*Note: This was a rough draft and is being crossposted from my blog on ParaEcho, as some people felt I should share it here on the forums as well. It is not written to devalue others' experiences, but to hopefully broaden perceptions on dragons in general.
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Dragons are incredibly varied, as I went on about in my last blog post. This time, I wish to share information rather than rant, particularly with many species of dragon that I am familiar with, some general dragon information, and whatever else comes up after six hours of sleep and waking up at 5am.
Dragon Energy - or - what ties all dragons together.
While I am of the firm view that dragons are highly varied, potentially all unrelated biologically, etc etc, there is a factor to all their energies that is held in common, which is that of being of a primordial nature. Out of all the beings in existence, dragons are possibly the closest you'll come to finding the oldest and most pure power without taking it from the Universal Source itself. There are many who even believe that dragons are simply that energy come to shape and life. The rising Kundalini being described as a 'rising serpent' is brought to mind, whether speaking literally or metaphorically. It is this primordial aspect to their energy that lends dragons their trait of being 'direct' in some form; either direct honesty, or making a direct path through a situation, or using direct energy magically. This aspect of dragon energy may or may not be the most discernable trait of any dragon, but each different kind will have its own 'flavor' with the primal energy underlying it at the very least.
Dragon Abilities
Dragon abilities vary drastically from species to species. Some dragons have no metaphysical abilities at all, while some other certain kinds are responsible for the workings of portions of the Universe! If anything can do it, a dragon can do it. If something can't do it, there's probably a kind of dragon that can do it anyway. Some of the most common abilities are telepathy, energy work, creation or destruction of portals, protection, healing, and shapeshifting.
Along with variation in the abilities themselves, there are also variations in the attitude in which these abilities are used. Many dragons are more content to be more guides than actively doing things for practitioners, living by the motto "if you want something done, do it yourself!" They are more than willing to teach one how to do things for themselves and give an energetic boost, and encourage growth and learning, but do not like being leaned upon for everything. Some dragons can be the opposite to some extent as well, eager to please or help out their 'human fledgeling'. On a general note though, dragons are not straight-up wish granters. You're required to put in some effort as well.
Dragon Language
Just to get it out of the way: there is no single unified 'draconic language'. BUT. If there was said to be one, it would be the language of pure thought. Even the most simplistic of dragon species can understand emotion and visuals, which can be easily transferred between beings. Much more easily understood than trying to explain something in English when even we ourselves have difficulty putting thought into proper wording.
Ironically, this may in fact be the reason why dragons are often described as being masters of language: their penchant for understanding thought and long history of interacting with human civilizations would give them enough time and experience to learn humanity's many tongues and teach them to each other. Or it may simply be that they at least have experience with our thought filters to where they don't even need to know the languages, but to speak with the thought waves in such a way that we subconsciously translate them into something we understand.
To say that there is not a unified language does not, however, indicate that there are no dragon languages at all. Outside of the more animalistic species that primarily use body language and various vocalizations like growls, trills, squeaks, clicks, or what have you, there are a few languages brought over from some unique individuals. Of particular note is "Illsyndran Druatch", brought over by Tysharina of the Illsyndran Daekar. There are other dialects of Druatch used by a couple other related dragon species in the Astral, but is still by no means a 'main' language for all dragon kind.
Dragon Species
There are of course several species of dragon that can be found in our own mythology. These are just a general idea.
Western/European Dragons the standard four-legged, two-winged, fire-breathing variety known for hoarding gold and stealing princesses and virgins. As actual beings, they're a little less prone to these latter traits. :p Many dragons on the Astral share their physical build, if not personality and abilities. What a lot of magicians and conjurers label with simply a color such as "white dragon" or "blue dragon" fall under this category of 'Western'; the difficulty with this is that many dragons that appear to be plain Western dragons may not actually be Western dragons, and so traits and colors may not always align the way many practitioners teach.
Wyvern Much argued as to whether or not they actually count as 'true dragons', they are another critter from European lore and similar to their cousins, having two legs, two wings, mostly lacking the fire breath (but not the heat), and occasionally having a scorpion's stinger on the end of their tail. They are generally smaller than Western dragons, and a little more temperamental.
