Dragons!

Perhaps no creature has occupied as much of our collective imagination than the mighty dragon. Dragons have appeared countless times in our mythos, from some of our oldest legends to contemporary fantasy media. This is a page dedicated to dragons as written by one of their fans!

Defining a dragon

As we don't have many live specimens to examine, we must rely on the most common descriptions of dragons to define exactly what makes them dragons and not, say, wyverns. Different sources make different distinctions¹. Consider this page both an amalgamation of sources and one source in itself.

This is also the only time I'll directly say that some sources will agree with any given point and some won't, otherwise that'll be a tenth of the word count. I don't favor any particular setting's depiction of dragons, though I'll admit I'm biased towards the contemporary.

Universal traits

Nearly all dragons have the following traits:

• A means of non-land locomotion, usually flight. This is most often accomplished with a pair of bat-like wings, though Eastern dragons fly magically without them. Other dragons with magical abilities may also lack wings or have more ornamental, less functional wings. Aquatic dragons may have fins to propel them through water.
• At least four limbs, plus two for wings if present.
• Long muzzle, often reptilian and alligator-like but with thicker jaws. Its overall shape varies between square/angular (reminiscient of canines), tapered, or rounded (much like dinosaurs).
• Sharp teeth capable of rending flesh. They are often carnivores or omnivores.
• Large size, at least large enough as adults to support an average human on their back without issue.
• A wide variety of hide or fur colors, including shades not found or rare to find in nature.
• Spines, bumps, markings, a mane, or some other feature on their backs that extends from head-to-tail.
• A long, thick tail.
• Though often called lizards, they are endothermic or generally unconcerned with climate. (This could also mean that complaining about cold weather isn't a very exciting or legendary thing to do.)
• High intelligence ranging from a particularly smart dog to millennia of wisdom. The average is somewhere around human-level.
• Some kind of mission, drive, or goal, much like a human might have. A lust for gold and treasure is common in classic fantasy depictions. More enterprising dragons may wish to rule their own empire, while others are more like (or literally) benevolent spirits.

There's still a ton of room for diversity within these restrictions. For example, I skipped around calling them reptiles because there are a number of dragons that don't look like lizards much at all, and many are not explicitly exothermic. Would even the scaliest of the big scalies fall under order Reptilia, or would they need a new order for themselves?

Let's be honest here. No dragon worth their scales would insist on anything less than joining the illustrious all-dragon order, Draconia.

¹ For example, Dungeons & Dragons goes into great detail about what is and isn't a dragon as well as many qualities of both. Meanwhile, Monster Hunter calls its strongest monsters "Elder Dragons" whether they resemble dragons or not; the term is more to denote legendary power. Sometimes wyverns (say) are considered a type of dragon, and sometimes they're not. I keep my sources broad and try not to split hairs because I'm no expert, but I can say a Kirin is not what I'm talking about.

Western dragons

The type of dragon most often found in Europe, the family of the Western dragon is perhaps the most grounded and least dependent on magic or technology.

Western dragons have six limbs: four legs and two huge, leathery wings. They have pronounced chests due to their bone structure, and they often have horns and long necks.

The earliest Western depictions of dragons imagine them as powerful constrictor serpents. From Beowulf through the Middle Ages, they acquired traits now commonly associated with dragons: fire-breathing, cave-dwelling, greedy gluttons guarding a hoard of treasure. On occasion, dragons were allegorical symbols; in Arthurian legend, a white dragon and a red one fought, representing England and Wales, respectively. Most of the time in this era, though, dragons were Satan as far as the authors were concerned.

In modern times, dragons made a resurgence as benevolent figures. They were a fixture of whimsical children's fiction for a time before taking a broader range of roles in contemporary media. Sometimes they're heroic, sometimes they're magical friends, and sometimes they're big scaly dogs with wings! (For those who love a good villain, don't worry, dragons do reprise that role as well.)

