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Post by Red Dragon on Jul 26, 2006 0:38:48 GMT -5
Tatar dragonsZilantZilant is a legendary creature, something between a dragon and a wyvern. Since 1730, it has been the official symbol of Kazan. This winged snake is a part of Tatar and Russian folklore and is mentioned in legends about the foundation of Kazan.Nomenclature and etymologyThe word Zilant is the English transcription of Russian Зилант, itself a rendering of Tatar yılan/елан [jɯlɑn`] (i.e., "snake", sometimes pronounced as [ʓɯlɑn`]).
The Tatars themselves, on the other hand, frequently refer to this creature with the Persian word Ajdaha (Dragon) or Ajdaha-yılan (Dragon-snake). For Tatars, it was a repulsive creature, corresponding to European dragons and to Persian dragon. According to Idel-Ural beliefs, any snake that survives for 100 years turns into Ajdaha dragon.
Zilant/Ajdaha should be distinguished from Aq Yılan (White Snake), which is the king of snakes. Aq Yılan or Şahmara advised and helped epic heroes, batırlar [4], often by giving them gifts. As regards his beneficial influence on humans, the White Snake is similar to the Chinese dragon. The word Şahmara is derived from the Persian roots shah (king) and mar (snake). This linguistic root, in conjunction with the usage of an Iranian name for Ajdaha, shows how the Volga Bulgars and later the Tatars were most strongly influenced by Iranians.
Chuvashes and Mari, ethnic groups surrounding Kazan as well as Tatars, also have legends relating to the foundation of Kazan, but none of them refer to the Kazan dragon. After the 16th century Russians acquired this legend from Tatars. For Kazan Russians, Zilant had negative connotations, as it was represented as a Slavic dragon rather than a snake.LegendsMost legends related to Kazan are contradictory and Zilant is no exception. There are several variations on the Zilant legend.
According to the first story, a beautiful damsel married a resident of Old Kazan. She had to get water from the Qazansu River and complained to the local khan that his capital was poorly situated. She advised him to move the city to the neighborhood of Zilantaw Hill, and the khan agreed. However, the hill was infested with numerous snakes which were "stout as a log". Their leader was a giant two-headed snake, i.e., Zilant. One head ate only grass, while the other swallowed virgins and youths. A wizard advised the khan to build a straw and wood near the hill. In spring, the snakes came out from their winter burrows and crept into the pile of straw. A knight errant was sent out to set the pile of straw on fire, burning out the snakes. They were deadly even in death, "killing people and horses with their stink". However, the gigantic two-headed snake-dragon escaped to the Qaban lakes. According to the story he still lives in the waters of the lake and, from time to time, takes vengeance on the citizens. According to other stories, the giant snake was transformed into Diü, a spirit who founded the underwater kingdom of the lake.
It is also said that say that Zilant did not escape to the lake but instead tried get revenge upon the knight, who by that time had ridden some 50 çaqrım away from Kazan. During the fight that followed, Zilant cut the hero into six parts. The knight, however, had managed to stab the dragon with his poisoned pike, and Zilant eventually died. There is also a legend about Zilant's return to Zilantaw. They say that Zilant re-established himself in a big cave near the hill. The dragon would occasionally fly over the panic-stricken city and drink water from the Black Lake. At first the people of the city people paid tribute to him, but later they managed to kill him with a wizard's help.Related legendsAccording to one legend, when Bulgars came to found the town of Bilär, they discovered a big snake. They decided to kill it, but the snake begged for peace and pleaded with Allah to give her wings. Once she had her wings the snake flew away from Bilär.
Another great snake was said to live in a pagan tower temple at Alabuğa. Although the Bulgars adopted Islam as early as the 10th century, the snake survived until the time of Tamerlane's invasion after which it disappeared.
Ibn Fadlan, who visited Volga Bulgaria in the 10th century referred to numerous snakes, especially in trees. Ibn Fadlan wrote about a huge fallen tree, longer than hundred ells. He saw a big snake at the trunk of the tree, almost as large as the tree itself. The Bulgars allayed his fears by assuring him that the snake was not dangerous.
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Post by Red Dragon on Jul 26, 2006 0:46:22 GMT -5
Welsh Dragon
Y Ddraig Goch
Y Ddraig Goch (Welsh for the red dragon) appears on the national Flag of Wales (the flag itself is also called the "Draig Goch"), and is the most famous dragon in Britain. There are many legends about y Ddraig Goch.