Wurm/wyrm Wingless and sometimes described as four-legged, two-legged, or legless, these creatures are more tied to water than fire, often living in wells and rivers.
Ethiopian Dream A little-known type of dragon found in Africa, it has four wings and two legs, and is large enough to carry an elephant.
Sea serpent/dragon References are found in several cultures by the sea, most notibly the Norse. Sea serpents were often described as being huge, capable of taking out human ships.
Hydra A Greek dragon known for having many heads. These dragons were tied to water and were symbolic of river deltas, and were usually placed by the gods as great guardians.
Quetzalcoatl/Feathered Serpent Quetzalcoatl himself is one particular Mesoamerican deity, but can also be used to refer to feathered serpents in general. These dragons tend to be more serpentine than Western dragons, as well as often being more brightly coloured. They are mostly seen as benevolent.
Long/Lung Chinese dragons, four legged serpents whose ability to fly lies within the 'chimu', a lump on the dragon's forehead (a structure similar to the 'dracontias' found in some western lore), as very few actually have wings. They can control the rains and water, have shapeshifting and/or illusion abilities. This is one species of dragon which colors do have vital meaning, particularly Yellow, Red, Blue, White, and Black. Chinese dragons have five toes, while Korean dragons have four and Japanese have three. They are also occasionally depicted with a flaming pearl under their chin.
Yong/Mireu Korean dragons. Very similar to Chinese dragons, though having four toes and a longer beard. They too are associated with water. One difference is there is a 'lesser' form called Imugi, which, depending on lore, is a giant serpent that must live 1,000 years or catch a Yeouiju (a divine pearl or gem also called a Dragon Orb), or that they were a dragon-like creature that was cursed to never become a fully-fledged dragon. In either case, seeing one was said to be good luck.
Ryu/Tatsu Japanese dragons, very similar to Chinese dragons both in form and function, particularly in relation to water as gods of rainfall and spirits of rivers. Once again, few of these dragons are winged, but some exist.
Chuvash A kind of dragon from near Russia, it is a fire-breather who is uniquely known in European lore as also being able to take human form, and is also one of the few European dragons to not be considered evil. They can also be multi-headed (polycephaly).
Outside of these known species, there are also Elemental dragons, which seem to create confusion and lack of consensus with magicians. For some clarity, elemental dragons are the actual embodiments of a particular element or natural force. A dragon that lives in that element or works primarily with that element is not necessarily an elemental dragon, just a dragon with an affinity for that element. This is the difference between a "Fire dragon" and a "Fire Elemental dragon", the latter is lesser used due to it being clumsy-sounding and sheer laziness. The dragons that are called in draconic wicca are at best dragons who simply have an affinity for the element in which corner they take. The closest comparisons to elemental dragons would be the more commonly known elemental spirits themselves such as Sylphs, Gnomes, Undines, and Salamanders. Some Oriental dragons might also be considered in some way as being elementals as well (ie: spirits of rivers).
Even further from our recorded mythology are dragons from other planets and realms. Some of this information comes from individuals of these species that have chosen to incarnate as humans in this realm, while other information is given by dragon entities and spirits I have been in contact with.
Not all dragon species have a name they call themselves and so some names given are whatever name fits best. It is best to think of them more as 'common names' rather than the meta equivalent of "scientific names", as what we call them are descriptive labels at best. What one terms a 'rebirth dragon', another might call a 'phoenix dragon', despite the ability to rebirth itself being the only shared trait between the two. Or a 'fire dragon' being used to describe a dragon that simply breathes fire, a dragon with strong skill in fire magick, a 'phoenix' dragon, or a fire elemental in dragon form, to illustrate my point.
Illsyndran Daekar This previously mentioned species actually originated from the Earth realm, but created a portal and left to their own created world in an area in the Astral, in a layer far from Earth. An intelligent species skilled in energy manipulation. Colours in this species only indicate originating habitat and are passed down through parents, and do not denote any particular personality or magickal traits. Their colouration can be solid or mottled scale colouring. They are described as having a "Western Dragon" body shape.
