DRAGONS IN DIFFERENT CULTURES OF THE WORLD
The dragon is a mythical being, which is depicted as a large snake-like reptile. Dragons also have some spiritual and mystical powers. The word "Dragon" in Greek means "snake or sea fish."
Dragons in different cultures are represented in the form of scaly creatures half serpent half reptile with large eyes, wings and sometimes with fiery breath. According to the size of the legends of different nations, dragons are described by very large creatures, and the size of a bear, it is that the size of a butterfly. About creatures similar to dragons are said in the legends of different cultures of the world. In China, they seem kind and kind, and in Europe they are sufficiently malicious, they are also spoken of in Persian mythology.
The first mention of dragons refers to the ancient Sumerian culture. In ancient legends, there are descriptions of a dragon, as an amazing creature, unlike any animal and at the same time resembling many of them. According to ancient Akkadian sources, the dragon had the dog's paws, the lion's head and the bird's wings. The image of the Dragon appears in almost all myths about the creation of the world. The sacred texts of ancient peoples identify him with the primordial power of the earth, the original Chaos, which enters into a struggle with the Creator.
In these cosmic battles, the forces that personify order and support the balance in the universe win, and from the monster the sky and the heavenly world are created: "And he cut open the interior, and pierced the heart ... and created from one half the firmament of heaven, And from the other - the firmament of the earth ... "In the ancient Babylonian legend" Enuma elish "refers to the struggle of the god Marduk with Tiamat, the goddess of the primeval cosmic ocean. One of the gods of the Vedic pantheon, Indra, conquers the dragon Vritra, the Semitic god Baal - the god Yama, the lord of the original ocean ... The biblical story about the monster Leviathan, once defeated by the Creator, is widely known.
In many nations dragons are considered more wise than people, and sometimes they even know how to speak the language of a person.
On the shield of Agamemnon was depicted a blue three-headed dragon. The legends of Buddhism abound with references to dragons, the tales of Taoism narrate about their deeds. Dragons are winged snakes, embodying two worlds - the upper (birds) and the lower (snakes). These fantastic creatures in Chinese mythology personified the masculine element, the first element of yang, together with the phoenix, embodying the feminine, the first element of yin.
One of the most common mythological subjects is the battle with the dragon: the hero, thanks to his courage, defeats the dragon, takes possession of his treasures or releases the captive princess. This story tells about the duality of human nature, the inner conflict between light and darkness, the forces of the unconscious, which can be used to achieve both creative and destructive purposes. The battle with the dragon symbolizes those difficulties that a person must overcome in order to master the treasures of inner knowledge, to win over his base, dark nature and to gain self-control.
In some cultures, especially Chinese, and Himalayan, dragons are believed to bring good luck.
In Genesis, chapter 41, there are references to the sea monster of Leviathan, which has some dragon-like features.
In Revelation chapter 12, verse 3, describes a huge red animal with seven heads, whose tail covers one-third of the stars from Heaven to Earth's land (symbolizing the fall of the angels).
Sometimes the Buddha is depicted seated on a coiled snake, with several heads of snakes crawling along his body. This is Makalinda, Naga defending the Buddha during his training. Unfamiliar with the history of Buddha, people see only the head of Makalida and think that he is a dragon, and not a deity in a snake form. The rails of the ladders in Buddhist temples are often made to resemble the body of Nagi, with the head at the base of the handrail. In Thailand, the head of Nagi, presented in an even more unusual form, is often seen on the corners of the roofs of houses, and Nagi's body at the same time adorns the pediments. Those. Naga kind of protects the house.
In Hindu mythology, Manas and Vasuki are creatures resembling snakes, or dragons. Indra, the Hindu god of the storm, killed Vritra, the great serpent living on the mountain.
