Dragons are mythical creatures created by the human imagination. They represent combination of different animals like snakes, lizards and they have been around for centuries. People mentioned them in epic stories about heroes and in poems, usually as human opponents.
Dragons have had an important part in cultures of many nations and even though it wasn’t always presented as positive characters, they always received a great amount of respect and fear from people. In modern times, dragons are still an important symbol and their power and influence in culture hasn’t faded at all.
If you ever wondered what lies in the symbolism of a dragon, we will try to explain what dragons symbolize.
Dragon traits and characteristics
Since dragons are mythological creatures, we can’t talk about their real traits but we can list those that are associated with them.
Power – Dragons are always presented as powerful and fearful creatures. They chase fear into out bones and makes us humble and obedient. There isn’t a more powerful symbol than a dragon symbol, if we want to accentuate the level of power someone possess.
Strength – Dragons are described as strong and powerful. They are painted as enormous and overwhelming creatures that usually tormented people and villages. Their strength did not only come from the ability to spit fire, but also from their gigantic height and weight.
Not so friendly – Dragons are rarely presented as friends of humans. They are almost always our enemies and in stories and poems, people tried to find ways to kill and escape from these mythological beasts.
Dragon as a totem
Even though, dragons are imaginary and legendary creatures, they were, and still are, used as totems. As a totem, dragon is a symbol of power. People born under this totem, are extremely self-confident and they know what they want and need out of life.
You can’t change or influence them easily, because ideas they created in their head will and must become true. There is a certain sense, that everybody gets, when these people step into the room. They are usually highly appreciated and valued people in their communities. Professions that require a high social position and business position is something they are after their whole lives. They feel the need to command others and influence them in life.
People born under this sign are also mysterious. They keep everything to themselves and you won’t be able to get through to them easily. There is a mysterious aura about them and you can’t get away from it. This helps them influence people around them and everybody wants to get into their heads to explore their wonderful minds.
This can come off as a problem, especially when it comes to relationships. They find it hard to open up to people and tell what they are really feeling. They need to work on expressing emotions in a more mature way without escaping from problems.
The mysterious part of them, doesn’t always relate to their personalities, it can also be related to their interests. They are people who love to explore the forbidden things and find solutions to problems no one else can. They are interested in everything that is dark and mysterious.
People born under the dragon totem have a lot of luck in life. They seem to be born under the lucky star and this follows them until their death. Somehow, everything in their life, sets to its place and they are rarely in a position to feel like life is not fair to them.
This helps them visualize and make their ideas come true without making too much effort. They know how to get things done and which people will be able to help them make those ideas come true.
Dragon totem is also a sign of abundance. People born under this sign live life without being worried about survival, and on the contrary, they spend most of their lives enjoying the comfort living. They are able to evaluate ideas and plans for the long term, and make them profitable.
This is why people born under this totem are great entrepreneurs and businessman. Dragon totem is also associated with life in prosperity. People born under this totem appreciate life and everything that has been given to them.
They highly appreciate their peace and won’t let anyone or anything ruin what they have built. Greatest joy in their lives is that their families are safe and happy and that they will all have a comfortable and peaceful life.
Dragon totem is a sign of fortune as well. This characteristic is always associated with dragons and many cultures celebrate this animal in a lavish way, because of that. People born under this totem will probably spend their lives in great fortune and riches.
They won’t have to worry about money because it will simply fall into their hands. Somehow they know how to earn and invest their money wisely, so that they are never worried about not having enough.
Success is another trait linked to this totem and it combines all other aspects of this symbol in one unity. Success is what brings fortune to these people and what makes them so powerful in life. They are born to be leaders and influencers to others, so that is something they can’t forget or lose.
Being around people born under the dragon totem is a true blessing. You will be able to learn from them and apply the knowledge to your own life. They are great partners and friends and, most importantly, great people to look up to in life.
Dragon as a symbol in a dream
Dragons in dreams are very powerful symbols. To see a dragon in your dream, in general, represents your arrogant and powerful nature. You feel this power and influence you have on others, and you simply can’t control it. When you feel passionate about something or someone, there is little that can put you away from it.