In the Mabinogion story Lludd and Llefelys, the red dragon fights with an invading white dragon. His pained shrieks cause women to miscarry and animals and plants to become barren. Lludd, king of Britain, goes to his wise brother Llefelys in France. Llefelys tells him to dig a pit in the centre of Britain, fill it with mead, and cover it with cloth. Lludd does this, and the dragons drink the mead and fall asleep. Lludd imprisons them, still wrapped in their cloth, in Dinas Emrys in Snowdonia (Welsh: Eryri).
The tale is taken up by Nennius in the Historia Britonum. The dragons remain at Dinas Emrys for centuries until King Vortigern tries to build a castle there. Every night the castle walls and foundations are demolished by unseen forces. Vortigern consults his advisers, who tell him to find a boy with no natural father, and sacrifice him. Vortigern finds such a boy (who is later, in some tellings, to become Merlin) who is supposed to be the son of a demon. On hearing that he is to be put to death to solve the demolishing of the walls, the boy dismisses the knowledge of the advisors. The boy tells the king of the two dragons. Vortigern excavates the hill, freeing the dragons. They continue their fight and the red dragon finally defeats the white dragon. The boy tells Vortigern that the white dragon symbolises the Saxons and that the red dragon symbolises the people of Vortigern. If Vortigern is accepted to have lived in the fifth century, then these people are the British whom the Saxons pushed back to the edges of Britain and who are today called the Welsh.
Henry Tudor flew the red dragon as his banner when he marched through Wales on his way to Bosworth Field.
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Post by Red Dragon on Jul 26, 2006 0:55:43 GMT -5
Meso-American dragonQuetzalcoatl Quetzalcoatl ("feathered serpent" or "plumed serpent") is the Nahuatl name for the Feathered-Serpent deity of ancient Mesoamerica, one of the main gods of many Mexican and northern Central American civilizations and also the name given to some Toltec rulers, the most famous being Topiltzin Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl.Antecedents and originsThe name quetzalcoatl literally means "quetzal-bird snake", signifying a serpent with feathers (Amphitere) of the Resplendent Quetzal (which implies something divine or precious) in the Nahuatl language. The meaning of his local name in other Mesoamerican languages is similar. The Maya of Mexico knew him as Kukulkán; the Quiché-Maya of Guatemala, as Gukumatz.
The Feathered Serpent deity was important in art and religion in most of Mesoamerica for close to 2,000 years, from the Pre-Classic era until the Spanish conquest. Civilizations worshipping the Feathered Serpent included the Olmec, Mixtec, Toltec, Aztec, who adopted it from the people of Teotihuacan, and the Maya.
The cult of the serpent in Mesoamerica is very old; there are representation of snakes with bird-like characteristics as old as the Olmec preclassic (1150-500 BC). The snake represents the earth and vegetation, but it was in Teotihuacan (around 150 BC) where the snake got the precious feathers of the Quetzal, as seen in the Murals of the city. The most elaborate representations come from the old Quetzalcoatl Temple built around 200 BC, which shows a rattlesnake with the long green feathers of the quetzal.
Teotihuacan was dedicated to Tlaloc, the water god, at the same time Quetzalcoatl, as a snake, was a representation of the fertility of the earth, and it was subordinate to Tlaloc. As the cult evolved, it became independent. In time Quetzalcoatl was mixed with other gods, and acquired their attributes. Quetzalcoatl is often associated with Ehecatl, the wind god, and represents the forces of nature, and is also associated with the morning star (Venus). Quetzalcoatl became a representation of the rain, the celestial water and their associated winds, while Tlaloc would be the god of earthly water, the water in lakes, caverns and rivers, and also of vegetation. Eventually Quetzalcoatl was transformed into one of the gods of the creation (Ipalnemohuani).
The Teotihuacan influence took the god to the Mayas, who adopted him as Kukulkán. The Maya regarded him as a being who would transport the gods.
In Xochicalco (700-900 CE), the political class began to claim that they ruled in the name of Quetzalcoatl, and representations of the god became more human. They influenced the Toltec, and the Toltec rulers began to use the name of Quetzalcoatl. The Toltec represented Quetzalcoatl as man, with god-like attributes, and these attributes were also associated with their rulers.
The most famous of those rulers was Topiltzin Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl. Ce Acatl means "one reed" and is the calendaric name of the ruler (923 - 947), whose legends became almost inseparable from accounts of the god. The Toltecs would associate Quetzalcoatl with their own god, Tezcatlipoca, and make them equals, enemies and twins. The legends of Ce Acatl told us that he thought his face was ugly, so he let his beard grow to hide it, and eventually he wore a white mask. This legend has been distorted so representations of Quezalcoatl as a white bearded man have become common.
