The image of the dragon in Feng Shui dates back to the Stone Age, more than 4,000 years ago, when the celestial dragon and tiger were inscribed on a Chinese tomb and placed pointing to the North Star.
Evidence may now exist that the Chinese dragon is not just a myth, but a real creature. In the Eastern tradition, dragons represented the primal creative energies, the power of Mother Nature. There were air and water dragons that ruled the weather and controlled lakes and oceans. The dragon energy coiled in the earth created mountains. Dragons were seen as a supernatural energy that shaped the external environment for better or worse. They were considered legendary sources of power, often only relegated to the emperor’s courts as only imperial regalia could only display the image of the dragon. Golden dragons with five claws were a symbol of the emperor in many Chinese dynasties. Dragons were considered yang masculine energy and some emperors considered themselves their descendants. Great men were compared to a mighty dragon, as opposed to a lowly man who could be compared to a helpless worm. Unearthed dinosaur bones were often described as dragon bones and used in Chinese medicine. “Dragon” bones, teeth, horns, and claws were used as a panacea by Chinese apothecaries and proved invaluable to fossil hunters in the centuries after by showing them fossil sites. Although dragons were seen as symbols of power, Chinese tradition also views them as good luck omens signifying great power, skill, and protection. The traditional Chinese dragon is a combination of many animals, the head of a horse, the horns of a deer, the body of a snake, with the claws of a falcon. Dragons of myth have mystical abilities including the ability to change color, fly, disappear, and shapeshift, just like weather. The ability of a dragon to fly and ascend to the sky is very important to the Chinese. Showing respect for the dragon translates to showing respect for the variability and power of the surrounding environment and many shrines were built to honor them. Killing a dragon instead of taming its power was a bad omen.
In a similar vein, but with a contrasting view, the Western view of the dragon was also that it represented energy, but that this primal energy was an evil influence that needed to be mastered. In European mythology, dragons roamed the earth only to destroy towns and people. The western dragon also looks like a snake-like creature, similar to a dinosaur, often spitting fire, and likes to capture innocent princesses. It is also seen with wings, scales, claws, and fangs. Like eastern dragons that often carried a valuable giant pearl, western dragons also guarded gold and valuable treasures, usually hidden somewhere impenetrable on earth. Dragons of Slavic tradition have a mixed behavior towards humans with the female representing severe weather and a destroyer of crops and the male dragon playing protector. Christian saints are often depicted as dragon slayers, as the dragon was seen more as a destructive or evil force in human affairs.
Even the Bible, the most widely read and historically documented ancient book, describes dragon-like creatures (the leviathan) and there is increasing evidence that some of the dinosaurs may have coexisted with humans in remote parts of the world. If this is the case, it is understandable why brave knights would want to go destroy these fearsome beasts.
The interesting aspect of all this is that some of the dinosaurs really do look like flying serpents or dragons that mythology tells of and if some of them survived to torture humans, strange weather cycles could have brought them down with a vengeance. The modern discovery of a skeletal skull found in North America, has been named “Dracorex Hogwartsia”, aptly named “Hogwartsia” after the Harry Potter film series. It is a real dinosaur that closely resembles the Chinese version of a dragon, with a horse head, horns, and a bony head plate. This new species of dinosaur was a relatively peaceful vegetarian. This discovery suggests that there may have been a real dinosaur in China resembling this species from which mythology evolved. And it’s quite possible that a more aggressive version roamed the European plains, terrorizing the villagers. Both cultures sought to confront a force that seemed supernatural and uncontrollable.
Interestingly, Western writers have shown a recent twist in their depiction of dragons, showing them to be intelligent and even capable of being allies rather than adversaries. Although dragons have the power of a fearsome beast, they are willing to help man and even be his guardian.
This modern view perhaps signals a major shift in Western thinking that there may be undiscovered wisdom in the natural world that can be worked with harmoniously rather than violently conquered. Traditional Asian philosophy has been observing natural law for thousands of years. Perhaps it is time that Westerners also see significant value in attuning to nature, and they may discover some hidden treasure in the process.