This dream can be considered as a warning sign, to those who are arrogant to the extent that they hurt and isolate others for no reason. Be careful, if this is the group you fall into, because you might end up alone and abandoned by everyone.
To dream about an angry dragon, represents a maternal figure in your life that has a great influence on you. This can be your mother or partner who always have the last word when it comes to your life.
To see a dragon spitting fire, represents that you will soon enjoy pleasant times with your friends and family members, and seeing a dragon with many heads, represents people in your life who are malicious and who will do everything in order to make you hurt. Be careful around those people who you see as enemies, and limit your actions and words around them.
To defeat a dragon in your dream, represents your actions that might not have been right. You have probably hurt someone or made that person feel bad and now your consciousness is warning you about that. Try to make it up to that person and be more careful with your words and actions.
A dream where you are riding a dragon is a dream that has a positive aspect. You will probably climb to a higher position in life that will assure you a great deal of power and wealth. Perhaps this is something you have been working on for a long time and now will be the moment to make this ambition come true.
A sleeping dragon is a symbol of your current goals and aspirations in life. You will have a very good chance to make them all come true, so make sure you use this period of your life because times like this happen rarely.
A dragon dying in a dream represents a possible raise on your workplace or a higher position on your job that you will receive very soon. This is a great opportunity to advance in your career so make sure you use all the chances you will get.
Dragon as a symbol in different cultures
Dragons have been an important part of our history. Even though, these creatures are imaginary, somehow we have all accepted as if they were real at some point in our past.
Dragons play an important part in the Chinese culture and history. Chinese dragon imagery has been important throughout centuries. We can find sculptures, scripts and other objects full of dragon images throughout Asia, but in China dragons had an important role.
Dragon artifacts are dating back to the 16th century BC. Dragon is the highest ranking creature or animal in the Chinese animal hierarchy. Many royal families used Chinese symbol for dragon as their guardian animal. Dragon is also one of twelve zodiac signs of the Chinese Zodiac. Chinese also perform dragon dance to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
Japanese dragon also has an important position in the Japanese culture. Myths involving dragons, present them as water creatures in connection to deities and gods. It is usually painted as a dragon snake or serpent dragon.
Color red is usually the color that represents dragons or is associated with them. Red dragon symbol is the symbol for a mythological entity that is present in almost all cultures. This is a winged serpent that is associated with the underworld and the earth.
Oriental dragon symbolism is present in India, Persia and all throughout South-West Asia. In Jewish mythology and religious texts, dragons were presented as sea beasts in the Book of Isaiah and Book of Job.
In Celtic culture, dragons were guardians of knowledge and wisdom that had the power of prophecy. They were highly valued creatures and their importance can be seen in many ancient artifacts and scripts.
Celtic dragon meaning was that they united the earth and the sky and were the guardians of entries to other worlds. In art, dragon tails were usually painted to form an endless circle which represented the Celtic tree of life. In the Celtic astrology, dragon represents one of the signs and the green dragon in the Celtic culture had the power to purify and gift a new life.
In Greece, dragons were mentioned for the first time in Greek poetics and myths. In the Slavic culture, dragon was usually depicted as a three headed monster or a beast that had snake-shaped heads. Slavs believed that the dragon can be killed only if all the heads were cut off.
Symbolism of dragons in Europe is extremely important and proof of this importance lies in many illustrations and stories that date back to ancient history. These are stories that were a part of folklore and were passed on from one generation to another.
In modern times, dragons have still remained an important part of culture and art in various nations. They are still celebrated and valued, more than any other mythological creature. For example, a dragon tattoo motive is highly popular and a dragon tattoo meaning represents wisdom, prosperity, luck and power.
Just like a dragon totem, dragon tattoo is supposed to take care of the one who is carrying it on its body and act as a good luck charm.
Dragons are present in movies, books and cartoons. We can see them as good or evil and they are still mesmerizing creatures that we simply can’t let go. Dragons influenced our modern culture in many ways and a big reason for this is the importance this mythological creature had for our ancestors.
It is almost unreal when you imagine that these beasts are only a product of our imagination, but still they were able to survive as a part of our history for centuries and certainly will remain for many more.