The first kings of Athens, according to legend, were half human, and half snakes. Dragon Ladon guarded the Golden Apples of the Sun, belonging to the Hesperides. Another serpent dragon guarded the Golden Fleece, protecting him from theft by Jason and the Argonauts. Similarly, Pythia and Python, a pair of snakes, guarded the temple of Gaia and his oracle, before the Delphic Oracle was captured by Apollo, who decorated the winged caduceus with the skins of these snakes that Hermes had given him.
In the mythology of the Aboriginal Australians, the rainbow Serpent was the hero of myths in many parts of Australia. It was known by different names in all places from Vaugal, in the southwest of Niagara, to the dwarf - deserts in the north and to Vanamba, in southern Australia. The rainbow snake, associated with lakes and rivers, had to be respected and feared.
The Origins of the Dragons
Herodotus visited Judea in 450 BC and wrote that he had heard of the dragons contained in the cage in neighboring Arabia, near Petra in Jordan. Out of curiosity, he traveled to these places and found many skeletons-the remains of snakes and collected many reports of flying snakes flying from Arabia to Egypt, but repulsed by the Ibis.
According to the magazines of Marco Polo, when he walked through Anatolia to Persia, he came across real live flying dragons who attacked his personal caravan in the desert. He reported that the dragons were very frightening animals, who almost killed him during the attack. Polo did not write this story in the magazine at once, but dictated to his cellmate when he was in prison. Polo was also the first Western man who described the Chinese "dragon bones".
Dragon Sign in Chinese Culture
The years 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036, 2048, 2060 are considered to be the years of the dragon in the Chinese Zodiac.
People born this year are healthy, energetic, unrestrained, and stubborn. They are also honest, sensitive, brave, and they can be trusted. They are the most eccentric of all people. They do not like to borrow money, do not utter pathetic speeches, but tend to be hypocritical.
Apsu (Sumer Abzu) - in the Sumerian-Akkadian mythology, the world's ocean of underground fresh waters, the entrance to which, according to legend, was located in the Sumerian city of Eridu. Lord Abzu was the god of wisdom Enki and his temple in Eridu was called "house of Engurra", which was synonymous with Abzu. In Abzu, according to the legends, mysterious and intimate essences of things were kept - me. In this Akkado-Babylonian cosmogonic poem Apsu appears as the personification of the world ocean, the root cause of life and the embodiment of the primordial element. He is the husband of Tiamat.
Tiamat (Akk. Sea) - in the Akkadian mythology is the primeval element, the embodiment of chaos, the personification of the salt waters of the ocean. According to this poem, Tiamat appears to be the wife of Apsu and the foremother of all the gods. Among her offspring were Lahmu, Lahama, Kingu, from whom other generations of gods originated. Tiamat was killed by Marduk, who divided her body into two parts. From one part he created the earth, and from the other - the sky. Often, Tiamat was depicted as a dragon or a seven-headed hydra.
Mummu - in the Akkadian mythology created in time immemorial adviser to the forefather Apsu. Differed insidious and ferocious temper, incited the forefather to destroy the younger generation of gods. A wise Ea killed Apsu and Mummu and appropriated his essence and "rays of radiance", passing them on to Marduk.
Lahama - in the Sumerian mythology, the demons of the water element, created by the god Enki in Abzu. In this cosmogonic poem from the marriage Apsu and Tiamat appear the children of the primordial element, monster-gods, Lahmu and Lahama. They themselves become the parents of Anshara and Kishar.
Lahmu - according to this poem, a deity created from the primordial chaos. In one of the later Akkadian lists of gods, the name Lahmu is named half-man-half-fish, the servant of the god Ea-Kululu, and also the companion of the goddess-healer Gula, having the appearance of a semi-human half-dog.
Anshar - in Akkadian mythology, according to this poem, the deity of the older generation, begotten by Lahma and Lahama. Together with the goddess Kishar created in his own image and likeness of the god Anu. There are no data on the independent cult of Anshar in Babylonia. In Assyria in the I millennium BC. E. He was identified with Ashur. In the Assyrian version of the poem "Enuma elish ..." the protagonist is not the Babylonian Marduk, but Anshar - Ashur.
