Encyclopedia of Dragons
143 dragons and dragon-like creatures from 82 cultures, plus the great dragons of fiction.
This encyclopedia collects the dragons of world myth, religion, folklore, and fiction in one place. Each entry gives the creature's culture, its earliest known source, what it looks like and does, its story, and the books to read next. Explore them on the dragon map, follow them through history on the dragon timeline, see what they have in common in dragon statistics, or look up a word in the glossary of dragon terms.
British Isles Western Europe Northern Europe Eastern Europe Mediterranean Near East Africa South Asia East Asia Southeast Asia Oceania North America Mesoamerica South America Caribbean Fiction
Dragons of the British Isles
- Bisterne Dragon English (Hampshire)
The Bisterne Dragon is a dragon of New Forest folklore that lived on Burley Beacon, drank milk delivered daily at Bisterne, and was killed by a knight named Berkeley with the help of two dogs. - Caoránach Irish
The Caoránach is a monstrous serpent of Irish folklore, an oilliphéist sometimes called the mother of demons, which was killed in Lough Derg in County Donegal and whose blood is said to have turned the lake red. - Cockatrice Medieval European
The cockatrice is a medieval European monster with a rooster's head and legs, dragon wings, and a serpent's tail, said to hatch from a rooster's egg and kill with its glance. - Knucker English (Sussex)
The Knucker is a water dragon of Sussex folklore that lived in the Knucker Hole, a deep pool at Lyminster, and was killed either by a knight or by a local lad with a poisoned pie. - Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh English (Northumberland)
The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh is a dragon of Northumbrian legend: Princess Margaret of Bamburgh, turned into a loathsome worm by her jealous stepmother and restored when her brother Childe Wynde kisses it three times. - Lambton Worm English (County Durham)
The Lambton Worm is a giant serpent of County Durham folklore, fished from the River Wear by young John Lambton, which grew huge, coiled around a hill, and could rejoin its body whenever it was cut apart. - Linton Worm Scottish (Scottish Borders)
The Linton Worm is a serpent-dragon of Scottish Borders legend that lived in a den on Linton Hill and was killed by a Somerville who thrust a burning, pitch-soaked peat on his lance into its throat. - Mordiford Wyvern English (Herefordshire)
The Mordiford Wyvern is a dragon of Herefordshire folklore, raised from a hatchling by a village girl named Maud, which grew into a man-eating monster and was killed near the River Lugg. - Sockburn Worm English (County Durham)
The Sockburn Worm is a venomous dragon of County Durham legend, killed by Sir John Conyers with a falchion that is still presented to each new Bishop of Durham as the price of the Sockburn lands. - Stoorworm Orcadian (Scottish)
The Stoorworm, or Mester Stoorworm, is a colossal sea serpent of Orkney folklore whose poisonous breath threatened the land until the boy Assipattle burned it from the inside, its teeth becoming Orkney, Shetland, and the Faroes. - Y Ddraig Goch Welsh (British)
Y Ddraig Goch, the Red Dragon of Wales, is the dragon of the Britons who, in early Welsh legend, fights a white Saxon dragon beneath Dinas Emrys and today flies on the national flag of Wales.