Famous examples: Smaug (Lord of the Rings), Draco (Dragonheart), Saphira (Eragon), Spyro (Spyro the Dragon series), Toothless (How to Train Your Dragon), the Welsh Dragon on the Welsh flag, the dragon Saint George slew (rest in power, buddy)

Eastern dragons

Compared to Western myth, dragons have enjoyed a far better reputation in Asia, particularly China. Known as lung², Chinese dragons are revered as gods with dominion over water and weather, and also as symbols of power and good fortune.

Lung are lengthy and serpentine in appearance. They typically have four short legs and no wings, but are able to fly effortlessly. Their faces vary from gator-like to lion-esque in appearance, usually with two long whiskers. It's also common to see them with spines on their backs and long tufts of fur at different points on their bodies, flowing with their movements.

Many lung are explicitly named in Chinese legend and folklore. I included a diagram of five such dragons canonized as kings of the Four Seas and the land; while they originally reference Chinese geography, they are also believed to protect Japan in the same cardinal directions. Nearly every lung has some domain, and we rarely see the limits of their mystical powers, if there are any.

Of note is the marked difference in overall nature of lung versus Western depictions of dragons. Where dragons are seen as aggressive and antagonistic in Western legend, lung are benevolent in the East, if prone to anger or laziness on occasion. In fact, it wasn't until Buddhists introduced the idea that a dragon might do destructive things with their power when upset that lung were seen as anything but infallibly just.

² Or loong, or long, depending on the dialect. "Lung" just sounds the best to me.

Anthropomorphic dragons

Many stories of dragons already ascribe human intelligence and personalities to them. A fully anthropomorphic dragon, then, is one that is also physically humanoid. Specifically, they stand and walk on two legs, have two arms capable of using tools, and may or may not have wings on their backs. They retain many of the same draconic traits as their more bestial bretheren, but in a human-sized and -shaped package.

These dragons are a more modern creation and often live in a world where non-humanoid dragons also exist. There are a number of rather concrete explanations for how they came to be, most implying that "big" dragons came first.

• Half-dragon, half-human. A human and a dragon mated, and a half-dragon was the result. Don't be too surprised, this kind of thing used to happen all the time. Ask any Hellenic god.
• Weredragon. Could also be the result of a human/dragon pairing, but the dragon form isn't permanent—the human can "go dragon" either at will or under specific circumstances. Ancient relics also have a habit of conferring this ability on curious humans.
• Draconic blessing. In ancient times (or five minutes ago), a human did something great for a dragon, and they were blessed with draconic features. Depending on the terms and conditions of the blessing, this could be passed down through generations.
• Dragons decided it was a good idea. Maybe a dragon magically influenced their hatchlings to grow into humanoid shapes, or maybe it just happened and they went along with it.

Undoubtedly, the greatest number of anthro dragons can be found on the internet. So many dragon personas and dragon-inspired creations are out there that it's hard to overlook as a dragon fan.

Pseudo-dragons

Some species may appear to be dragons, but they are distinct enough that they are only relatives. They still get a special mention here.

Wyvern

Wyverns are smaller on average than dragons and have four limbs: two wings and two legs. Without making definite claims to their intelligence, it's not as common to see them depicted with sapience.

Are wingless humanoid dragons wyverns? Not necessarily. There are probably other distinguishing factors that separate wyverns from dragonkind, not just the number of limbs.

Drake

Depending on the source, a drake could be a term for a juvenile dragon (as "kid" is to goats) or a class of "lesser" dragons. In either case, they resemble smaller dragons without wings.

Bearded dragon

What I like about dragons

Dragons have been a consistent presence in my life, particularly when I happened to look for some form of escape from reality. It was coincidental—whenever I would be having a bad day, dragons were there to keep me company and feed my imagination. That could be why I never saw dragons as universal Big Bads. Even when playing cartoonishly evil roles, I liked to imagine that there was still some way to be friends with them or convince them to be less evil. They're just misunderstood, really!

To me, dragons represent fearless adventure into the fantastic and unknown as well as solace from harsh realities. The eldest dragons have wisdom beyond measure, a world's worth of distance from when they first left the nest as brave, headstrong adults with fire in their hearts. All know of comforts for those in troubled waters, and any would be invaluable companions on a journey to an unexplored horizon, whether literal or in the pursuit of knowledge.

Vote for dragons.