Dragons

Introduction
The dragon is a mystical being looked at different ways. Dragons are part of many European and Asian cultures. In China, dragons are honored. In Europe, they are evil spirits with treasure. Europe and Asia have different views, but listen to what their tales tell. Are they good luck or evil? Do they keep away the bad spirits?

Background
Where did these beliefs come from? Emperors thought they came from the dragons. In Europe, brave knights fought off the evil dragons. The Chinese, however, celebrate the dragon every year. Dragons can mean many different things in many different places. St. George and the Dragon is a well known story from medieval Europe. Dragons in other cultures, however, are worshiped for good crops.

Dragon Tales
"Insid e the pond lived a fierce dragon that had long aggravated the local citizens by destroying their crops and terrorizing them and their livestock during his daily foraging for food"(Russell 42). This begins one of the many versions of St. George and the Dragon. When a dragon is given all the livestock, the king has nothing to do but sacrifice the kids. "One day the king's beloved daughter was chosen"(Russell 42). The king loved his daughter dearly and did not want her to go. She walked bravely to her fate and "the moment she was alone and saw the reeds begin to sway, she threw herself to the ground and wept" (Russell 42). That's when George came to the rescue and slayed the dragon. St. George and the dragon is a story that has been retold many times and has changed even the slightest bit every time.

Another tale of the dragons is __The Reluctant Dragon__. In this dragon tale, a dragon is living near a village. When the dragon is discovered the town gets very scared. They call in St. George and while he is on his way, a young boy goes to see the dragon. He finds that this dragon is lazy and very friendly. When St. George arrived the young boy talked to him and took him to meet the dragon. The dragon did not want to be slayed, so St. George and the dragon made a deal, they would pretend fight and then the dragon would go away. When the village came to watch the great battle everything went as planned. Then the dragon went away and made everybody happy. This story is another version of St. George and the Dragon but has a different take on the story with the same beginning and ending.

There is a lot of made up information in these tales. So what parts are believable? Well, St. George was a real person. His courage and bravery in these tales was based off of his real personality. He was brave and courageous. We can believe that St. George was brave and that he was real. The stories and tales, though, are made up. These tales and stories are fictional and were made to show off his bravery. Do not mix up the facts with the fake.

European Dragons
In Europe, they have a completely different take on dragons. Dragons are evil spirits. "[They] represent evils in human beings being fought" (World Book 318). Unlike Chinese dragons, European dragons were always threatening villages and eating livestock and people. These are not the friendly Chinese dragons. In many tales, a brave knight battles a ferocious dragon. These European dragons never give up.

In many stories, the dragons guard a treasure. The treasure can be anything from gold to crowns. These treasures are often what makes knights want to kill the dragons. Dragons and treasure always seem to go together. When you steal a dragon's treasure you unleash its power on the village. So you should not try stealing a dragon’s treasure.

Another great and well known dragon tale is __Beowulf__. In this tale, Beowulf fights many battles. Only one is with a dragon though. In this part of the story Beowulf is very old, but he takes the challenge. "I shall win the gold by my courage, or else mortal combat, doom of battle, will bear your lord at last"(Heaney 171). Someone had stolen dragon treasure and the dragon was angry. Beowulf went in to slay the dragon and was injured. He died from this wound after his men came and finished off the dragon. He then passed on his crown. Beowulf is another example of the European dragons.

Chinese Dragons
In China, they see dragons as prosperous and helpful. Every new year, they have a parade and they have people in a dragon costume. They dance the dragon up and down the streets to keep away the evil spirits in the New Year. Dragons play a big part in the Chinese culture. The New Year Dragon means a lot to the Chinese people.

What do these great dragons bring? Well in the Chinese culture, the dragons control the rainfall (World Book 319). “[Dragons] have the power to decide when and where it will rain" (“Culture” para. 5). Dragons are also friendly in the Chinese culture. They can also "bring good luck and [ensure wealth]"(World Book 319). So China and Europe have very different beliefs in dragons.

In Chinese culture, they believe they are the descendants of the dragons. The emperor is supposedly the descendant of the dragon. "[That is why] the bed they sleep on is called the dragon bed, the throne the dragon seat and the clothes the dragon robes" (“Culture” para. 5). In ancient china people highly respected the dragon and there was no doubt the creature existed (“Culture” par. 5). “As a result the dragon became the symbol of the Chinese nation" (“Culture” para.5). The legend of the Chinese Dragon has diffused through ancient China and shaped their culture up until today (Chinese Dragons para.1).

Conclusion
From China to Europe dragons are looked upon many different ways. Tales of brave heroes and knights stealing treasure and more from these creatures are told. Good luck and wealth from dragons. Dragons are good in some cases and evil in others. Whether these tales are believable or not, there is always something believable in them. Dragons are amazing creatures and mean different things in many different cultures.

__ Works Cited __ __ Chinese Dragon Culture __. 2007. April 3 2011.  __ Chinese Dragons. __ April3 2011. < http://www.crystalinks.com/chinadragons.html> "Dragon." __World Book__. 2005. Heaney, Seamus. __Beowulf.__ New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2000. Russell, Laura L. "The Legend of St. George and the Dragon." __Faces: People, Places, and Cultures__ March 2001. 42.

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