The Nauhas would take the legends of Quetzalcoatl and mix them with their own. Quetzalcoatl would be considered the originator of the arts, poetry and all knowledge. The figure of Ce Acatl would become inseparable from the image of the god.CultThe worship of Quetzalcoatl sometimes included animal sacrifices, and in other traditions Quetzalcoatl was said to oppose human sacrifice.
Mesoamerican priests and kings would sometimes take the name of a deity they were associated with, so Quetzalcoatl and Kukulcan are also the names of historical persons. The reason being that Quetzalcoatl called one man, to whom he gave his rights, privileges, and powers, to administer in his religious duties who took on the name of the Deity, to show that the power had been given to him. The name was pronounced differently, to denote this man a mortal, in contrast to Quetzalcoatl, Kate-Zal, or Kukulcan the God of wind and waves.
One noted Post-Classic Toltec ruler was named Quetzalcoatl; he may be the same individual as the Kukulcan who invaded Yucatán at about the same time. The Mixtec also recorded a ruler named for the Feathered Serpent. In the 10th century a ruler closely associated with Quetzalcoatl ruled the Toltecs; his name was Topiltzin Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl. This ruler was said to be the son of either the great Chichimeca warrior, Mixcoatl and the Culhuacano woman Chimalman, or of their descendant.
The Toltecs had a dualistic belief system. Quetzalcoatl's opposite was Tezcatlipoca, who supposedly sent Quetzalcoatl into exile. Alternatively, he left willingly on a raft of snakes, promising to return.
When the Aztecs adopted the culture of the Toltecs, they made twin gods of Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl, opposite and equal; Quetzalcoatl was also called White Tezcatlipoca, to contrast him to the black Tezcatlipoca. Together, they created the world; Tezcatlipoca lost his foot in that process. Because white was the color symbol of Quezalcoatl, it does not mean Quezalcoatl was white.
Along with other gods, like Tezcatlipoca, and Tlaloc, Quetzalcoatl would be called "Ipalnemohuani", which means "by whom we live", a title reserved for the gods directly involved in the creation. Because the name, Ipalnemohuani is singular, this had lead to speculations that the Aztec were becoming monotheist, and all the main gods, were only one. While this interpretation cannot be ruled out, it is probably an oversimpification of the Aztec religion.In modern timesIn some rural parts of Mexico, there still exists a belief that in some caves, near certain towns, there lives a monster, a great feathered snake that can only be seen by special people. The monster must be placated for there to be plentiful rain. The feathered snake is also still worshipped by Huichol and Cora Indians.
The cult of Quetzalcoatl has been more or less idealized, and the image of a "white god" has became part of the popular culture.
Some modern esoteric groups, sometimes called "Mexicanistas", have mixed the cult of Queztalcoatl with modern esoteric practices. There are also claims that Quetzalcoatl was either a lone viking, Jesus, a survivor from Atlantis, or even an extraterrestrial.
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Post by Red Dragon on Jul 26, 2006 1:02:16 GMT -5
African dragon
Amphisbaena
Amphisbaena (pronounced: ˌæmfɪsˈbinə, plural: amphisbaenae), or Amphisbaina, or Amphisbene, or Amphisboena, or Amphisbona, or Amphista, or Amphivena, or Anphivena (the last two being feminine), a Greek word, from amfis, meaning both ways, and bainein, meaning to go, also called the Mother of Ants, is a mythological, ant-eating serpent with a head at each end. According to Greek mythology, the mythological amphisbaena was spawned from the blood that dripped from Medusa the Gorgon's head as Perseus flew over the Libyan desert with it in his hand. Cato's army then encountered it along with other serpents on the march. Amphisbaenae fed off of the corpses left behind. The amphisbaena has been referred to by the poets, such as Nicander, John Milton, Alexander Pope, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson and the amphisbaena as a mythological and legendary creature has been referenced by Lucan, Pliny the Elder, Isidore of Seville, and Browne, Sir Thomas, the last of which debunked its existence.
Appearance
The earlier descriptions of the amphisbaena depict what looks basically like a snake (perhaps an Indian Sand Boa), but with a head at either end. However, medieval and later drawings often show it with two or more scaled feet, particularly chicken feet and feathered wings. Some even depict it with horns on the front head and small, round ears on the other, or horns on both heads. These horns are long and either curved upwards or slightly spiraled. Also, some show it with the second head on the end of its tail, while others have both "necks" of equal size so that it cannot be determined which is the rear head. Many descriptions of the amphisbaena say its eyes glow like candles or lightning, but the poet Nicander seems to contradict this by describing it as "always dull of eye". He also says: "From either end protrudes a blunt chin; each is far from each other."