Kishar - in the Akkadian mythology, according to this poem, the deity of the older generation, begotten by Lahma and Lahama. Together with God Anshar produced Anu. There are no data on the independent cult of Kishar.
Anu , (Sumer, An) is one of the three supreme gods in the Sumerian pantheon. His name is written with a sign denoting the concept of "god." An leads the list of the gods from Farah. Patron of the city of Uruk. According to myths, An spawned from the goddess of the land of Ki Enlil, the god of air. Enlil, "Ana's first son", in a number of cases becomes a rival of his father. By the middle of the third millennium BC. E. He completely repels the cult of Ana, which is associated with the increased role of Enlil, as the supreme god of Nippur, the oldest cult center. Other children are Ana - the god of the storm Ishkur (Adad), Martu, Inanna (Ishtar), Baba (Bau), Gatumdug, Nisaba, the gods of Anunnaki. The wife of Ana - Ki (earth). Inanna as the mistress of the gods also acts as Ana's wife, but in the pantheon of the city of Uruk she is his daughter. An is usually depicted as passive and inactive, but often it is hostile to people. Ana is a horned tiara. According to this poem, Anu is the son of Anshara, one of the representatives of the younger generation of gods, his product is the wise god Ea. In the second half of the rule of the Achaemenid Persian dynasty, Anu becomes the supreme god of the city of Uruk.
Ea (Aya, Sumer, Enki, Lord of the Earth) is one of the main gods of the Sumerian-Akkadian pantheon. The god of fertility, the master of the world ocean of the Abzu ground waters, the lord of divine essences, the bearer of culture and the creator of world values; He created a plow, a hoe, a brick mold; Invented gardening, horticulture, medical herbs. Enki was the most benevolent of all the great gods of humanity. He was the only one who told Ziusudra about the decision of the gods to send a flood to the earth. Patron of the city of Eridu. He was also considered a Hittite and a Hurrite. Wife Enki - Damgalnuna (Akkad., Damkin), the son - god-healer Asalduhi (later identified with Marduk), daughter - goddess Nanshe. The ambassador is the two-faced deity Ishimud. According to this poem, Ea was the son of Anu, he defeated the forefather Apsu and erected a house on the place of his death,
Damkina (Sumer, Damgalnuna - the Grand Duke's wife) - in the Sumerian mythology the wife of Enki, was worshiped in Eridu. In the Babylonian myths the mother of the god Marduk.
Marduk is the chief god of the Babylonian pantheon, although his name is Sumerian in origin. The first written mention of him as the deity of the spring sun, refer to the middle of the III millennium BC. E., during the III dynasty, Ur is already mentioned as the patron of Babylon. With the rise of the Babylonian kingdom in the XIX-XVI centuries. BC. E. Marduk gradually occupies a central place in the hierarchy of the gods and acquires the features of other deities. His wife - the goddess Tsarpanit, the son - Naboo, the main Babylonian temple - Esagila. The most complete genealogy of Marduk is represented in this poem - he was the product of Ea and Damkin, defeated the forces of chaos and darkness in the image of Tiamat, the foremother, created the sky, the earth and all living things. In his design, the god Ea created man. Since the XIV century. BC. E. In Assyria, Marduk gradually merges with the local god Ashur. In the New Babylonian period Marduk became a single divine force, manifested itself in many forms. For example, Ninurta - Marduk forces, Nergal - Marduk battle, Enlil - Marduk power. His symbol was a sickle-shaped ax and dragon Mushkhush. In astrology it corresponded to the planet Jupiter and the constellation of Taurus.
Kingu - in the Akkadian mythology monster, created, according to this poem, by the foremother Tiamat. Possibly belonged to the first generation of gods. After the murder of Apsu, Tiamat made King her husband and handed him the tables of fate. Then Kingu and Tiamat were killed by Marduk, who, together with Ea from the blood of Kingu and clay, created people.