Dragons of Western Europe
- Cuélebre Asturian (Spanish)
The cuélebre is a giant winged serpent of Asturian folklore in northern Spain that lives in caves, guards treasure and enchanted xanas, and grows weak only on Saint John's Eve. - Drac of Beaucaire Provençal / Occitan (French)
The Drac of Beaucaire is a shape-shifting water dragon of Provençal legend that lived beneath the Rhône, lured people with floating treasures, and kidnapped a woman of Beaucaire to nurse its child. - Gargouille Norman (French)
The Gargouille is the dragon of Rouen in Norman legend, subdued by the 7th-century bishop Saint Romain with the help of a condemned prisoner, whose pardon became the city's annual Privilege of Saint Romain. - Graoully Lorraine (French)
The Graoully is the dragon of Metz in Lorraine, said to have infested the city's Roman amphitheater until Saint Clement, the first bishop, bound it with his stole and drove it into the river. - Herensuge Basque
The Herensuge is the dragon of Basque mythology, a monstrous serpent sometimes given seven heads, best known from the legend of the knight Teodosio de Goñi and Saint Michael on Mount Aralar. - Lindwurm of Klagenfurt Austrian (Carinthian)
The Lindwurm of Klagenfurt is the winged dragon of a Carinthian founding legend, said to have lived in the marshes by Lake Wörthersee until brave men caught it with a baited hook, and pictured on the city's famous 16th-century fountain. - Melusine French (Poitou)
Melusine is a fairy of medieval French legend who becomes a serpent from the waist down every Saturday, founds the house of Lusignan, and flies away in the form of a great serpent when her husband betrays her secret. - Peluda French (Sarthe, Maine)
The Peluda, known locally as La Velue ("the hairy one"), is a shaggy, sting-bristling dragon of La Ferté-Bernard in western France, said to have survived the Flood and ravaged the Huisne valley until a youth struck its tail. - Tarasque Provençal (French)
The Tarasque is a river dragon of Provençal legend, a monstrous hybrid said to be the offspring of Leviathan, which Saint Martha tamed at Tarascon on the Rhône and which the town still parades in its festival. - Vouivre Franc-Comtois (French)
The Vouivre is a flying serpent of French folklore, especially in Franche-Comté and the Jura, that carries a glowing gem as its eye and sets it aside when it bathes, tempting thieves.
Dragons of Northern Europe
- Beowulf's dragon Anglo-Saxon (Old English)
Beowulf's dragon is the fire-breathing, treasure-guarding dragon of the Old English epic Beowulf, which ravages the land of the Geats after a cup is stolen from its hoard and dies fighting the aged hero. - Fáfnir Norse
Fáfnir is a dwarf turned dragon in Norse legend who guards a cursed hoard of gold until the hero Sigurd kills him by stabbing him from a pit dug in his path. - Jörmungandr Norse
Jörmungandr is the Midgard Serpent of Norse mythology, a child of Loki so huge that it encircles the world under the ocean and bites its own tail, and Thor's destined enemy at Ragnarök. - Lindorm King Danish and Swedish
The Lindorm King is the enchanted prince of a Scandinavian fairy tale, born to a queen as a lindworm, who sheds his serpent skins and becomes human when a clever bride outwits him. - Lindworm Scandinavian and Germanic
A lindworm is a huge serpent-dragon of Scandinavian and German folklore, usually wingless and with two front legs or none, that devours livestock, guards treasure, and sometimes proves to be an enchanted prince. - Níðhöggr Norse
Níðhöggr (Nidhogg) is the dragon of Norse mythology that gnaws the roots of the world tree Yggdrasil and, in the poem Völuspá, sucks the corpses of oath breakers and murderers. - Thora's lindworm Norse and Danish
Thora's lindworm is the serpent-dragon of the Ragnar Lodbrok legend, a small snake given to the princess Thora that grew to encircle her bower until Ragnar, wearing pitch-treated shaggy breeches, killed it and won her hand. - Žaltys Lithuanian and Baltic
The žaltys is the sacred household serpent of Lithuanian and Baltic tradition, a harmless grass snake kept and fed in homes as a guardian bringing luck, fertility, and prosperity. - Žilvinas, the Serpent King Lithuanian
Žilvinas is the serpent king of the Lithuanian folk tale Eglė the Queen of Serpents, a grass snake who marries the girl Eglė, becomes a man in his undersea palace, and is murdered by her brothers.