Abilities
* regenerative abilities - if the amphisbaena is cut in half, the two parts can rejoin.
* venomous fangs - the amphisbaena is venomous, as Pliny the Elder indicates: "The amphisbaena has a twin head, that is one at the tail end as well, as though it were not enough for poison to be poured out of one mouth."
* efficient duplicity - the amphisbaena's heads can handle more than one task at once.
* speed - according to some accounts, the amphisbaena can slither (or run) very quickly, and, in the case of the limbless amphisbaena, it can slither in either direction, as Isidore of Seville indicates: "It can move in the direction of either head with a circular motion." The poet Nicander, however, describes the amphisbaena as "slow in motion".
* rolling - by locking the jaws of its two heads or holding the neck of one in the mouth of the other, the amphisbaena can roll like a hoop, as depicted by medieval artists.
* warmbloodedness - unlike most serpents, the amphisbaena was apparently unperturbed by the cold, as Isidore of Seville indicates: "Alone among snakes, the amphisbaena goes out in the cold."
Uses
- pregnancy - pregnant women wearing an amphisbaena around their necks would supposedly have safe pregnancies; in accord with this, women in power would wear bracelets in the shape of amphisbaenae
- arthritis - wearing a dead amphisbaena or its skin would cure arthritis. - chilblains - wearing the skin of an amphisbaena will reduce this swelling of the hands caused by cold .
- cold - wearing a dead amphisbaena or its skin is a cure for a cold. - woodcutting - nailing the skin of an amphisbeana to a tree before cutting it down will make it easier to fell the tree and keep the lumberjack warm.
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Post by Red Dragon on Jul 26, 2006 1:06:09 GMT -5
Dragon-like creatures BaziliskIn European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk (from the Greek âÜóéëéóêüò basiliskos, a little king, in Latin Regulus) is a legendary reptile reputed to be king of serpents and said to have the power of causing death by a single glance. According to the Naturalis Historia of Pliny the Elder, the basilisk is a small snake that is so venomous that it leaves a wide trail of deadly venom in its wake, and its gaze is likewise lethal.
There are three descriptions to the image of the basilisk: a huge lizard, a giant snake or a three-foot high thingyerel with a snake's tail and teeth, all of which are shared with the thingyatrice. It is called "king" because it is reputed to have on its head a mitre- or crown-shaped crest. Stories of the basilisk place it in the same general family as the thingyatrice. The basilisk is fabulously alleged to be hatched by a thingyerel from the egg of a serpent (the reverse of the thingyatrice, which was hatched from a hen's egg incubated by a serpent's nest). In Medieval Europe, the description of the creature began taking on features from thingyerels. Geoffrey Chaucer featured a basilicok (as he called it) in his Canterbury Tales. According to some legends, basilisks can be killed by hearing the crow of a rooster or gazing at itself through a mirror.
Stories gradually added to the basilisk's deadly capabilities, such as describing it as a larger beast, capable of breathing fire and killing with the sound of its voice. Some writers even claimed that it could kill not only by touch, but also by touching something that is touching the victim, like a sword held in their hand. Also, some stories claim their breath is highly toxic and will cause death, usually, immediately. The Basilisk is also the guardian creature of the Swiss city Basel. Bazilisks are among the most dreaded magical creatures. " of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land," there is none more curious or more deadly. The bazilisk is certainly more than just a large snake. also known as thingyatrice, it has exited in legends for centuries. Rowling is just having fun in beasts when she credits a Greek wizard named Herpo the Foul with breeding the first Bazilisk. Herpein is a Greek word meaning " to creep" that came to be a word describing snakes. the study of reptiles such as snakes is now called Herpetology. However, just as she suggests, by legend the baziliskwas said to be the offspring of rooster or hen mated with snake or toad. Some artists followed that description literally, and drew strange beasts combining features from those animals. but more often the bazilisk was portrayed as a serpent with a crown or white spot on his head. Cobras, which have such marks, may be the origin of the bazilisk legend. the bazilisk was reported to be deadly even from afar. the Roman naturalist Pliny said," he kills all trees and shrubs, not only those he touches but all he breathes upon. he burns the grass and breaks stones , so venomous and deadly is he." some sources describe there varieties : the golden bazilisk could poison with a lock; another sparked fire; a third, like the famous snaky hair of Medusa in Greek mythology, caused such horror that victims were petrified. William Shakespeare even mentioned a bazilisk in his play Richard III. The evil title character kills his brother then immediately flatters his brother's widow by mentioning her beautiful eyes. But she replies, " would they were a bazilisk's , to strike the dead!" How to Fight a Baziliska bazilisk controled by Lord Voldemort slinks through Hogwarts in Chamber, almost killing Harry and his friends. Fawkes , professor Dumbledore's pet phoenix, attacks the monster. that also matches legend. a bird , the rooster- is fatal to the beast.in the middle ages travellers carried roosters as protection against Bazilisks.Euhemeristic accountsSome have speculated that reports of cobras may have given birth to the stories of the basilisk. The king cobra has a crownlike symbol on its head and is often killed by mongooses. It can kill many species by spitting venom from a distance. The Egyptian cobra lives in the desert and was used as a symbol of royalty.
