Post by Tysha on May 3, 2017 19:41:25 GMT
History of the Dragon
(Copied across from the previous incarnation of Dragonhenge.)
Many sources say that the earliest forms of dragons are linked with the Mother Goddess, Water Gods, and Warrior Gods. In these capacities they were both beneficent and destructive. Dragons were often believed to be sea dwelling creatures, jealously guarding vast treasures of gold and pearls. Rain, clouds, thunder, and lightening were all believed to be the breath of the dragon; it’s fire beginning in lightening. In Dragon magick we link the dragon to all elements but understand that it has it’s origins in the primeval seas, just as we do.
A common factor of ancient myths is the significance of the dragon was in its control over mankind. As the Western myth of the dragon grew, these beings came to represent the chaos of original matter. With man’s awakening, and every growing, consciousness a struggle arose and we created order to constantly challenge the dragon’s power. This is also where we get our need for balance, understanding that leaning too much to one side or the other will only cause strife in our lives.
The most common belief on the origin of the dragon is that they have existed since pre-time; they were the first forms that came out of the swirling mists of a coalescing universe. Whether they began as monsters or deities, their existence was taken as fact until the 17th century. During that time was when ‘scientists’ began to debunk the myth of dragons by exposing museum dragon pieces as fakes. These faux dragons were usually fossilized rays or bats. Then came the scientific leap that dragons were the way that superstitious man, unenlightened by science, came up with fantastic stories to explain away dinosaurs.
Almost all of our ancestors believed that the earth was inhabited by these great creatures. Where did the idea come from? It has been said that dragons stem from a universal human imagination, that they are merely inherited memories of dinosaurs, or that they are simply figments created by our subconscious in an attempt to explain away the unexplainable. Obviously, practitioners of dragon magick don’t believe this but it is important that we understand the stereotypes that we will need to face.
So, if there is no one historical starting point, what are we to do? As a hopeful dragon magician we must have a firm belief in dragons. If you do not, then you should walk away from this area of study as you will never move beyond the theoretical. You cannot hope to contact a dragon in the hopes that they will prove their existence to you.
Some teach that dragons once existed on this plane. Perhaps in pre-time or if there were a few dragons who remained behind into the current era, they once shared this level of existence with us. They did not disappear, or die out, or flee from the cruelty they found inherent in mankind. We believe that they evolved beyond this plane into pure spiritual beings; their home is now on a level of the astral plane. Does this make them better than us? No. What it does mean is that they are in a unique position to help us evolve into better beings. They are more in tune with the universe that is beyond our ken and can help us to better understand the world we live in.
What we do know is scattered fragments some practitioners have tried to tie together into coherency. The word dragon is derived from the Latin ‘dracon’ which means serpent. Dracon originated in the Greek word ‘spakov’ (serpent) which in turn was derived from the Greek verb ‘spakelv’ (to see clearly). It is related to other words, most of which deal with sight. They are the Sanskrit ‘darc’ (see), Avestic ‘darstis’ (sight), and the Old Irish ‘derc’ (eye). From the old English there is ‘tohrt’, Old Saxon ‘torht’, and Old High German ‘zoraht’, all of which mean clear or bright. From this we tie dragons in with the great serpents and because of its tie to sight and seeing it became a receptacle of knowledge and visions.
The earliest recorded dragons are from Sumeria and China; both lands have stories of dragons that date back to around 5,000 BCE. Indeed, the Chinese believe that they were the descendants of dragons. Japan also has early tales of dragons but most of those relate dragons to natural disasters. Both Chinese and Japanese dragons could transform themselves into human form.
Egyptian dragons appear around 3,000 – 2,000 BCE and for the most part, Egyptians saw dragons as a sign of evil. This is because Apep was a dragon and Apep’s greatest desire was to overthrow Ra. However, Ra also had a guardian dragon – Mehen – who protected the Boat of the Sun. Babylonian myths of dragons also appeared around 2,000 BCE, the most famous being the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Around 250 CE the Aztecs began worshipping Quetzalcoatl, a feathered serpent God. He was also known as Kulkulkau, Ehecatl, and the Lord of the Dawn. It is said that Quetzalcoatl left when he could not get the Aztecs to change their ways. The Aztecs also had other dragons, Coatlcue a hydra with two dragon heads and a skirt of snakes who was the symbol of nature. There were also Xiuhcoatle, small fire-serpents who aided Huitzilopochtli.
