Western Mythology: The Chinese Dragon

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Throughout the old world, people had feared creatures with the body of a large lizard, snake-like eyes, large wings, and that can emit fire from their mouth. They was thought to be the embodiment of evil, greed, lust, violence, and the dark side of humanity. These mythical creatures are called dragons, but the dragon have a different reputation in the Eastern world. In China it was highly respected in the kingdom, a fairly common motif in eastern art for its heavenly related background. Unlike western mythology the dragon in Chinese legends is not considered as an evil creature, they do not bring death nor despair. Instead of being associated with hellfire, they are believed to be associated with water, having natural control over water, rain, floods, and hurricanes. A pleased dragons would bring a rainfall for harvest or unlike an angered one could muster up devastating weather. They weren't thought to be demons, but as deities of rain, to bring protection from fire. The Chinese dragon represents power, good luck for people who are worthy, and strength. The Emperor of China in the Zhou and Qing Dynasty adopted the dragon as a symbol of imperial power. There were different version of the dragon symbol to represent ranking, to showcase how they did that was by the number of claws the dragon had. The son of Heaven; the emperor is given five claws; four claws were to nobles; and ministers or assigned people were given three claws. These were minor physical changes of how the dragon used to look like. Chinese dragons do not have the same physical features as western dragons. In ancient Chinese art the look of the dragon went through various changes. "Snake – like figures have been found painted on pottery dating to the Shang d... ... middle of paper ... ...istory, 2007. Print. "Chinese Dragons Legends of the Dragon Types of Dragons The Dragon PearlThe Jiulong Baguazhang Dragons." Dragons of China. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. Forbes, Andrews. The Illustrated Book of Dragons and Dragon Lore. N.p.: Cognoscenti, 2013. Print. "Nine Sons of The Dragon King." Beyond Calligraphy. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. "椒图." _互动百科. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. "龙生九子." - 搜狗百科. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. Visser, Marinus Willem De. The Dragon in China and Japan. Amsterdam: J. Müller, 1913. Print. Williams, C. A. S., and C. A. S. Williams. Chinese Symbolism and Art Motifs: An Alphabetical Compendium of Antique Legends and Beliefs, as Reflected in the Manners and Customs of the Chinese. Rutland, VT: C.E. Tuttle, 1988. Print. Yang, Lihui, and Deming An. Handbook of Chinese Mythology. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2005. Print.

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