There is in fact a small lizard called the Common Basilisk (Basiliscus basiliscus), though it shares none of the attributes of the legendary creature. LeviathanIn Hebrew mythology, a leviathan was a large creature similar to a crocodile with fierce teeth; in the Bible, the leviathan can breathe fire. Over time, the term came to mean any large sea monster; in modern Hebrew, "leviathan" simply means whale. A sea serpent is also closely related to the dragon, though it is more snakelike and lives in the water.JudaismThe word "Leviathan" appears five times in the Bible:
1- Isaiah 27:1: "In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea."
2- Psalms 74:14: "Thou didst crush the heads of the Leviathan, thou didst give him for food to the desert people."
3- Psalms 104:25,26: "O Lord, how manifold thy works, in wisdom you have created them all. So is this great and wide sea... there go the ships and the Leviathan which you have created to play with"; 4- Book of Job 3:8 "Lo let the night be solitary, let no joyful cry be heard in it. Let them curse it who curse the day who are ready to awake the Leviathan";
5- Book of Job 41:1-34: "Can you draw out a Leviathan with a hook or press down its tongue with a cord? Canst thou put a hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a bridle ring? Will he make many supplications to thee? Will he speak soft words to thee? Will he make a covenant with thee? To take him for thy servant forever? Will thou play with him as with a bird? Or wilt thou bind him for thy girls? Will the tradesmen heap up payment for him?... Lay thy hand upon him, thou will no more think of fighting. Behold the hope of him is in vain, shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him? None is so fierce that dare stir him up. who then is able to stand before me?...Who can open the doors of his face? His teeth are terrible round about. His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal. One is near to the another, that no air can come between them. They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered. By his [sneezing] a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of morning. Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron. His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth....His heart is as firms as stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone....He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble....He maketh the deep to boil like a pot....he is a king over all the children of pride." The word Leviathan is also mentioned in Rashi's commentary on Genesis 1:21: "God created the great sea monsters - Taninim." Jastrow translates the word "Taninim" as a "sea monster, crocodile or large snake". Rashi comments: "According to legend this refers to the Leviathan and its mate. God created a male and female Leviathan, then killed the female and salted it for the righteous, for if the Leviathans were to procreate the world could not stand before them."
In the Talmud, the Leviathan is mentioned a number of times:
1- Avoda Zara (3b): "Rav Yehuda says, there are twelve hours in a day. The first three hours God sits and learns the Torah, the second three hours he sits and judges the world. The third three hours God feeds the entire world... the fourth three hour period God plays with the Leviathan as it is written: "the Leviathan which you have created to play with".
2- Moed Katan (25b): "Rav Ashi said to Bar Kipok: what will be said at my funeral? He answered: "If a flame can fall a cedar, what hope does a small tree have? If a Leviathan can be hooked and hauled to land, what hope has a fish in a puddle?"
The festival of Sukkot (Festival of Booths) concludes with a prayer recited upon leaving the sukkah (booth): "May it be your will, Lord our God and God of our forefathers, that just as I have fulfilled and dwelled in this sukkah, so may I merit in the coming year to dwell in the sukkah of the skin of Leviathan. Next year in Jerusalem."
A commentary on this prayer in the Artscroll prayer-book (p. 725) adds: "The Leviathan was a monstrous fish created on the fifth day of Creation. Its story is related at length in the Talmud Baba Bathra 74b, where it is told that the Leviathan will be slain and its flesh served as a feast to the righteous in [the] Time to Come, and its skin used to cover the tent where the banquet will take place."
There is another religious hymn recited on the festival of Shavuot (celebrating the giving of the Torah), known as Akdamut, wherein it says: "...The sport with the Leviathan and the ox (Behemoth)...When they will interlock with one another and engage in combat, with his horns the Behemoth will gore with strength, the fish [Leviathan] will leap to meet him with his fins, with power. Their Creator will approach them with his mighty sword [and slay them both]." Thus, "from the beautiful skin of the Leviathan, God will construct canopies to shelter the righteous, who will eat the meat of the Behemoth [ox] and the Leviathan amid great joy and merriment, at a huge banquet that will be given for them." Some rabbinical commentators say these accounts are allegorical (Artscroll siddur, p. 719), or symbolic of the end of conflict.
