Seeing her fall, her monster hordes scattered. Marduk then split the beast in half. He made half of the body the earth, the other half the sky. He then caught and killed Kingu, her leader of legions, and from his blood created mankind. The account of the Babylonian Creation was deciphered from cuneiform tablets that a nineteenth century British archaeological team excavated from King Ashurbanipal’s library at Nineveh.
Tiamat’s Dragon relatives include the Rainbow Serpent of South Africa. Curled around the world with its tail in its mouth, it sleeps at the bottom of the sea.

Gotten from: The Book of Dragons & other Mythical Beasts by Joseph Nigg