Visviguin A species of four-winged, four-legged, scaleless dragon. Rather simplistic and live in clans. They lack any sort of magick, element, or breath weapon, and do not 'hoard treasure'. They live in the physical realm, somewhere else in this universe, and are not found in the Astral. Colours in this species only indicate originating habitat and are passed down through parents, and do not indicate any particular personality traits. Overall, they are very curious and once someone has their trust, they can be quite loyal and fiercely protective. Their behaviour can be likened to a combination between that of a dog and a cat, are omnivores, and primarily communicate with animal-like vocalizations and body language. They are described as having a small "Western Dragon" shape.
"Rebirth" Dragons A species of dragon with a fairly unique ability, these dragons are able to revert back into an egg at any stage of their growth; this allows them to recover from life-threatening or permanent injuries, health defects and diseases, and old age. A dragon that has enough experience with rebirthing themself will eventually be able to recall their previous 'lives' and begin gathering incredible amounts of life experience and knowledge, being for all intents considered 'immortal' in a way. Females of this species will sometimes rebirth themselves when they lay their clutch of eggs, perhaps in order to better connect with and teach their young from the same physical handicaps of youth with the benefit of their previous knowledge. As a result of their rebirthing, though, they do not reproduce often or have very large clutches, and do not generally follow typical familial structures. These dragons are from the Astral, and generally do not mind working with humans. Colours do tend to indicate magical talents and temperament to some extent in this species, with some variation. These dragons are yet another with a "Western" type body shape.
Alleban Druegan "Wandering Dragons", their name translates as. Yet another "Western-shaped" species. These dragons are distinctive for their pupil-less eyes and ability to shift their scale colour at will to match their surroundings. They are fire-breathers and magick users, as well as planeswalkers of a sort due to the inherent wanderlust found in the species. Their primary means of communication is telepathic imagery combined with empathy, body language and vocalizations, somewhat comparable in nature to whale song. The average size for an Alleban Druegan is fairly large compared to some other species in this list, at around 140-180 feet from nose to tailtip. This species' social structure is clan-based with elders and lorekeepers, with free intermingling with other clans. One known notable individual of this species is J'Karrah.
Shinoar a theropodal species of dragon (walks much like a dinosaur, particularly raptors) with two legs, two arms, and two wings. These dragons are predominantly tan coloured to blend in with the long dead grasses where they live. They have a boney ridge beneath their eyes that leads into the hollow horns they hear with. They speak with vocalizations of trills, chirps, clicks, and whistles, similar to birdsong. These exist on the Earthen realm, on another planet in the universe. They are not particularly magickally inclined, though are spiritual and have goddesses. One notable individual of this species is Shiari.
Welsh Webwing An Earth-plane based dragon, the significant trait of this species is the overlapping 'web' design of their wing membranes. These dragons are primarily red, though may also be white or green. As a species overall, they are exceptional treasure-seekers, though they may or may not be friendly to humans. Their primary form of communication is telepathy.
This list is by no means definitive, but only a small example of the variety found in what we call dragons.
The Problem with Generalities and Vagueness
Reading through many species in the previous list, you may have had experience with some and thought "well, the one I met didn't match those traits!". Any personality traits for any given species, dragon or other, is an average. There will of course be outliers who don't match completely. However, when there is a consistency in meeting that 'outlier' type in a given species, one should probably re-evaluate whether they are actually interacting with the species they think they are. A black Western dragon and a Black Delta can look exactly the same, but they can be very different in terms of personality and magickal tendencies, and will come from different places. The best way to know is to build a relationship and ask them.
Dragon Origins
If you've gotten this far without skimming, then you can probably predict what I'll say next.
Dragons come from ALL OVER.
Many say that ALL dragons originate from one being or another in mythology, or that there are elemental rulers that all dragons came from. This, overall, is simply not true; speaking for those certain particular species, sure, it's true. The furthest back you can go for where all dragons come from is the same place everything else comes from: the Universal Source.
There are species of dragon evolved from life just as humans and other animals came about, but found on other planets.
There are species of dragon that may very well have been created/birthed by a deity (in some cases, completely different deities or deities we have forgotten or never even encountered).
There are species of dragon that were not birthed or physically evolved, but are living embodiments of pure raw energy that formed a shape and consciousness over time.