Dragons of Eastern Europe
- Balaur Romanian
The balaur is the many-headed serpent-dragon of Romanian folklore, a monster of waters and caves that heroes such as Făt-Frumos must kill, and the storm mount ridden by the wizards called solomonari. - Bolla Albanian
The bolla is a serpent demon of Albanian folklore that keeps its eyes closed all year except on Saint George's Day, devours any human it sees, and if left unseen for many years grows into the dragon kulshedra. - Kulshedra Albanian
The kulshedra is a monstrous, many-headed female dragon of Albanian folklore who spits fire, hoards water to cause drought, and is fought in storms by the winged hero called the drangue. - Sárkány Hungarian
The sárkány is the dragon of Hungarian folklore, a many-headed monster of the fairy tales slain by the hero, and in folk belief a storm-bringing serpent that the magical wandering scholar called the garabonciás rides through the clouds. - Tugarin Zmeyevich Russian (East Slavic)
Tugarin Zmeyevich is a monstrous dragon-man of Russian epic songs, a gluttonous, boastful invader who flies on wings until the hero Alyosha Popovich brings him down by praying for rain to soak them. - Wawel Dragon Polish
The Wawel Dragon (Smok Wawelski) is the legendary dragon of Kraków's Wawel Hill, killed, in the best-known version, when it ate a carcass stuffed with burning sulfur and drank from the Vistula River until it burst. - Zilant Tatar and Russian (Kazan)
Zilant is the winged serpent-dragon of Kazan in Tatarstan, the king of snakes in the city's founding legends and the crowned black dragon on Kazan's coat of arms since the 18th century. - Zmaj South Slavic (Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Montenegrin, Slovene, Bulgarian)
The zmaj is the dragon of South Slavic folklore, a fiery, winged, often protective being that guards fields from hail-bringing demons, takes human lovers, and fathers heroes such as Zmaj Ognjeni Vuk. - Zmeu Romanian
The zmeu is a giant, dragon-like ogre of Romanian fairy tales, a humanlike being of enormous strength who can fly and shapeshift, kidnaps princesses such as Ileana Cosânzeana, and is defeated by the hero Făt-Frumos. - Zmey Gorynych Russian (East Slavic)
Zmey Gorynych is the many-headed, fire-breathing dragon of Russian epic songs and fairy tales, best known for kidnapping a princess of Kyiv and being defeated by the hero Dobrynya Nikitich.
Dragons of Mediterranean
- Amphisbaena Greek, Roman, and medieval European
The amphisbaena is a venomous serpent of Greek and Roman lore with a head at each end of its body, said to live in the Libyan desert and to move in either direction. - Basilisk Roman and medieval European
The basilisk is a legendary "king of serpents" from Roman natural history and medieval bestiaries, a small crowned snake so venomous that its glance, breath, or touch could kill. - Cetus Greek
Cetus, from the Greek ketos, is the sea monster of Greek myth sent by Poseidon to devour princesses chained to the shore, slain by Perseus to save Andromeda and by Heracles to save Hesione. - Chimera Greek
The Chimera is a fire-breathing monster of Greek myth with the body of a lion, a goat's head rising from its back, and a serpent for a tail, killed by Bellerophon riding Pegasus. - Colchian Dragon Greek
The Colchian Dragon is the sleepless serpent of Greek myth that guarded the Golden Fleece in the grove of Ares at Colchis until Medea's magic, or Jason's sword, overcame it. - Dragon of Rhodes Knights Hospitaller (medieval Rhodes)
The Dragon of Rhodes is the monster that, according to the Knights Hospitaller, terrorized medieval Rhodes until the knight Dieudonné de Gozon killed it with trained dogs, defying his Grand Master's orders. - Dragon of Silene Christian (medieval European hagiography)
The Dragon of Silene is the lake-dwelling, plague-breathing dragon killed by Saint George in medieval legend after he rescued a princess offered to it, the best-known version appearing in the Golden Legend around 1260. - Great Red Dragon of Revelation Early Christian
The Great Red Dragon is the seven-headed, ten-horned dragon of the Book of Revelation, identified as Satan, who wars against heaven, is cast down by the archangel Michael, and is finally thrown into the lake of fire. - Ismenian Dragon Greek
The Ismenian Dragon is the serpent sacred to Ares that guarded a spring at the future site of Thebes, killed by Cadmus, whose sown dragon's teeth sprang up as armed warriors. - Ladon Greek
Ladon is the serpent-dragon of Greek myth that coiled around the tree of golden apples in the Garden of the Hesperides, guarding it until Heracles came for the apples. - Lernaean Hydra Greek
The Lernaean Hydra is a many-headed water serpent of Greek myth that grew new heads when one was cut off, killed by Heracles and Iolaus as his second labor. - Python Greek
Python is the giant serpent of Greek myth that lived at Delphi until the god Apollo shot it with arrows, took over the site, and founded his famous oracle there. - Typhon Greek
Typhon is the most fearsome monster of Greek myth, a giant with a hundred serpent heads who challenged Zeus for rule of the cosmos and was struck down by thunderbolts.
