Dragons, as they appear in artwork and legends throughout human history. Music is from The Legend of Spyro Trilogy. No narration.

1. Dragons
Keygan Sands

2. Bridging Cultural Gaps for
Thousands of Years…
 Originally used as
symbols or to tell
stories
 Present in cultures
worldwide
 Blended along with
subsequent cultures
 Now used for many of
the same reasons, but
also as decoration/for
fun

3. They’re Everywhere!
 Today, dragons are recognized worldwide
 Present in many forms of art
 Contributions from every culture
 How did every culture arrive at the same visual
symbol?

4. North American Dragons
(Structure/Story)
 The Piasa (with a few primitive serpentine draconic beasts)
 As large as a calf, antlers, red eyes, a beard, a flat
face, scales, a long tail with an end like a fish’s, wings, and
either green, red, or black
 Associated with water
 Legends in the Illini Tribe

5. North American Dragons
(History)
 Ancient petroglyphs carved on a cliff in Alton, Illinois
 Described by Father Jacques Marquette in 1673
 Around 1856, quarry work caused the cliff to collapse
into the Mississippi
 Other drawings done based on description

6. Mesoamerican Dragons
(Structure)
 The “feathered serpent”
 Depicted as a feathered snake with many
draconic features
 Painting but mostly in stone carving and
sculpture

7. Mesoamerican Dragons (History)
•Serpents first appear in Olmec
•Used to represent sky for Mayans1400-400 BC
•Earliest depiction of deity
•Olmec900 BC
•Earliest worship of specific deity in Teotihuacan
•Afterwards, spreads to many cultures400 BC-600 AD
•Named Quetzalcoatl by Aztecs
•Centered in Cholula900-1519 AD
•Appear in Tula, capital of Toltecs950-1150 AD

8. Mesoamerican Dragons (Story)
 Quetzalcoatl to Aztecs, Kukulcan to
Mayans
 A much-loved god in all cultures

9. Australian Dragons (Structure)
 The Rainbow Serpent
 A serpent with a draconic head, very
large
 Depicted in cave paintings
 The Bunyip
 An aquatic, reptilian beast, flightless

10. Australian Dragons
(Story/Symbolism)
 Known as
Almudj, Ngalyod, Bolu
ng, etc…
 Important creation
symbol
 Called the “boss lady”
in human form
 Generally
female, associated
with water

11. Chinese/Asian Dragons
(Structure)
 Combination of animals
including
pig, deer, bear, camel, ti
ger, and eagle
 Five toes in China, four
in Korea, three in Japan
 T’ien lung, shen lung, ti
lung, fu-ts’ang lung, etc

12. Chinese/Asian Dragons (History)
 From character “lung” from oracle bones of Shang and
I’Ching
 Originated in Liaohe River Valley of northeast China
during Shang Dynasty (1600-1100 BC)
 Early dragons in eight art forms:
 Stone
placement, woodcarving, engraving, pottery, clay/jade
sculpture, color painting

13. Middle-eastern Dragons
 Persia
 Can be evil/slain by
heroes
 Guard treasure
 Islamic
 Astronomical figures
 Jawzahr, Draco, Serpentar
ius
 Babylon (2000-39 BC)
 Dragon goddess Tiamat
 Mushussu seen as
guardians
 Less serpentine, more
mammalian
 In glazed brick on the
Ishtar Gate

14. African Dragons
 The Congo
 mokele-mbembe
 Egypt
 Laculi, Apophis, Ak
er, Denwen (3000
BC)
 Serpentine, many
with wings

15. European Dragons-Greek/Roman
 Serpentine drakkon
 Ladon and the Golden
Apples of Hesperides
 Colchis and the Golden
Fleece
 Hercules and the hydra

16. European Dragons-Celtic/Nordic
 Many legends (Sigurd and Fafnir, the red and white
dragon, the Midgard Serpent)
 Heraldic symbols and painting

17. European Dragons-Christian Influence
 Seen as evil, symbols of sin and the devil
 Legends involve slaying dragons/saving maidens (St.
George, the Tarasque, La Vibria, etc)
 Mainly heraldic symbols remain at first, used as code in
alchemical works

18. The Spread of Dragons
 After the Renaissance, paintings of Christian dragon legends
 Emphasis on the Saint or Hero
 Painters like Titian, Tintoretto, and van Haarlem helped spread
European version
 Main visual representation through the Renaissance to the 1800s
 1807, red dragon adopted as King’s Badge for Wales (and on the
Welsh flag)

19. Modernization
 As cultures connected, different dragon images
combined and blended
 Popularization of image through fantasy work
 Predominately European versions

20. Dragons Today
 Hugely popular
worldwide
 Primarily Western
versions, modern
versions of other
types
 Mostly for fun or to
tell stories/illustrate
scenes of stories
 Most old
mediums, some new
(digital art)

21. Still used to tell stories, but with
a modern view…

22. Sources
Shuker, Dr. Karl. Dragons: A Natural History. Barnes & Noble, Inc., with Marshall Editions, London; 2003.
http://www.china.org.cn/english/2004/Feb/88617.htm “Liaohe River Valley: Cradle of Chinese Dragon
Culture”
http://www.squidoo.com/rainbowserpent “An Important Dragon of Creation Mythology”
http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/kakadu/visitor-activities/rock-art-ubirr.html “The Rainbow Serpent”
http://www.crystalinks.com/quetzalcoatl.html “Quetzalcoatl”
http://www.theserenedragon.net/Tales/Egypt.html “Egypt”
http://www.theserenedragon.net/Tales/Egypt-Winged.html “Winged Serpent / Laculi / Javalin snakes / Iaculi”
http://www.neara.org/ROS/dragon.htm “The Origin of Dragon Legends”
http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/dragons/16.html “Dragon Pictures, Ancient and Medieval”
http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/dragons/17.html “Dragon Pictures, Renaissance to 18th Century”
http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/dragons/18.html “Dragon Pictures, 19th Century”
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/mythiccreatures/dragons/european.php “European Dragons”
http://serpentrace.blogspot.com/2009/02/dragon-as-archetype.html “The Dragon as an Archetype”