Legend has it that in the banquet after the end of conflict, the carcass of the leviathan will be served as a meal, along with the behemoth and the ziz.
Leviathan may also be interpreted as the sea itself, with its counterparts behemoth being the land and ziz being the air and space. Some scholars have interpreted Leviathan, and other references to the sea in the Old Testament, as highly metaphorical references to seafaring marauders who once terrorized the Kingdom of Israel. Others liken the mention to Tiamat and other similar monsters who represented the sea as a foe to the gods in myths of nearby cultures.
The Biblical references to Leviathan appear to have evolved from the Canaanite Baal cycle involving a confrontation between Hadad (Baal) and a seven headed sea monster named Lotan. Lotan is the Ugaritic orthograph for Hebrew Leviathan. Hadad defeats him. Bibilical references also resemble the Babylonian creation epic Enûma Elish in which the storm god Marduk slays his mother, the sea monster and goddess of chaos and creation Tiamat and creates the earth and sky from the two halves of her corpse.ChristianityThe Christian interpretation of Leviathan is often considered to be a demon or natural monster associated with Satan or the Devil, and held by some to be the same monster as Rahab (Isaiah 51:9).
Some biblical scholars considered Leviathan to represent the pre-existent forces of chaos. In Psalm 74:13-14 it says "it was You who drove back the sea with Your might, who smashed the heads of the monsters in the waters; it was You who crushed the heads of Leviathan, who left him as food for the creatures of the wilderness. (JPS edition)" God drove back the waters of the pre-existent Earth (Genesis 1:2 "And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters." ([NAS]) Some interpreters suggest that Leviathan is a symbol of mankind in opposition to God, claiming that it and beasts mentioned in the books of Daniel and Revelation should be interpreted as metaphors. The word Leviathan to the ancient Jews became synonymous with that which warred against God's kingdom. This especially included nations warring against Israel such as Assyria and Egypt. (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament,1985, SP Publications Inc.)
Leviathan also appears in the Apocryphal Book of Enoch, giving the following description of this monster's origins there mentioned as being female, as opposed to the male Behemoth:
And that day will two monsters be parted, one monster, a female named Leviathan in order to dwell in the abyss of the ocean over the fountains of water; and (the other), a male called Behemoth, which holds his chest in an invisible desert whose name is Dundayin, east of the garden of Eden. - 1 Enoch 60:7-8 Some interpreters suggest that Leviathan is a symbol of mankind in opposition to God, claiming that it and beasts mentioned in the books of Daniel and Revelation should be interpreted as metaphors. The usage of Leviathan in the Old Testament books (Isaiah 27:1) would seem to be a reference to a Semitic mythological beast mentioned in Ugaritic literature (of Ugarit, a city-state in North Syria). According to Canaanite myth, the Leviathan was an enemy of order in Creation and was slain by the Canaanite god Baal. The word Leviathan to the ancient Jews became synonymous with that which warred against God's kingdom. This especially included nations warring against Israel such as Assyria and Egypt. (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament,1985, SP Publications Inc.)
Leviathan is also sometimes said to have been of the order of Seraphim. According to the writings of Father Sebastien Michaelis, Balberith, a demon who allegedly possessed Sister Madeleine at Aix-en-Provence, obligingly told the priest not only the other devils possessing the nun, but added the special saints whose function was to oppose them. Leviathan was one devil that was named and was said to tempt men into committing sacrilege. Its adversary was said to be St. Peter.
According to St. Thomas Aquinas, Leviathan is the demon of envy and the demon who is first in punishing the corresponding sinners. Some medieval authors, such as Collin de Plancy and Johann Weyer, considered Leviathan to be Grand Admiral of the maritime regions of Hell.SatanismIn The Satanic Bible, subsequently the final section, the "Book of Leviathan", authored by Anton LaVey, and according to most Satanist groups, particularly LaVeyan Satanism, Leviathan is one of the "Four Crown Princes" and represents the number three, the color blue, man's carnal side and the human element chaos. There, Leviathan's element is water, water being that which human forms are primarily created of. This representing the unity of matter and anti-matter, chaos and order, yin with yang, and Leviathan's direction is west, west being used to represent chaos and disorder.Leviathan as an animalIn the book of Job, both Behemoth and Leviathan are listed alongside a number of other animals that are clearly mundane, such as goats, eagles, and hawks, leading many Christian scholars to surmise that Behemoth and Leviathan may also be mundane creatures. The animal most often proposed for Leviathan is the Nile crocodile.