Dragons of the Near East
- Aži Dahāka Persian (Zoroastrian, later Islamic-era Iranian)
Aži Dahāka is the three-headed dragon of Zoroastrian myth, created by the evil spirit Angra Mainyu, who becomes the tyrant Zahhāk with serpents growing from his shoulders in Ferdowsi's Persian epic, the Shahnameh. - Dragon of Bel and the Dragon Hellenistic Jewish
The dragon of Bel and the Dragon is a great serpent worshipped as a living god in Babylon, which the prophet Daniel kills by feeding it cakes of pitch, fat, and hair until it bursts. - Leviathan Hebrew (Israelite and Jewish)
Leviathan is the great sea monster of the Hebrew Bible, a fire-breathing, scale-armored serpent of the deep that only God can tame, descended from the Canaanite sea serpent Lotan. - Lotan Canaanite (Ugaritic)
Lotan, properly Litan, is the seven-headed sea serpent of Canaanite myth known from the clay tablets of Ugarit, defeated by the storm god Baal and his sister Anat, and the forerunner of the biblical Leviathan. - Mušḫuššu Mesopotamian (Akkadian, Babylonian)
The mušḫuššu is the scaly, horned dragon of ancient Mesopotamia, with a serpent's head, lion forelegs, and eagle talons, best known as the sacred beast of Marduk on Babylon's Ishtar Gate. - Rahab Hebrew (Israelite and Jewish)
Rahab is a primeval sea monster named in the Hebrew Bible, a symbol of the raging, arrogant sea that God crushed at creation, and later a poetic nickname for Egypt. - Tiamat Babylonian (Mesopotamian)
Tiamat is the primordial salt-water sea goddess of the Babylonian creation epic Enūma Eliš, who raised an army of monsters against the gods and was split in two by Marduk to make heaven and earth. - Vishap Armenian
The vishap is the dragon of Armenian myth and folklore, a water and storm serpent of mountain lakes and springs, fought by the thunder god Vahagn and linked to the ancient carved dragon stones called vishapakar.
Dragons of Africa
- Aido Hwedo Fon (Dahomey, Benin)
Aido Hwedo is the rainbow serpent of Fon religion in Benin, who carried the creator Mawu as the world was made and now lies coiled beneath the earth, holding it together. - Apep Ancient Egyptian
Apep, called Apophis by the Greeks, is the giant serpent of chaos in ancient Egyptian religion who attacks the sun god Ra's boat every night in the underworld and must be defeated again each day. - Bida Soninke (Wagadu / Ghana Empire)
Bida is the great serpent of Soninke legend that protected the ancient kingdom of Wagadu, bringing rains of gold in return for a yearly maiden, until the hero Mamadi beheaded it and the kingdom fell. - Grootslang South African (Richtersveld, Northern Cape)
The Grootslang, Afrikaans for "great snake," is a giant serpent of South African legend said to lurk in a bottomless cave or pool in the diamond country of the Richtersveld and the Orange River. - Inkanyamba Zulu and Xhosa (South Africa)
The Inkanyamba is a giant storm serpent of Zulu and Xhosa belief in South Africa, said to live in deep waterfall pools such as Howick Falls and to cause violent summer storms and tornadoes when it is angry. - Mehen Ancient Egyptian
Mehen, "the Coiled One," is the protective serpent god of ancient Egypt who wraps his coils around the sun god Ra as he travels through the underworld each night, guarding him against the chaos serpent Apep. - Ninki Nanka Mandinka and other peoples of the Gambia and Senegal
The Ninki Nanka is a dragon-like swamp monster from the folklore of the Gambia and southern Senegal, a huge reptile with a long neck and crested head whose very sight is said to bring sickness or death. - Ouroboros Ancient Egyptian, later Greek, Gnostic, and alchemical
The Ouroboros is a serpent or dragon eating its own tail, a symbol of eternity and endless cycles first found in ancient Egypt and later central to Greek alchemy and Western esoteric art.
