Learn About The Dragon Animal Symbolism
Depending on a person’s culture the Dragon symbolism can be interpreted in a completely different way than someone of a different culture. In Western countries, like the ones in Europe, dragons are generally seen as evil or devil-like creatures. They only live to destroy and cause trouble. However in the eastern countries, mostly in Asia, the dragon is seen as a symbol of luck and good tidings.
Dragon in Asian Cultures
It’s not uncommon to see a dragon in a parade or other festivity in some Asian cultures. As you can see, there is a big difference between how these two continents see the dragon. This makes the dragon have some very different symbolism depending on where you are. Let’s take a look at the different ways that these dragons are symbolized.
Eastern and Western Dragons
Before we begin talking about the symbolic differences between how the Western and Eastern cultures see the dragon, let’s talk about the physical differences. In Eastern cultures, the dragon looks much more like a snake than a dinosaur-like creature seen in Western drawings. Of course, the eastern snake-like dragon has legs.
One thing that might look weird to Western people is that the eastern dragon is not usually drawn with wings on it. These dragons can still fly, but it is more of a magical kind of flight, or otherworldly powers, instead of just having wings.
The eastern dragon is usually red or golden, or other bright and symbolic colors. These colors have deep meaning in Eastern culture. They are powerful and lucky colors. This helps to boost the lucky aspect of the eastern dragon’s symbolic meaning.
Western Dragon
The Western dragon looks very different from the Western dragon. Western dragons look much like a dinosaur with wings. It is even thought that the dragon myth was born when ancient people found a dinosaur fossil and thought of the animal as being dead much more recently than it was. The western dragon doesn’t use magic to fly, just their wings.
Unlike the eastern dragon, the western dragon is a much more menacing creature. These dragons can also breathe fire most of the time. On its own, fire tends to symbolize both destruction and creativity. The dragon was a very imaginative creature, but it was also said to destroy much of what came in its path. These dragons were thought of as evil, powerful, and fearful creatures, quite the opposite of the eastern dragon.
Conclusion: Dragon Symbolism
To summarize, the eastern dragons tend to symbolize all good things: luck, prosperity, good tidings, and good fortune. The dragon was so good in Eastern cultures that it was said to repel evil forces instead of bringing them like the Western dragon was said to do. These dragons were like beneficial kings. They were the best of the mythical creatures.
The western dragon’s symbolism is much different from the eastern dragon. These dragons were anything but kings; they were more closely related to thieves and murderers instead. This dragon’s scary physical appearance did a lot to encourage the negative symbolism of this creature. These creatures were seen as being powerful, but also aggressive.
However, these creatures were also seen as being highly intelligent and tactful. You wouldn’t want to mess with a Western dragon. They were anything but good luck.
Symbolism often has many contradictions and opposites depending on culture and time. If you want to learn more about symbolism or mythical creatures, then you can read more articles like this one here on zodiacsigns-horoscope.com.