The History of The Dragons and why Dragon Tattoos Are So Popular

According to the Webster-Merriam Dictionary, the word dragon is Middle English, from Anglo-French dragun, from Latin dracon.

The definition of dragon is:

· A mythical animal usually represented as a monstrous winged and scaly serpent with a crested head and enormous claws.
· Or someone who is formidable

The many depictions of dragons are incredibly diverse and complex. No other creature in mythology has appeared in so many cultures from such remote parts of the world!

While many of us conjure up a terrifying beast when envisioning a dragon, the Eastern dragons are portrayed as good, kind, ancient and intelligent. The Oriental Dragons have the most recorded history in the world, especially in China going back thousands of years.

The Difference between the Eastern Dragons:

Chinese dragons have five toes. The Chinese believe that all Eastern dragons originated from China. They believed that when the dragons flew away, they began to lose toes. The farther and farther the dragons flew, the more toes they lost. So, Korean dragons have four toes, and Japanese dragons have three.

Korean dragons have four toes. The Koreans believe that all eastern dragons originated from Korea. When the dragons leave Korea and go toward China, they gain toes. When the dragons leave Korea and go toward Japan, they lose toes.

Japanese dragons have three toes. The Japanese believe that all eastern dragons originated from Japan. They also believed that when the dragons began to leave Japan, they gain toes. The farther the dragons went, the more toes they gained. This is why the other dragons have more toes. The breath of Japanese dragons turned into clouds, which could produce rain or fire.

But here is the kicker, unlike most types of dragon, most of the Eastern Dragons have no wings!

The Western Dragons

The Western dragons or medieval dragons have a more ferocious and primitive appearance. They often look more lizard-like with long tails and wings. While they are often seen as intelligent creatures, they sometimes can be portrayed as mindless brutes. Talons, fangs, fire, scaled skins, and red eyes are typical of the dragon images we see in art and have come to imagine when we think of dragons. The Western Dragons were also known to have huge hoards of gold and jewels hidden in their lairs.

Early Christianity condemned the ancient, benevolent and malevolent serpent deities. As a matter of fact, in Christian art, the dragon came to be symbolic of sin and paganism and, as such, was depicted prostrate beneath the heels of saints and martyrs.

The Vikings had dragon figureheads on the prow of their ships. The dragons on the ships were believed to endow keen sight and cunning to the Viking warriors. Today the Welsh flag still has a red dragon on a green/white background, and the red dragon is their national symbol.

Why are Dragon Tattoos so popular today?

Dragons are a classic choice for a tattoo design. They are more popular then other mythological creatures including mermaid tattoos, gryphon tattoos and the fairy tattoos.

Dragons are depicted as powerful, wise and free. Their legend is always cloaked in magic and mythical realm. They come from the tops of sacred Japanese mountains and the bottom of the deepest seas around Greece.

Because of their ferocious appeal, dragons have been depicted by artists throughout history in a wide variety of forms. Todays tattoo designers have taken the art of the dragon to amazing new levels. Whether you want a traditional dragon tattoo or one with a cutting-edge, modern look you will find an incredible gallery of amazing images to choose from.

Tattoo artists have paid special attention to creating images of dragons because they look great on the skin. In color, or in black & white. Dragons can wrap around the body and flatter the contours of the body. Dragons can be designed as tribal, Celtic or jade designs. The dragon tattoo may appear with wings or without, fire breathing or not.

Ancient Dragon lore and illustrations have inspired many of us to select a dragon tattoo because that design represents how we feel about ourselves -- powerful, ferocious, and free...