Dragons of South Asia
- Druk (Thunder Dragon of Bhutan) Bhutanese and Tibetan (Drukpa Kagyu Buddhism)
The Druk is the Thunder Dragon of Tibetan and Bhutanese tradition, whose voice is thunder, the emblem of the Drukpa school of Buddhism and the national symbol of Bhutan, shown on its flag holding jewels in its claws. - Kaliya Hindu
Kaliya is a many-headed poisonous serpent of Hindu myth who fouled a pool of the Yamuna River until the young god Krishna leaped in, danced on his hoods, and banished him to the sea. - Makara Indian (Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain)
The makara is a sea creature of Indian myth and art, part crocodile, part fish, and often part elephant, that serves as the mount of the river goddess Ganga and the sea god Varuna and guards temple gateways across Asia. - Nāga Indian (Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain)
Nāgas are serpent beings of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain tradition, often cobras or half-human figures with cobra hoods, who live in underwater or underground kingdoms, guard treasure, and control rain and water. - Shesha Hindu
Shesha is the thousand-headed serpent king of Hindu myth who floats on the cosmic ocean as the couch of the god Vishnu and holds up the earth on his hoods; his other name, Ananta, means "endless." - Vasuki Hindu (also Buddhist)
Vasuki is a king of the nāgas in Hindu myth who served as the churning rope when the gods and demons churned the cosmic ocean, and who coils around the neck of the god Shiva. - Vritra Vedic Indian (Hindu)
Vritra is the serpent or dragon of drought in the Rigveda, a footless, handless monster who held back the world's waters until the storm god Indra killed him with the thunderbolt and set the rivers free.
Dragons of East Asia
- Azure Dragon (Qinglong) Chinese (also Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese)
The Azure Dragon, or Qinglong, is the dragon of the east in Chinese cosmology, one of the Four Symbols that guard the directions, linked to spring, the element wood, and seven constellations of the eastern sky. - Bashe Chinese
The Bashe is a gigantic serpent of ancient Chinese myth that swallowed whole elephants and spat out their bones after three years, until the archer Yi slew it at Dongting Lake. - Dilong Chinese (Buddhist and folk)
Dilong, the "earth dragon," is the Chinese dragon said to mark out and clear the courses of rivers and streams, the third of four classes of dragons in a scheme of Buddhist origin. - Dragon Kings (Longwang) Chinese (Buddhist and folk religion)
The Dragon Kings are the dragon rulers of the seas, rivers, and lakes in Chinese religion and folklore, rain-giving lords who live in crystal palaces, take human form, and answer to the Jade Emperor. - Fucanglong Chinese (Buddhist and folk)
Fucanglong, the "dragon of hidden treasures," is the Chinese dragon said to lie hidden underground guarding buried wealth, the fourth of four classes of dragons in a scheme of Buddhist origin. - Imugi Korean
The imugi is a great serpent of Korean folklore that has not yet become a true dragon and must live a thousand years, or catch a wish-granting jewel fallen from heaven, before it can ascend as a yong. - Jiaolong Chinese
The jiaolong, or jiao, is a Chinese water dragon of rivers, lakes, and floods, often described as scaly and not yet fully a dragon, and feared for drowning people and overturning boats. - Kiyohime Japanese
Kiyohime is the woman of Japanese legend who, rejected by a young monk, turned into a great serpent, swam the Hidaka River, and burned him alive inside the bell of Dōjōji temple. - Lóng (Chinese dragon) Chinese
The lóng is the Chinese dragon: a long, scaly, usually wingless creature with four clawed legs that rules rain, rivers, and seas and became the emblem of the emperor and of Chinese culture. - Mizuchi Japanese
A mizuchi is a Japanese water dragon or river serpent, a spirit of rivers and pools that could bring rain or spit poison, best known from the Nihon Shoki tale of Agatamori, who killed one with gourds and a sword. - Nue Japanese
The nue is a chimera-like monster of Japanese legend, with a monkey's head, a tanuki's body, a tiger's legs, and a snake for a tail, shot down by the warrior Minamoto no Yorimasa over the imperial palace. - Panlong Chinese
The panlong, or "coiled dragon," is a Chinese dragon that lies curled up on earth or in water and has not yet ascended to heaven, a favorite motif on bronzes, pillars, and roof beams. - Ryūjin Japanese