Today we must rely on the old stories in order to learn about dragons. However, we should never confuse the dragons of myth and legend with what we will be contacting. These stories will give us an idea of the power that these beings hold as well as how capricious they can be. They are not a blue print for how our dealings will be with them. Immersing ourselves in their legends will help us to connect with the primal energy that they represent.
Dragons and Science
Dragons were mentioned in both alchemy and medicine during the Medieval Times, especially in the field of medicine. The people in the field of medicine sought Dragons not for their ancient wisdom but for their organs. They hoped to find a miracle cure or tonic to help humankind, so they told the “Dragon Slayers” that they paid to hunt down and kill Dragons. They were only looking to line their pockets with gold.
The blood of Dragons was said to make a person invulnerable to stab wounds if bathed in it, and able to understand the speech of birds and animals if drank. Eating a Dragons heart would make one strong and brave beyond comparison. Eating the tongue would give eloquence in speech and the ability to win any argument. The liver cured certain diseases, as did various other organs. The scales would be used as shields or armor because of being resistant to fire and stronger then most metals.
In alchemy, the Dragon was considered to be matter, metal and physical body. Often mentioned in conjunction with the Dragons were the Dragon’s sister spirit, metallic mercury, and the soul. Ancient Alchemy used the picture of a Dragon or winged serpent as one of its many secret symbols. A common symbol of spiritual alchemical work was a Dragon or a serpent holding its tail in its mouth, an unending circle of eternity.
Dragon’s blood is mentioned by both medicine and alchemy in history. Since Dragons would not willingly give their blood and most had already gone into hiding they turned to other sources. There were said to be several sources of this material, other than from actual Dragons. The “bloodstone” hematite, an ore rich in iron; and the mineral cinnabar, a compound of mercury, were both called forms of Dragon’s blood.
However, the most widely used Dragon’s blood was a gum resin. It was said that trees, which originally grew from actual spilled Dragon’s blood, produced a reddish-brown sap of great value. This species of tree is still called Dracaena Draco by botanists. Incisions were made in the bark and the sap collected as it congealed into resin. Most of these trees are found in the East Indies, southern Arabia, and the Canary Islands. Today the resin is still known as Dragon’s blood and used in magical procedures.
(Copied across from the previous incarnation of Dragonhenge.)
Many sources say that the earliest forms of dragons are linked with the Mother Goddess, Water Gods, and Warrior Gods. In these capacities they were both beneficent and destructive. Dragons were often believed to be sea dwelling creatures, jealously guarding vast treasures of gold and pearls. Rain, clouds, thunder, and lightening were all believed to be the breath of the dragon; it’s fire beginning in lightening. In Dragon magick we link the dragon to all elements but understand that it has it’s origins in the primeval seas, just as we do.
A common factor of ancient myths is the significance of the dragon was in its control over mankind. As the Western myth of the dragon grew, these beings came to represent the chaos of original matter. With man’s awakening, and every growing, consciousness a struggle arose and we created order to constantly challenge the dragon’s power. This is also where we get our need for balance, understanding that leaning too much to one side or the other will only cause strife in our lives.
The most common belief on the origin of the dragon is that they have existed since pre-time; they were the first forms that came out of the swirling mists of a coalescing universe. Whether they began as monsters or deities, their existence was taken as fact until the 17th century. During that time was when ‘scientists’ began to debunk the myth of dragons by exposing museum dragon pieces as fakes. These faux dragons were usually fossilized rays or bats. Then came the scientific leap that dragons were the way that superstitious man, unenlightened by science, came up with fantastic stories to explain away dinosaurs.
Almost all of our ancestors believed that the earth was inhabited by these great creatures. Where did the idea come from? It has been said that dragons stem from a universal human imagination, that they are merely inherited memories of dinosaurs, or that they are simply figments created by our subconscious in an attempt to explain away the unexplainable. Obviously, practitioners of dragon magick don’t believe this but it is important that we understand the stereotypes that we will need to face.
So, if there is no one historical starting point, what are we to do? As a hopeful dragon magician we must have a firm belief in dragons. If you do not, then you should walk away from this area of study as you will never move beyond the theoretical. You cannot hope to contact a dragon in the hopes that they will prove their existence to you.
