- Ka-en-ankh Nereru
- Kalseru
- Kashchei / Koshchei
- Kataore
- Kinabalu
- Kinepeikwa / Msi-Kinepeikwa
- King of the Serpents / Snakes
- King of Snakes (Serbian)
- Kiyo
- Knucker
- Kolowisi
- Krak's Dragon
- Kukulkan
- Kundrav
- Kur
- Footnotes
Origin: Egypt
History: As a part of the rising of the sun, Ka-en-ankh Nereru is a cosmic serpent who covers the night skies. Unlike Apep, Ka-en-ankh Nereru does not fight Ra, the sun god, but rather allows Ra to rejuvinate himself so that he may make the new sun rise in the morning.
Symbolism: This creature is a part of the rising of the sun and the falling of the sun. Therefore, this creature can be a sign of revitilization.
Physical Description: As described in the Book if the Coming Forth into Day, this is a vast serpent, so vast in fact that its body stretches through the darkness (night skies).
Origin: Russian Folklore
History: In some tales, Kashchei is a non-dragon (wizard) creature that is much like the hag Baba Yaga (only Koshchei is male). However, just as many tales point out Kashchei to be a Russian dragon.
Kashchei's full title was "Kashchei the Deathless", for he was considered to be invulnerable. He abducted a princess as well as Marena, the goddess of death. However, his abductions are what eventually led to his demise.
He was able to keep his soul immortal by hiding it; however, when he took a beautiful young women captive, she found out where he hid his soul, in an egg. Bulat the Brave (the hero most commonly attributed with this dragon's death) was said to be the hero who was given the task of finding this egg and confronting Kashchei.
Kashchei died when Bulat smashed the egg (and thus his soul) against the dragon's own head.
Symbolism: Some mythologists say that Kashchei is a personified evil spirit pertaining to the weather. He was often connected to winter as well as death.
Physical Description: As I know it, Kashchei is a boney, snakelike dragon that stands on two legs and has two arms.
Related Articles: Dragons of Fame: Chudo-Yudo
Origin: New Zealand or Australia
History: Kataore was one of the taniwha that lived within a cave. The cave was located near Rotorua, in the Tiki-tapu district, and Kataore was a pet to the local chief, Tangaroa-mihi. However, as Kataore grew, he became violent and began to eat travelors. Finally, he devoured Tuhikarapapa, a high-born young maiden who was going to marry Reretoi.
Reretoi called for people to help him slay the beast. He even called tohunga, men with magical powers, so that they may sap the dragon's power. With these people, he planed to kill Kataore, the green-eyed dragon.
Pitaka, now on his third encounter with dragons, came to help slay the dragon. He and his men grabbed a few fresh nouses and snuck into the dragon's cave. Since the dragon was week from the tohunga's magic, they easily slipped the nouses around the dragon's neck and raced out of the cave.
When the men left the cave, the others began to pull on the ropes which were now fixed around the dragon's neck. At first, Kataore began to writhe as they pulled him out of the cave. However, as the ropes began to get tighter, the dragon lost his strength.
With that, the men leaped upon Kataore and tore his flesh until he died. They cooked his heart, and they named that ridge Te Ahi-Manawa.
Symbolism: This story possibly says that one should not keep such dangerous pets as a dragon.
Physical Description: Kataore was said to be a huge serpent-lizard with four legs, greenstone eyes, and huge spines.
Origin: Borneo Folk tale
History: Kinabalu is said to have lived at the top of Mount Kinabalu in Borneo. This dragon owned a grand pearl that the Chinese Emperor desired. He sent many men to retrieve it, but the dragon killed most of them. So, the Emperor sent out Wee Ping and Wee San to get the pearl.
Wee San plotted a way to trick the dragon and steal the pearl. He decided to wait until the dragon went out to find food, and then he and his brother would, using a kite, fly to the top of the mountain. They captured the pearl, and then replaced it with an imitation. However, the dragon was not fooled, and he proceeded to chase the brothers, who were now on their ship.
As the dragon approached, Wee san ordered for the cannon ball to launched at the dragon. Kinabalu, thinking it was his precious pearl, swallowed the cannon ball and died.
Wee Ping, feeling a bit left out of the whole story, lied and said he was the one who came up with the idea for the pearl. He also said that it was he, not his brother, who managed to steal it from the dragon. Wee Ping wanted the pearl for himself.
Wee San wanted no more trouble over the silly pearl, so he said nothing and left China. Later, he became the happy leader of the Brunei. Wee Ping was not so lucky, for his lying brought him nothing but sadness.
Symbolism: Poor Kinabalu and his prized pearl! The story is primarily about lying and bravery; if you are weak and lie you will never be happy. This is symbolized through Wee Ping and Wee San, rather than Kinabalu, who seems to be just a second hand character in this story.
Physical Description: Kinabalu was most probably a dragon that looked much like a common Chinese dragon. It is interesting to note that when dragons hold pearls they are called Pearls of Wisdom.