Ryūjin is the dragon god of the sea in Japanese myth and folklore, who rules from the undersea palace Ryūgū-jō, controls the tides with magic jewels, and was claimed as an ancestor of the imperial family. - Shenlong Chinese (Buddhist and folk)
Shenlong, the "spiritual" or "divine" dragon, is the Chinese dragon that raises clouds and sends wind and rain for the good of people, one of four classes of dragons in a scheme of Buddhist origin. - Tianlong Chinese (Buddhist and folk)
Tianlong, the "celestial" or "heavenly" dragon, is the Chinese dragon said to guard the palaces of the gods and hold them up so they do not fall, the highest of four classes of dragons in a scheme of Buddhist origin. - Yamata no Orochi Japanese
Yamata no Orochi is the eight-headed, eight-tailed giant serpent of Japanese myth, slain by the storm god Susanoo after he got it drunk on strong sake, who found the sacred sword Kusanagi in its tail. - Yinglong Chinese
Yinglong is the winged dragon of ancient Chinese myth, a rain-bringing servant of the Yellow Emperor who killed the rebel Chiyou and, in other accounts, used its tail to help Yu the Great channel the Great Flood. - Yofune-Nushi Japanese
Yofune-Nushi is a sea dragon of Japanese folklore that lived in a cave beneath the Oki Islands and demanded a maiden each year, until the young diver Tokoyo killed it with a dagger. - Yong (Korean dragon) Korean
The yong is the Korean dragon, a benevolent water and weather spirit that brings rain, guards the sea, and protects kings and the nation, often shown holding the wish-granting jewel called the yeouiju. - Zhulong (Torch Dragon) Chinese
Zhulong, the Torch Dragon, is a giant red dragon of ancient Chinese myth with a human face and a serpent's body, whose opening and closing eyes make day and night in a sunless land of the far north.
Dragons of Southeast Asia
- Bakunawa Visayan (Philippines)
The Bakunawa is a giant sea serpent of Visayan folklore in the Philippines that swallows the moon, causing eclipses, and in one famous tale devoured six of the seven moons that once lit the sky. - Phaya Naga Thai and Lao
The Phaya Naga is the great serpent king of Thai and Lao Buddhist folklore, a crested, often many-headed serpent believed to live in the Mekong River and to guard temples, water, and the Buddhist faith. - Rồng (Vietnamese dragon) Vietnamese
The rồng is the Vietnamese dragon, a rain-bringing, benevolent water spirit and symbol of the nation, whose people trace their descent from the dragon lord Lạc Long Quân and the mountain fairy Âu Cơ.
Dragons of Oceania
- Rainbow Serpent Aboriginal Australian
The Rainbow Serpent is a powerful creator being in the traditions of many Aboriginal peoples of Australia, a great snake linked to water, rain, and rainbows who shaped the land and punishes those who break its law. - Taniwha Māori
A taniwha is a powerful water being of Māori tradition in New Zealand, living in rivers, lakes, caves, and the sea, which can be a protective guardian of a tribe or a dangerous monster that preys on people.
Dragons of North America
- Gaasyendietha Seneca (Haudenosaunee)
Gaasyendietha is the fire-dragon of Seneca tradition, a powerful serpent-like being identified with the meteor, which lives in deep lakes and rivers and flies between them trailing flames. - Horned Serpent Many Native American nations, especially of the Eastern Woodlands and Great Lakes
The Horned Serpent is a great water serpent with horns found in the traditions of many Native American nations, a powerful being of rivers, lakes, and the world below, often opposed by the Thunderbirds. - Piasa Native American rock art of the Mississippi Valley; later Illinois folklore
The Piasa is a monster once painted on the Mississippi River bluffs near Alton, Illinois, described by Jacques Marquette in 1673 as a horned, scaly creature with a human-like face and a long tail. - Sisiutl Kwakwaka'wakw (Kwakiutl)
The Sisiutl is the double-headed serpent of Kwakwaka'wakw tradition on the Northwest Coast, with a serpent head at each end and a human face in the middle, a being of great danger and power linked to warriors. - Uktena Cherokee
The Uktena is a great horned serpent of Cherokee tradition, as thick as a tree trunk, with a blazing crystal crest called the Ulûñsû'ti on its forehead, and so dangerous that even seeing it could bring death.