Like the Leviathan, the Nile crocodile is aquatic, scaly, and possesses fierce teeth. Job 41:18 states that Leviathan's eyes "are like the eyelids of the morning". Some have compared this verse to a crocodile's eyes, which rise out of the water before the rest of its head, invoking the image of the sun rising over the horizon.
The major difficulty of this view is that in Job chapter 41 Leviathan is described as breathing fire like a dragon.
Another difficulty is that the crocodile does not seem to fit the descriptions of Leviathan given in other Bible passages, e.g. it does not have multiple heads.
Another theory, often cited by cryptozoology, is that Leviathan was an aquatic reptile, such as a Plesiosaurus.
During sea-faring's Golden Age, European sailors saw Leviathan as a gigantic whale-like sea monster, usually a sea serpent, that devoured whole ships by swimming around the vessels so quickly as to create a whirlpool.Leviathan in literatureLeviathan is the title of Thomas Hobbes' seminal work on the social contract and the creation of an ideal state - the Commonwealth.
The term "Leviathan" is often used as a generic term for anything large and all consuming.
Partly due to the influence of Herman Melville's classic, Moby-thingy, the Leviathan has come to be associated by many with the sperm whale. An example of this is in Disney's depiction of Pinocchio's being swallowed (a la Jonah in the Bible) by Monstro, a sperm whale, despite the fact that in the original, Pinocchio was swallowed by a "Pesce-cane", translated as "dog-fish" or "shark".
In his book, In Search of Prehistoric Survivors, cryptozoologist Dr. Karl Shuker considers the Leviathan to be a myth inspired, at least in part, by sightings of a Mosasaur-type sea monster. Bernard Heuvelmans, in his book In the Wake of Sea Serpents (Dans le sillage des monstres marins) considered the entity to be of the "Marine centipede" type.
According to a Pagan religion, the Leviathan is considered to be the guardian of the city of Atlantis. When the citizens of that world decided to go into hiding, they put the Leviathan under a sleeping spell unless something tried to get too close to or awaken the city, this way, it would not roam the waters, which would ultimately give away the location of their dwelling.
In Paradise Lost, Milton uses the term Leviathan to describe the size and power of Satan.
Leviathan is an element of the Illuminatus Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson, the third book of which uses the beast's name as its title.
In Clive Barker's The Hellbound Heart, the ruler of Hell is Leviathan.
WyvernA wyvern (or wivern) is a winged reptilian legendary creature often found in medieval heraldry. Its usual blazon is statant (standing). The wyvern is similar to a European dragon, but it differs in that it has only two legs (thus making it rather bird-like), cannot breathe fire, and has a barbed or snake-like tail. Occasionally, it is said to be smaller than a dragon or to be able to breathe fire. The wyvern is similar to another mythical creature, the thingyatrice, which is similar to the basilisk. Its sounds are similar to the tone of a whisle or flute.[citation needed]
Variants of the wyvern include the sea-wyvern, which has a fish-like tail. Of the dragon-like creatures, wyverns are said to be the most feline, having a cat-like intelligence and temperament. During the Middle Ages, they were supposedly the most useful of all dragons to sorcerers, as they had the unique ability to work easily with spells.Wyvern and SymbolismsIn heraldry, the wyvern represents pestilence, conquest, or other such ideas.[citation needed] The wyvern also symbolises strength, power and endurance.
The portmanteau word "Wyvern" is associated with the area of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, as the rivers Wye and Severn run through Hereford and Worcester respectively. Therefore, the wyvern is often used as a mascot in that area. For example, one of the local radio stations is called Wyvern FM, and its first logo, in 1982, featured a wyvern dragon.
* A golden wyvern was featured on the flag of Wessex and is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.
* 43 'Wessex' brigade of the British Army have a golden wyvern as their symbol, worn on the left shoulder of the uniform.
* The wyvern was the emblem of the Midland Railway, which ran in Great Britain until 1923. The Midland Railway Centre in Derbyshire, England, publishes a magazine for its members called The Wyvern.
* A pair of wyverns appear on the club crest of Leyton Orient Football Club (based in East London), who play in the Football League 1.
* A red wyvern rampant is the school mascot of Saint Francis High School in Louisville, Kentucky.