Related Articles: Dragon Pearl
Type/Species: Serpent
Origin: Shawnee Native American Mythology
History: Unlike many dragons, the Msi-Kinepeikwa achieved its form slowly. This massive serpent finally reached its form by shedding one skin and growing the next, changing each time as it goes. It is said that the first stage of this creature was a fawn with one red and one blue horn which was inside of a lake. This fawn grew and moved toward the water's edge, changing and growing until it became the serpent that the Native Americans saw.
Symbolism: While this is unclear, the Msi-Kinepeikwa could have been a symbol of growing up the the Shawnee Native Americans. After all, who would suspect a small baby to become a huge warrior?
Physical Description: This was described as being a large serpent, much like a snake, that inhabited a lake.
Type/Species: Wurm
Origin: Folkore of Sweden
History: Should a person see a snake and then kill it, and other snakes appear, and the same person see and kill that snake as well, it is said that the King of the Snakes will appear. The person could run, thereby saving his or her life, or they will be killed by the King.
Symbolism: Perhaps the King of Snakes was seen as a protective symbol; it shows an appriciation for life.
Physical Description: The King of Snakes is a huge dragon, shaped like a wurm, with a crest upon his head.
Origin: Serbian Folklore
History: There once was a shepherd tending his flock who heard the hissing of a snake. Curious, he walked towards the hissing to see what was going on. He then saw that the snake was near a forest which was burning. The snake was hissing at the flames, by which he was surrounded.The shepherd watched because he was interested in what the snake would do.
The snake looked up and said, "For GOD's sake, save me!" So the shepherd reached out the crook of his staff, and the snake slithered on to it. The snake then slithered over the man and around his neck, and he was fearful because he believed the snake was going to kill him. The snake, however, told the man to take him to his father, the king of snakes, who would reward him. The shepherd worried for his flock, but the snake assured him that they would be all right.
So the shepherd carried the snake to the king of snakes, whose palace gates were covered in snakes. But they openned as soon as the snake spoke to them. The snake then told the shepherd, "My father will grant you anything, from silver to gold to jewels, but ask instead for the gift to speak to animals. He will hesistate, at first, but then he will grant it to you."
So the shepherd came before the king of snakes with his son, whom the snake was glad to see. The king of snakes then asked the man how he could repay him, and the shepherd asked for the ability to understand the language of animals. The king of snakes refused, telling him that it would not be wise for a human to have such a gift; after all, should he tell anyone he had it, he would die. The shepherd refused all other gifts and turned to leave. The king of snakes resigned himself and gave the man the ability to understand the language of animals.
When he returned to his flock, he overheard ravens reporting that there was much gold under the earth where he tended the flock. He send for his master and told him; his master dug it up yet let the shepherd keep it. With this, the shepherd became rich, married, and had his own shepherds to tend his flock. One evening, he told his servents to feast while he watched his own flock. He heard wolves howl and speak to the dogs. They told the dogs that, should the dogs allow them to kill a sheep, the dogs would feast with them. All the dogs but one old dog agreed, but the old dog shouted out, "As long as I live, you will not harm my master's property!"
The next day, the shepherd ordered his servants to kill all but the old dog; this confused the servants, who thought it was folly. He commanded them again, and they did it. Then, the shepherd and his wife went out riding. The shepherd's horse was keeping ahead of his wife's, which was a mare. The stallion turned back and said, "Why do you keep so far behind?"
The mare said, "It is easy for you, for you carry the weight of one. I carry the weight of three!" And the man laughed. His wife demanded to know why he laughed, and he told her that if he told her why, he would die. She did not relent. He resigned himself to his death, having a coffin made, and he then told his wife that he would tell her why he laughed and that he would die. The old dog was there, whining. The cock came, too, looking for food. The dog glared at him and said, "You think of nothing but food? Do you not know that the master is dying?" And the cock then laughed and said that he ruled hundreds of wives by pecking them, yet the master could not rule a single one! How foolish this master must be! Upon hearing that, the man looked at his wife and picked up a stick. Seeing that she was going to be beaten, she retreated and never asked him again.
Symbolism: This story is obviously a story about a good man being rewarded as well as outlining some roles of family as well.
Physical Description: The king of snakes was a snake.
Origin: Japan
History: Originally, Kiyo was a waitress. A priest fell in love with her, and he broke the temple rules by entering a tea house. By doing this, he almost completely lost sight of his religious obligations, and they began going out. However, after being with her for a while, he grew bored of her and stopped seeing her.
Kiyo was not happy about this. She went away to study magic in the temple. After a long time, she learned how to turn herself into a dragon. She did so one night and flew to the priest's monastary and attacked. He hid under the bell of the church, but to no avail. He was killed as she breathed fire over the bell and melted it.
Symbolism: As one of the more vengeful dragons, Kiyo is a symbol of power. While the tale is a lesson about priest and how they should not give into such desires.