Dragons of Mesoamerica
- Kukulkan Yucatec Maya
Kukulkan is the feathered serpent of the Yucatec Maya, honored at Chichen Itza and Mayapan, and remembered in Spanish-era accounts as a great lord who came from the west and was worshipped as a god. - Q'uq'umatz K'iche' Maya
Q'uq'umatz is the feathered serpent of the K'iche' Maya, one of the creator gods of the Popol Vuh who, together with Heart of Sky, raised the earth from the primordial sea and shaped the first people. - Quetzalcoatl Aztec (Mexica) and earlier Mesoamerican
Quetzalcoatl is the Feathered Serpent of Mesoamerican religion, an Aztec creator god of wind, the morning star, learning, and maize, whose serpent form joins the quetzal bird's green plumes to a snake's body. - Xiuhcóatl Aztec (Mexica)
Xiuhcóatl is the fire serpent of Aztec religion, a turquoise-scaled serpent with an upturned snout that served as the weapon of the war god Huitzilopochtli and as an emblem of the fire god Xiuhtecuhtli.
Dragons of South America
- Amaru Inca and Andean (Quechua and Aymara)
The Amaru is a great mythical serpent of Andean and Inca tradition, a creature of the underground waters, sometimes two-headed or winged, whose emergence was linked to floods, landslides, and the upheaval of the world. - Boitatá Brazilian (Tupi and Guaraní roots)
The Boitatá is a fiery serpent of Brazilian folklore, a glowing snake of flame whose name comes from Tupi words for "snake" and "fire," seen at night over fields, rivers, and marshes.
Dragons of the Caribbean
- Ayida-Weddo Haitian Vodou (with Fon roots in Benin)
Ayida-Weddo is the rainbow serpent lwa (spirit) of Haitian Vodou, the wife of the white serpent Damballa, honored with him as a spirit of the rainbow, water, fertility, and the union of sky and earth. - Damballa Haitian Vodou (with Fon roots in Benin)
Damballa is the great white serpent lwa (spirit) of Haitian Vodou, an ancient, gentle, and wise father figure linked with water, rain, purity, and fertility, and the husband of the rainbow serpent Ayida-Weddo.
Dragons in Fiction, Film, and Games
- Alduin The Elder Scrolls (Bethesda Softworks)
Alduin the World-Eater is the black dragon who serves as the main villain of the video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011), an ancient tyrant of dragonkind prophesied to devour the world. - Ancalagon the Black J.R.R. Tolkien (Middle-earth)
Ancalagon the Black is the greatest of the winged dragons in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium, unleashed by Morgoth at the end of the First Age and slain by the mariner Eärendil in a battle in the sky. - Bahamut (Dungeons & Dragons) Dungeons & Dragons (TSR / Wizards of the Coast)
Bahamut in Dungeons & Dragons is the Platinum Dragon, king and god of the good metallic dragons and enemy of Tiamat, a game creation named after a giant world-bearing fish of Arabic cosmology. - Balerion the Black Dread George R.R. Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire)
Balerion the Black Dread is the largest dragon in the history of George R.R. Martin's Westeros, the mount of Aegon the Conqueror, whose black fire helped the Targaryens win the Seven Kingdoms. - Chrysophylax J.R.R. Tolkien
Chrysophylax Dives is the rich, crafty, and cowardly dragon of J.R.R. Tolkien's comic tale Farmer Giles of Ham (1949), who is outwitted by a reluctant farmer and ends up as his ally. - Draco Dragonheart (film)
Draco is the talking dragon of the 1996 film Dragonheart, voiced by Sean Connery, the last of his kind, who shares half his heart with a prince who grows up to be a tyrant. - Drogon George R.R. Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire)
Drogon is the largest and fiercest of Daenerys Targaryen's three dragons in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire (from 1996) and HBO's Game of Thrones, a black-and-red dragon named for her husband Khal Drogo. - Eustace Scrubb (dragon form) C.S. Lewis (Narnia)
Eustace Scrubb is a selfish English boy in C.S. Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952) who is turned into a dragon after falling asleep on a dragon's hoard, and is later restored by Aslan. - Falkor Michael Ende (The Neverending Story)
Falkor (German Fuchur) is the white luckdragon of Michael Ende's novel The Neverending Story (1979) and its 1984 film, a joyful, wingless flying dragon who carries the young hero Atreyu across Fantastica. - Glaurung J.R.R. Tolkien (Middle-earth)
Glaurung is the first of the fire-drakes in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium, a wingless, fire-breathing dragon of Morgoth whose cruel spells and lies destroy the hero Túrin Turambar and his sister Nienor. - Haku Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away)
