Dragon World is all about dragons. There are books, games, and movies, on dragons. This world will talk about them all. people can send in pictures or story on dragons. Please do.
- Created By HopeDragon
Egl� the Queen of Serpents
Once upon a time, there lived an old man and his wife. Together, they had twelve sons and three daughters. The youngest girl was named Eglė. On a warm summer evening, all three girls decided to go swimming. After bathing with her two sisters, Eglė discovered a serpent in the sleeve of her blouse.
The eldest girl grabbed Eglė's blouse, threw it down, and jumped on it, but the serpent did not leave. Turning to the youngest, Eglė, the serpent spoke to her in a man's voice, saying, "Eglė, promise to become my bride, and I will gladly come out."
In order to get him to leave her clothes, Eglė pledged herself to him, not understanding the possible consequences.
Three days later, thousands of serpents came for Eglė, but her relatives tricked them three times in a row. A goose, a sheep, and a cow were given instead of the girl, despite the warnings of a cuckoo. Finally, the enraged serpents returned and took Eglė with them to their master at the bottom of the sea.
Instead of seeing a serpent, Eglė met her bridegroom Žilvinas, a handsome man and the Serpent Prince. They married and bore four children, living happily.
One day, Eglė wished to visit her home, but her husband would not allow her. In order to be allowed the visit, Eglė would be required to fulfill three impossible tasks: to spin a never-ending tuft of silk, wear down a pair of iron shoes, and bake a pie with no utensils. Upon advice from a sorceress, Eglė was able to complete these tasks. She and her children left Žilvinas to visit her home.
After meeting with Eglė and her children, her family wished to keep her rather than let her return to the sea. They plotted to kill Žilvinas. Eglė's brothers asked her sons to reveal the secret calling of Žilvinas, but they would not. Finally, one of Eglė's daughters disclosed it:
"Žilvinas, dear Žilvinas,
If alive - may the sea foam milk
If dead - may the sea foam blood..."
The twelve brothers then called Žilvinas out from the sea, and killed him with scythes. They kept the secret of their deed from Eglė. Worried, Eglė called her husband, but only foams of blood returned from the sea.
Discovering that her beloved husband was dead, Eglė turned herself and her children into trees. Her sons were turned into strong trees: oak, ash and birch; her daughter was turned into a common aspen, and Eglė was turned into a spruce.
Yorimasa the Dragon-Slayer
Once upon a time, a certain emperor became seriously ill. He was unable to sleep at night because of a terrible noise. As soon as the sun set, a dark, black cloud came in from the East, and it settled on the roof of the palace. It was discovered that this was no cloud, but a monster with huge claws.
Night after night, this terrible dragon came, and night after night, the emperor's health grew worse. It became apparent that unless something could be done to destroy this monster, the emperor would certainly die.
The only knight brave enough to face this monster was named Yorimasa. He donned his armor, over which he wore a hunting-dress, and a ceremonial cap instead of his usual helmet. He took up his best bow and steel-tipped arrows to fight the creature.
Yorimasa killed the dragon, which was the size of a horse, with an ape's head, a tiger's body and claws, a serpent's tail, a bird's wings, and a dragon's scales.
From the very moment the creature died, the emperor's health rapidly improved. The emperor kept the scales of the dragon in his treasure house, and gave Yorimasa a sword called "the King of Lions," or Shishiwo. Later, Yorimasa married Lady Ayame, the most beautiful lady-in-waiting at the imperial court.
The Legend of Yofune-Nushi
Once upon a time, about 1320 A.D., a samurai named Oribe Shima was banished by a chieftan named Hojo Takatoki. He was sent to a small island called Kamishima, of the Oki islands. Oribe had a beautiful, eighteen-year-old daughter, whom he loved very much, and who loved him. Her name was Tokoyo.
Alone in her old home in Shima Province, Tokoyo wept night and day over the banishment of her father. Finally, when she could no longer stand the loss, she resolved to reach her father or die trying. Tokoyo was a very brave girl, and was experienced in matters of the sea. As a child, she would dive with the women of her village to collect awabi and pearl-oyster shells.
Tokoyo sold what she could and journeyed out to a place called Akasaki, from which the Islands of Oki could be dimly seen on a clear day. She tried to persuade the fishermen to take her to the Islands, but her money was nearly all spent, and they refused. Tokoyo, bold and valiant, found a small boat and sailed off to the islands by herself.
Once she landed, Tokoyo looked for her father, but could not find him. After several days, she came to a little cape of rocks, and she lay down to pass the night there.
She had only slept an hour before she woke up and heard a girl sobbing. She looked up and saw a beautiful girl of fifteen weeping, and a priest clapping his hands and mumbling “Namu Amida Butsu’s.” They were both dressed in white. The priest finished his prayer and led the girl to the edge of the rocks, and was about to push her over into the sea, but Tokoyo rushed to the girl’s rescue.