Dragon Realm
I've seen many practitioners talk about 'the dragon realm'. To tell the truth, there is no singular dragon realm. Dragons in the spiritual do not all hang out in the same area. There are several places one can find dragons in the spiritual/astral, and not a single one is considered to be an 'official dragon realm'. Many are simply home realms for some dragon species, and some may be convenient gathering places for several others. Dragons tend to exist all along the energetic scale and so may even be avoidant of certain realms but not others, or may simply not know of the realms that human practitioners tend to visit most, or vice versa. It is in fact very possible that different species of dragons may not even be aware of each other, having never crossed paths; meanwhile other species may have history between each other and prefer to not be in the same vicinity as each other.
Dragon hybrids
This is a rather messy topic, and no, not in that way. :p Yet another species-dependant topic, hybridization does not exist across all dragon species, or at least not in the way it's commonly viewed. One of the most basic and most often seen 'hybrids' are that of mixing dragon colours, and depending on species may or may not be rare or a big deal at all, and is actually quite common for some, especially those species in which magical ability and temperament are not denoted by colour, and in which intermingling between clans is encouraged.
A more extreme and actually more rare form of hybridization is between separate species of beings, and is generally only seen with those species of dragon with shapeshifting capability, more common with Astral realm dragons. This allows extreme flexibility with biology, something that has quite a few more rules here in the Earthen Realm, so mixing two completely different species is not quite impossible in the Astral. However, that doesn't negate the fact that there are peoples in this realm who claim physical dragon ancestry, particularly in Asia. There are also the offspring of Chuvash dragons of Bulgaria. Outside of those, however, most dragon species do not or cannot have incidences of cross-species hybridization.
Dragon Lifespans
You often hear people talking about 10,000 year old dragons, millenium old elder dragons, or 250 year old 'young' dragons, and it seems a given that dragons are always long-lived.
They're not.
Not always, anyway. This is yet another thing that, like colours, depends heavily on being exact and specific with species. There are species that don't live past the equivalent of 30 Earth years, there are species that top out around 500 years old, some may live to 2,000 years, or 500,000, or some are as old as the Earth, and there are some species that time is not a concern and are as old as the Universe.
Dragonkin
A slightly controversial topic, one may have heard of the term 'otherkin' while perusing the internet, or perhaps you might know someone who calls themself such. For a brief synopsis, an Otherkin is someone who identifies in some way as non-human, usually in a spiritual or psychological manner with very few claiming genetic kinship. Our focus here is on spiritual Otherkin, particularly those who have either had a non-human past life, or feel they are currently spiritually non-human. For those who have been in the meta community for a while, you may see this as nothing special, "sure, lots of people have had non-human past lives. What makes these people different?". The difference is that Otherkin strongly remember and feel the influence, and in some way their species is still considered current rather than just simply something in their past. Some may still retain abilities they had as a non-human, though largely diminished. Some may not have any active abilities at all. Or may even have not had any notable abilities even as a non-human. There are even occasionally (and I mean a small handful) 'kin whose non-human body has not actually died yet, but are sharing a human body in this realm while their non-human body is in stasis or consciously alternately lived in another realm.
One of the biggest subgroups of the Otherkin community is dragonkin, those who view themselves as being dragon in some way. I am one myself, something I do not hide, but it is also not the very first thing I bring up. I have known and talked with several other dragonkin in my life, some of whom were mentioned previously when I talked a bit about their species, such as Tysha, J'Karrah, and Shiari. That information was from their own memories and knowledge. It is by incarnating here that such knowledge can be gathered together for a more comprehensive understading of dragons.
Resources and sites of interest
Clan of the Dragon, J'Karrah Ebondragon (Alleban Druegan) - http://ebon-dragon.com/
Thread on Illsyndran Daekar by Tysharina - http://scalesnfuzz.friendhood.net/t61-illsyndran-daekar
Shiari's page on Shinoar - http://shinoarnii.tripod.com/shinoar.html
An AMAZING resource for dragon info, including in-depth dragon species from human mythology, among other very good notes that is not heavily borrowed from roleplaying games - http://www.blackdrago.com/index.html
Orion Scribner's writings on Otherkin, includes links to others' writing about their experiences, including several works by dragonkin about their kinds - https://sites.google.com/site/frameacloud/home (old site, but has documents up still)
http://frameacloud.com/ (new site, does not yet have all data transferred as of this time)
A Different Perspective on Dragons
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