Some teach that dragons once existed on this plane. Perhaps in pre-time or if there were a few dragons who remained behind into the current era, they once shared this level of existence with us. They did not disappear, or die out, or flee from the cruelty they found inherent in mankind. We believe that they evolved beyond this plane into pure spiritual beings; their home is now on a level of the astral plane. Does this make them better than us? No. What it does mean is that they are in a unique position to help us evolve into better beings. They are more in tune with the universe that is beyond our ken and can help us to better understand the world we live in.
What we do know is scattered fragments some practitioners have tried to tie together into coherency. The word dragon is derived from the Latin ‘dracon’ which means serpent. Dracon originated in the Greek word ‘spakov’ (serpent) which in turn was derived from the Greek verb ‘spakelv’ (to see clearly). It is related to other words, most of which deal with sight. They are the Sanskrit ‘darc’ (see), Avestic ‘darstis’ (sight), and the Old Irish ‘derc’ (eye). From the old English there is ‘tohrt’, Old Saxon ‘torht’, and Old High German ‘zoraht’, all of which mean clear or bright. From this we tie dragons in with the great serpents and because of its tie to sight and seeing it became a receptacle of knowledge and visions.
The earliest recorded dragons are from Sumeria and China; both lands have stories of dragons that date back to around 5,000 BCE. Indeed, the Chinese believe that they were the descendants of dragons. Japan also has early tales of dragons but most of those relate dragons to natural disasters. Both Chinese and Japanese dragons could transform themselves into human form.
Egyptian dragons appear around 3,000 – 2,000 BCE and for the most part, Egyptians saw dragons as a sign of evil. This is because Apep was a dragon and Apep’s greatest desire was to overthrow Ra. However, Ra also had a guardian dragon – Mehen – who protected the Boat of the Sun. Babylonian myths of dragons also appeared around 2,000 BCE, the most famous being the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Around 250 CE the Aztecs began worshipping Quetzalcoatl, a feathered serpent God. He was also known as Kulkulkau, Ehecatl, and the Lord of the Dawn. It is said that Quetzalcoatl left when he could not get the Aztecs to change their ways. The Aztecs also had other dragons, Coatlcue a hydra with two dragon heads and a skirt of snakes who was the symbol of nature. There were also Xiuhcoatle, small fire-serpents who aided Huitzilopochtli.
Today we must rely on the old stories in order to learn about dragons. However, we should never confuse the dragons of myth and legend with what we will be contacting. These stories will give us an idea of the power that these beings hold as well as how capricious they can be. They are not a blue print for how our dealings will be with them. Immersing ourselves in their legends will help us to connect with the primal energy that they represent.
Dragons and Science
Dragons were mentioned in both alchemy and medicine during the Medieval Times, especially in the field of medicine. The people in the field of medicine sought Dragons not for their ancient wisdom but for their organs. They hoped to find a miracle cure or tonic to help humankind, so they told the “Dragon Slayers” that they paid to hunt down and kill Dragons. They were only looking to line their pockets with gold.
The blood of Dragons was said to make a person invulnerable to stab wounds if bathed in it, and able to understand the speech of birds and animals if drank. Eating a Dragons heart would make one strong and brave beyond comparison. Eating the tongue would give eloquence in speech and the ability to win any argument. The liver cured certain diseases, as did various other organs. The scales would be used as shields or armor because of being resistant to fire and stronger then most metals.
In alchemy, the Dragon was considered to be matter, metal and physical body. Often mentioned in conjunction with the Dragons were the Dragon’s sister spirit, metallic mercury, and the soul. Ancient Alchemy used the picture of a Dragon or winged serpent as one of its many secret symbols. A common symbol of spiritual alchemical work was a Dragon or a serpent holding its tail in its mouth, an unending circle of eternity.
Dragon’s blood is mentioned by both medicine and alchemy in history. Since Dragons would not willingly give their blood and most had already gone into hiding they turned to other sources. There were said to be several sources of this material, other than from actual Dragons. The “bloodstone” hematite, an ore rich in iron; and the mineral cinnabar, a compound of mercury, were both called forms of Dragon’s blood.
However, the most widely used Dragon’s blood was a gum resin. It was said that trees, which originally grew from actual spilled Dragon’s blood, produced a reddish-brown sap of great value. This species of tree is still called Dracaena Draco by botanists. Incisions were made in the bark and the sap collected as it congealed into resin. Most of these trees are found in the East Indies, southern Arabia, and the Canary Islands. Today the resin is still known as Dragon’s blood and used in magical procedures.
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