Physical Description: Perhaps a Lung or Horned Eastern Dragon.
Origin: English Folklore
History: Knucker lived in a hole in Lyminster (Sussex in England). Although no water could be seen going into the hole that the dragon lived in, a stream came out of it. Knucker did cause a good deal of problems: eating people, animals, and a number of other naughty dragon things.
One version of the tale tells that Knucker was killed by a local boy named Jim Pulk. The boy baked a poisonus pie of Sussex, which the dragon willingly accepted. Sadly, somehow Jim managed to get some of the poison on him, and he died as a result of it.
Closely related to this version is the version of Jim Puttock. Puttock did the same thing as Pulk, but he did not die in the end. He was lucky enough to receive an award from Mayor of Arundel.
The most well-known version is that of the King. The King, wanting to rid himself of the nuisance, decided to allow the man who slew the beast to marry his daughter. A wandering knight happened upon this place, and he gladly slew the dragon in return for the princess.
Symbolism: Knucker was one of those sterotyped dragons, yet the humans have a roll in each of the version. In the first version mentioned here, Jim Pulk dies trying to kill off the dragon, much like the Germanic tale of Jormungand. In the second version here, it is the more "western" version of the tale. The final story told here is the most "western" dragon tale, although it is similar to some Greek Myths loosely.
Physical Description: Most likely, given the time period and location, Knucker was a Western dragon with four limbs and two wings.
Origin: Zuni Native American Mythology
History: The Zuni Native Americans told of Kolowisi, a huge water serpent with fins along its body. One of the tales involves a young girl who goes to a spring. There, she found a small baby there and rescued it from the water. Without telling her parents, she took the baby and slept with it by her side.
The "baby" was really Kolowisi, who then transformed into his true shape. He stole the girl and took her back to the spring. There, he made her his wife.
In another story, however, Kolowisi held back the flood waters for a family to get up the mountain. By doing this, Kolowisi allowed these people to live, and then allowed the flood waters to fill the valley.
Symbolism: Obviously, Kolowisi was used as a tale to warn young girls away from springs or taking care of children that they don't know about. Kolowisi was not portrayed as an evil creature, however.
Physical Description: This is a huge serpent with horns on its head, an enormous mouth, and has fins along the length of its entire body.
Origin: Polish Legend
History: In 700 C.E., the hero Krak was reaching the peak of his fame. He found himself in the mists of a distressed town, called Wavel, which was savaged by a fearsome dragon. Instead of brute strength, Krak devised a cleaver plan where he filled a sheepskin fill of saltpeper.11
The dragon saw the sheepskin and hastily gobbled it down. Unfortunately, the saltpeper made the dragno thirsty beyond belief, so he proceeded to drink water (some say a whole river) until his body burst into many pieces.12
Some alternate stories say that the King of Krakow offered his daughter's hand to anyone who could slay the foul beast. In each story, however, the dragon is slain by similar means. However, in the secondary story, the slayer is a poor shoemaker.13
Symbolism: The fact that this dragon is nameless is a sign that this story was more to promote the fame of the slayer than the dragon. The story is the common evil dragon versus good slayer.
Physical Description: Unknown
Origin: Sumerian Mythology
History: Kur obtained his name because the word "kur" means "mountain" and "land". Though it is unknown exactly what he did, somehow Kur angered one of the gods and they ordered him to be eliminated. Thus, Ninurta, the son of Ehlil, was sent to destroy him.
When this creature was slain, the waters of Adzu were released, and they flooded the lands with dirty (unclean) water. In order to stop the flooding, Ninurta piled rock on top of Kur's body. This allowed the waters to be damed up.
After the flooding, Ninurta led the people to the Tigris River, and this is where the new fields were cultivated.
Symbolism: No real symbolism is offered from Kur, as no one really knows what he did. However, it does show how people's responsed to the gods.
Physical Description: Unknown. It is said, however, that Kur was dragon-ish, much like a mix of some sort.
- Giants, Monsters & Dragons by Carol Rose
- Giants, Monsters & Dragons by Carol Rose
- Rotorua Legends
- A History of Dragons
- Giants, Monsters & Dragons by Carol Rose
- Giants, Monsters & Dragons by Carol Rose
- Serbian Folklore by Madam Csedomille Mijatovies
- Myths and Legends of Japan by F. Hadland Davis
- Mythological Dragon List
- Giants, Monsters & Dragons by Carol Rose
- <http://members.tripod.com/~waterdragon/famous.html> Famous Dragons - Link Defunct
- <http://members.tripod.com/~waterdragon/famous.html> Famous Dragons - Link Defunct
- <http://web.ukonline.co.uk/conker/weird-beasts/dragon.htm> Weird Beasts: A Polish Dragon - Link Defunct
- Sumerian Mythology by Samuel Noah Kramer
For more information about these footnotes, please see the bibliography.
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Last updated: 6 August 2008