Wise, lucky, terrifying The surprising 4,000-year history of dragons

Wise, lucky,terrifying: The surprising 4,000-year history of dragons

Today marks the Lunar New Year heralding the year of the dragon – ordoes it? The Chinese word "lóng" is usually translated into Englishas "dragon". But don't let the connection mislead you. While Englishdragons spew fire and do battle with angels, Chinese dragons are sacred beings.Soaring wingless through the clouds, expelling wind not flames, they symboliseluck and blessings.

Numerous academic theories exist as to the origin of the mythic Chinesedragon, says Marco Meccarelli, a lecturer at the University of Catania inItaly. These start with the idea that they were totemic symbols used by someprehistoric clans – and were inspired by real-world snakes, or perhaps a giantoceanic python. When this tribal society became class-based, Meccarelli writesin Discovering the Long, the dragon became a symbol of rulers.

Anglo-Saxon stories are rife with ferocious dragons, slumbering in densbeneath hills, guarding their treasure. The word "dragon" is derivedfrom the Latin "draco" meaning serpent, or sea fish. Meanwhile, inChristian religious texts, "dragon" also referred to the devil. Thismythological creature took on different qualities and shapes throughouthistory, for example as a fire-breathing dragon called a "firedrake".

Whether your own idea of dragons is as swirling, spiralling symbols ofluck or as giant slithering worms, the Lunar New Year could be a goodopportunity for looking out for their traces in your own language, everydaylife and environment – and perhaps, marvel at the collective act of imaginationand appreciation of nature that gave rise to these fabulous creatures.