Type/Species: Eastern Dragon
Origin: Chinese Mythology
History: The legend of Pai Lung began on a stormy night. A young girl, answering the door to her home, found an elderly man outside in the storm in need of shelter. They allowed him in. However, when the old man was gone the next day, the young girl was discovered to be pregnant. Her parents, enraged by this, threw her out of the house.
When the child was born, it appeared to be just a small, white ball. So, this was tossed into the ocean. There, this ball became a magnificent white dragon. The girl, terrified and shocked, fainted and never again woke. Other variations of this story say that she was killed in a great storm, after which the white dragon rose into the sky. However, her reputation was not only repaired, but she was revered for being the mother of this magnificent dragon. Pai Lung, born from her, was the only white Dragon King.
The girl was buried under the foot of a hill, and people asked for favors, pardons, and so forth from the foot of a hill. A temple was erected on the summit of this hill, and a tablet is there which records this legend.
Symbolism: Unknown
Physical Description: Pai Lung was a five-toed Chinese dragon, brilliantly white.
Type/Species: Wurm
Origin: Irish Folklore
History: Paiste, the ancient name for 'dragon' or 'snake', was said to be the last of the serpents in Ireland. Just after Saint Patrick's death, the lands that were around Lough Foyle were plagued with a monster. This creature, the Paiste, was said to be huge and could breathe flame, for the Paiste was said to be something ancient, something left over from the beginnig of the world.
So, people came to a very holy man, known as Saint Murrough O'Heaney. They begged him to drive out the serpent, so he prayed for nine days and nine nights, then took three rods of reeds, and then made his way to where the dragon Paiste lived.
When Paiste saw the saint, he was sure that this was merely a sacrifice from the local peoples. He continued to challenge Murrough by telling him that he would soon devour the saint. However, Saint Murrough remained calm, and he asked the dragon if he could preform an 'ancient task'. This, however, was not an ancient task, and most certainly not in the Christian religion, but Paiste, unknowning of this, obliged Murrough.
So, Paiste lied down so Saint Murrough could lay the three rods over his back. When the Paiste told the saint that it was time to be eaten, Murrough asked for just a bit more time so that he could pray over the rods, thus finish the 'ancient task'. It was then that Saint Murrough prayed as he never had before, and, sure enough, the rods grew over Paiste, covering him and enclosing him in bindings as strong as steel.
Unable to rid himself of his imprisonment, Paiste cried out that he had been tricked. Saint Murrough told the creature that he must promise not to harm anymore the Children of God, and so the great dragon promised and demanded he be set free. However, Saint Murrough knew that he was an evil creature, so he explained that, due to the fact that he could not be trusted, Paiste was to remain trapped in the rods until the Day of Judgement. Furthermore, he commanded the dragon to into the waters of Lough Foyle.
When Paiste refused and tried to remove the rods once again, they tightened. The dragon told Murrough that a man had no authority to command a creature such as himself. However, Saint Murrough countered this argument by explaining that he was doing the work of God, and the dragon, being a living creature and creation of God, was obligated to do as God commanded. Thus, the creature moved into the waters of Lough Foyle.
Strange tides have and currents have run along the coasts, and the waters seem to be uncalm in Lough Foyle. This is due to Paiste, who still remains under the waters, trying to free himself from its chains, waiting patiently for the Day of Judgement.
Symbolism: Paiste was a symbol of the evil in the world, and the driving-out of such a creature showed the "purging of serpents" that Ireland underwent when Christianity came to the land.
Physical Description: Paiste was a huge, eleven foot tall wurm with ram-like horns on either side of its head. It had a thick, black tounge, long fangs, and dangerous venom. In addition, the armour-like sales were said to be about the size of diner plates.
Origin: Hopi Native American Mythology
History: This is the class of the plumed water serpents of the Hopi Native Americans. The world, as it is said, rests on the back of two of these magnificent creatures which reside in the cosmic ocean.
When the Palulukon are mistreated by humans, natural disasters tend to occur. Springs and rivers cease to flow, and earthquakes sometimes arise.
Symbolism: This is much like the dragons of China. Palulukons are seen as weather creatures, in control of nature. They aren't seen as evil or good deities, only powerful ones.
Physical Description: These sea serpents are huge and plumed.
Origin: New Zealand or Australia
History: After Pitaka killed the dragon Hotu-puku, he became very popular. He was called to Te Awan-hou so that he could slay another taniwha called Peke-Haua. Peke-Haua lived in a deep water hole called Te Waro-uri, and he was very hard to reach.
Since Peke-Haua was a water taniwha, Pitaka needed a different way to slay him. Thus, Pitaka and his men set vines as traps. Later, Pitaka himself swam into Te Waro-uri and tied a rope around the mighty dragon. With that, they hoised the dragon up with magic, and then they killed him.
Symbolism:Perhaps the moral is that one can not hide from justice.
Physical Description: Like other taniwha, this was a huge lizard-serpent.
Origin: Greek/Roman Mythology
History: It all began when Zues had an affair with Leto and impregnated her with twins Apollo and Artemis. Hera was quite angry, and sent Python, a huge serpent, to tourment Leto. The only place that would give her refuge was Delos, a floating island.
Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis, and thanked Delos by giving it four pillars to keep it in one place. Apollo was very angry over the fact that Python was after his mother, so he slew the creature.
Zues was not pleased with Apollo, for Python was a child of Gaia, the Earth. Even after he demanded him to be purified at the temple, Apollo did so at Crete. He served as a slave to King Admetus for nine years, then returned to Delphi, where he had killed Python.
Symbolism: Perhaps, Python is the bane of birth? Certainly, the fact that no one would shelter Leto tells that Python was a powerful creature.
Physical Description: A huge serpent, but not descibed any further.
- Giants, Monsters, & Dragons by Carol Rose
- Source information lost.
- Giants, Monsters, & Dragons by Carol Rose
- Mythological Dragon List
- Giants, Monsters, & Dragons by Carol Rose
For more information about these footnotes, please see the bibliography.
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Last updated: 6 August 2008