The man was not angry, but responded patiently to Tokoyo’s intervention. He explained to her that there was a mysterious dragon named Yofune-Nushi who lived in a cave deep beneath the Oki Islands. For decades, he had terrorized Oki’s small, coastal fishing village. Every year, on June 13th, he forced the people of the nearby village to sacrifice a virgin to him. He threatened to conjure up a terrific storm and destroy their fishing fleet if they did not comply. Fishing was the only source of income to these humble people, so they had no choice but to submit. It was this priest’s sad duty to superintend this ceremony, which Tokoyo interrupted.
Tokoyo, having a broken heart because she could not find her father, volunteered herself as a sacrifice to appease the serpent’s wrath, so that the girl could go free. The priest accepted her offer. Tokoyo took off the girl’s white robe and put it on herself. She placed a small dagger in her teeth and jumped into the water. The priest looked on with astonishment, the girl with thankfulness.
She swam downward in the clear water, which was illuminated by moonlight. She passed many silvery fish which swam around her. She discovered a cave which glittered with awabi shells and pearls. Within this cave was a wooden statue of Hojo Takatoki, the man who had exiled her father. She felt angry and tempted to destroy the statue, but then she thought it would be better to take the statue up to the surface.
As she readied herself for an ascent to the surface, she caught a glimpse of a horrible monster. It was in the shape of a snake, but with legs and phosphorescent scales. It was twenty-six feet long and had fiery eyes. It was Yofune-Nushi, the dragon which lived in the sea.
The unsuspecting dragon must have assumed Tokoyo was the virgin sacrifice. Bracing herself for combat, Tokoyo determined to kill the monster and save the village from this barbaric tradition once and for all. When Yofune-Nushi was within six feet of her, she moved sideways and struck out his right eye. Reeling away in pain, the stunned creature tried to move back to his cavern, but Tokoyo blocked his way. She struck him in the vulnerable underside of his neck, and he perished.
She carried the body of the dragon and the wooden statue to the surface. The priest and the little girl were surprised when they saw their brave hero return, for they had thought she had been eaten by the dragon.
The priest dashed down the rocks and pulled Tokoyo’s half-insensible form ashore. The virgin ran to the village and sought help, which arrived shortly. After Tokoyo had recovered, she was celebrated of the heroine of the hour. The priest reported the whole event to Tameyoshi, the lord of the island, who in turn reported it to Hojo Taktatoki.
Tatatoki had been sick with an unknown disease for some time. The recovery of the wooden statue made it clear that his sickness was caused by a curse. Now that the statue had been brought to the surface, the curse was over, and Tatatoki got better. To show his gratitude, he ordered the immediate release of Oribe Shima, who was confined in prison. He was reunited with Tokoyo and they lived happily ever after.
Dragon Species
Dragon Species
here are various kinds of dragons in lore around the world. Here is a list of specific kinds of dragons from various traditions:
Xiuhcóatl
The Xiuhcóatl is an Aztec fire serpent. It was related to the cult of Xiuhtecuhtli as their fire god and lord of the year. The serpent played an important role in Aztec religion. The Xiuhcóatl is portrayed with the head of a serpent, short legs ending in claws and a curved snout.
Yinglong (應龍)
Known as the Proper Conduct Dragon, the yinglong is the only Chinese dragon portrayed with wings. The yinglong also lacks scales. It is mentioned frequently in myths about the Three Soverigns and Five Emperors. As with other Chinese dragons, yinglong is a guardian of the waters of the earth and is associated with the clouds of heaven. According to the Yuen Kien Lei Han, dragons gain wings after 1,000 years.
The term yinglong means “dragon shape” or “dragon form”.
Žaltys
A žaltys was a guardian serpent in Baltic tradition. The plural form of žaltys is žalčiai. In 1604, Jesuit missionaries reported:
The people have reached such a stage of madness that they believe that deity exists in reptiles. Therefore they carefully safeguard them, lest someone injure the reptiles kept inside their homes. Superstitiously they believe that harm would come to them, should anyone show disrespect to these reptiles...
The žalčiai are harmless grass snakes, indigenous to the Baltic region. Their scientific name is Natrix tripodontus. The woodland variety is dark gray, while the domestic kind is usually green. Some have two distinctive crescent shapes on their heads.
In the folk tale Eglė the Queen of Serpents, the Serpent King is a žaltys.
Žalčiai are associated with sexual life, and encountering such a snake prophesied marriage or birth. It was sometimes given a privileged place under the bed of a married couple. Fertility was essential to prosperity, so a žaltys was seen to bring happiness and prosperity.
The Sun Goddess, Saule, loved žalčiai. It was written: "Do not leave a dead žaltys on a field, bury it. The sight of a dead žaltys would cause the Sun to cry."