* A wyvern adorns the crest of Alpha Chi Sigma, a professional chemistry fraternity. * Fantastic pictures at Japanese Museum of Fantastic Specimens
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Post by Red Dragon on Jul 26, 2006 2:26:01 GMT -5
The Good side Of Dragons
But dragons are not always enemies of humans. specially in Asia, the dragon is benevolent- though sometimes bossy. most importantly, it is a symbol of leadership. the Asian calendar is divided into twelve year sycles, with each of those years associated with a particular animal. people born in the year of the dragon are said to be the best leaders, combining a strong will a generous nature.
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Post by Red Dragon on Jul 26, 2006 2:27:08 GMT -5
What's Inside A Dragon's Brain?
some authorities say a magical gemstone, called Draconite, can be found inside a dragon's head; " There is cut out of the dragon's brain a stone, but it is not a stone unless it be taken while the dragon is alive. for if the dragon dies first, the hardness vanishes away with his life. men of exellent courage and audacity search out the holes where the dragons lie. then watching until they come forth to feed, and passing by them with as much speed as they can, they cast them herbs to provoke sleep. so when the dragons are fast asleep, the men cut the stones out of thier heads, and getting the booty of thier heady enterprise, enjoy the reward of thier rashness. the kings of the East wear these although they are so hard that no man can devise to imprint or engrave anything in it. it has a pure natural whiteness." In ancient legend, the blood of dragons was also magical. this fits with a fact noted on Dumbledore's Famous Witches and Wizards trading card, that one of his achievements was figuring out the twelve uses of Dragons blood.
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Post by Red Dragon on Jul 26, 2006 2:33:55 GMT -5
Some Other Breeds of Dragons
Antipodean Opaleye
native to: New Zealand (and Australia ) habitat: valleys appearance: iridescent, pearly scales size: medium eyes: glittering, multicolored, with no pupils flame: vivid red food: sheep eggs: pale grey
Common Welsh Green
native to: Wales habitat: nests in higher mountains appearance: green flame: narrow jets food: sheep eggs: earthy brown speckled with green
Hebridean Black
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Post by Red Dragon on Jul 26, 2006 18:40:39 GMT -5
Useful materials from dragons:
hide Dragon hide is used to make clothing, often where Muggles would use leather, and particularly where the clothing is intended to double as protective gear. Dragon hide is in use to make boots , gloves , jackets , and shields . Swedish Short-Snout skin is particularly sought-after .
blood There are twelve uses for dragons' blood, as discovered by Albus Dumbledore . The twelfth use is oven cleaner .
liver 16 sickles an ounce in Diagon Alley .
heart Heartstring is used in wands as a magical core substance .
horn
powdered
Romanian Longhorn horns are a Class B Tradeable material .
eggs Dragon eggs are defined as Class A Non-Tradeable Goods . However, Chinese Fireball eggshells are highly prized as potion ingredients.
Hagrid acquired a Norwegian Ridgeback egg from someone in a pub and hatched it in his hut. His wooden hut.
dung Dragon dung is sold by the barrel in Knockturn Alley . This may be related to its use as composed in Herbology.
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Post by Red Dragon on Jul 26, 2006 19:02:47 GMT -5
This is my book about Dragons, its a complete collection and reference from all dragons and all legends about them and I can tell you here in this book, you can learn everything about dragons. at the end of this book, there is a part which names: color=orange]Dragon Like Creatures[/color]. I have added these three huge and ancient magical creatures here for you , just because of their similarities with Dragons. just read , learn and enjoy! [/b]
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Post by jake on Nov 16, 2007 10:20:49 GMT -5
Ukrainian Ironbelly native to: Ukraine (possibly the Transcarpathian Region that borders Romania and Hungary habitat: mountains (?) - possibly Northern Carpathians appearance: metallic grey, long talons size: largest breed of dragon, up to six tons eyes: deep red
The Transcarpathian Region of the southwestern Ukraine seems a likely candidate for the primary habitat of the Ironbelly for various reasons. It borders Hungary and Romania , both of which support dragon species of their own, so the region where the three countries touch is worthy of consideration as a dragon habitat for that reason alone. Since the Black Sea borders the Ukraine to the south, and particularly mentions that Ironbellies have been known to hunt in that area, this region is again indicated. The Northern Carpathian Mountains running through the Transcarpathian Region of the Ukraine continue into the Southern Carpathians, also known as the Transylvanian Alps. In addition to being a mountainous area, and thus a common sort of dragon habitat, the Carpathians are sparsely inhabited by Muggles (Columbia ), which would help explain how the wizarding world has managed to hush up the existence of the Ironbelly, given that much of the rest of the Ukraine is very thoroughly in use by Muggles as farmland.
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