Haku is the river spirit of Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away (2001), who appears as a boy and as a flying white dragon, and who helps the girl Chihiro survive in a bathhouse for spirits. - Hungarian Horntail J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter)
The Hungarian Horntail is a ferocious dragon breed from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, best known as the spiked-tailed dragon Harry Potter must get past in the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. - Jabberwock Lewis Carroll
The Jabberwock is the monstrous dragon-like creature of Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem "Jabberwocky" in Through the Looking-Glass (1871), slain by a young hero with a vorpal sword. - Kalessin Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea)
Kalessin is the Eldest, the oldest and most powerful dragon of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea, first appearing in The Farthest Shore (1972), an ancient, unknowable being who speaks the Old Speech of making. - Mushu Disney (Mulan)
Mushu is the small, wisecracking red dragon of Disney's animated film Mulan (1998), voiced by Eddie Murphy, a demoted family guardian spirit who tags along to protect Mulan in hopes of winning back his post. - Norbert J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter)
Norbert is the baby Norwegian Ridgeback dragon that Hagrid illegally hatches in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997); the dragon is later revealed to be female and renamed Norberta. - Orm Embar Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea)
Orm Embar is a great dragon of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea in The Farthest Shore (1972), who seeks the Archmage Ged's help against the sorcerer Cob and gives his life to destroy him. - Puff the Magic Dragon Peter, Paul and Mary (song)
Puff the Magic Dragon is the gentle dragon of the 1963 Peter, Paul and Mary song by Peter Yarrow and Leonard Lipton, who lives by the sea and plays with a boy named Jackie Paper until the boy grows up. - Ramoth Anne McCaffrey (Dragonriders of Pern)
Ramoth is the golden queen dragon of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern, first appearing in "Weyr Search" (1967), who bonds with Lessa and becomes the senior queen of Benden Weyr. - Saphira Christopher Paolini (Inheritance Cycle)
Saphira is the sapphire-blue dragon of Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle, which begins with Eragon (2002); she hatches for the farm boy Eragon and becomes his telepathic partner as a Dragon Rider. - Shenron Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball)
Shenron is the Eternal Dragon of Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball manga (1984) and anime, a vast green Eastern-style dragon who appears when all seven Dragon Balls are gathered and grants a wish. - Smaug J.R.R. Tolkien (Middle-earth)
Smaug is the greedy, cunning fire-breathing dragon of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit (1937), who seizes the dwarves' treasure under the Lonely Mountain and is killed by Bard the Bowman. - Spyro Insomniac Games / Sony (Spyro series)
Spyro is the small purple dragon hero of the Spyro the Dragon video game series, beginning on the PlayStation in 1998, who charges and breathes fire to rescue his fellow dragons and their treasure. - Tairn Rebecca Yarros (The Empyrean)
Tairn is the huge black dragon of Rebecca Yarros's Fourth Wing (2023), one of the most powerful dragons of Navarre, who unexpectedly chooses the fragile cadet Violet Sorrengail as his rider. - Temeraire Naomi Novik (Temeraire series)
Temeraire is the black Chinese Celestial dragon at the heart of Naomi Novik's alternate-history series beginning with His Majesty's Dragon (2006), who serves in Britain's Aerial Corps during the Napoleonic Wars. - The Reluctant Dragon Kenneth Grahame
The Reluctant Dragon is the gentle, poetry-loving dragon of Kenneth Grahame's 1898 story, who would rather chat and compose verse than fight, and who stages a mock battle with Saint George. - Tiamat (Dungeons & Dragons) Dungeons & Dragons (TSR / Wizards of the Coast)
Tiamat in Dungeons & Dragons is the five-headed Dragon Queen, goddess of the evil chromatic dragons, a modern game creation that borrows its name from the ancient Babylonian sea goddess. - Toothless Cressida Cowell / DreamWorks (How to Train Your Dragon)
Toothless is the dragon partner of the Viking boy Hiccup in Cressida Cowell's How to Train Your Dragon books (from 2003), a tiny, talkative dragon who became the sleek black Night Fury of DreamWorks' 2010 film. - Vermithrax Pejorative Dragonslayer (film)
Vermithrax Pejorative is the ancient, fire-breathing dragon of the 1981 film Dragonslayer, which terrorizes the kingdom of Urland until a young sorcerer's apprentice sets out to kill it.