龙在东西方文化中的不同象征意义

1、龙在东西方文化中的不同象征意义作者：admin来源：hq 时间：2009-11-15 点击： 标签：龙在东西方文化中的不同象征意义 分页： 1 the different symbolic meanings between dragons in the east and the westdragon is an important part of oriental traditional culture, especially in china. the chinese people thought that they are descendents of the dragon, and th

2、is kind of animal symbolizes good fortune and holy. however in western cultures dragons are usually regarded as a symbol of malevolence. this essay is talk about the differences of dragons in the oriental culture and the occidental culture.i. the images and symbolic meanings of dragons in the orient

3、al culture 1.1 the images of dragons in the orientin china, the dragons are said that be made up of many different animals of the earth.the body of a snake, scales of a carp, head of a camel, horns of a giant stag, the eyes of a hare， ears like a bull, a neck like an snake, belly of a clam, paws lik

4、e a tiger, and claws like an eagle.(罗愿，1978：22) most of them are shown to have a lion-type mane around its neck, on its chin, and on each elbow, they have two horns decorating their wide-mouthed head and two long “feeler” whiskers spreading out from their snout. eastern dragons have 117 scales, 81 i

5、nfused with yang; the good, and 36 infused with yin, the bad. this evens out the dragons temper and personality.the image of the dragon has undergone a series of changes over the centuries becoming more and more mighty and beautiful. the original illustration on primitive bronze ware portrays it as

6、ferocious and mysterious; in the han dynasty (206bc - 220), it became magnificent and unrestrained. from the song dynasty onwards (960 - 1279), the design became delicate and flowery.there are several different kinds of dragons according to color, which may be yellow, blue, black, white or red. of t

7、hese the most highly revered was the yellow dragon and so each emperor wore a gown decorated with a yellow dragon pattern.although there are differences in appearance, the bases are similar. this is because it is a combination of the features of animals with which people were familiar. a dragon has

8、a protruding forehead indicating wisdom and antlers signifying longevity. its oxs ears denote success in the imperial examination; it has tigers eyes as a sign of power; eagles claws showing bravery; while a fishs tail implies flexibility and the horses teeth are a mark of diligence and so on.1.2 th

9、e symbolic meanings of dragons in the orientfrom primitive times people have regarded the dragon as an auspicious creature with the power to bless and influence their lives. as tribes fought for domination and came to be united under a common banner the dragon was adopted as a national icon. such wa

10、s the mysterious creatures power it was regarded as the god of rain, thunder, the rainbow, and the stars. in a society that was founded upon agriculture and animal husbandry totally reliant upon its natural environment and in particular the climate, the dragon was worshipped as the source of all tha

11、t was beneficial to communal well being. this concept has been sustained for thousands of years as more and more deification was bestowed upon the dragon ranging from being a bringer of joy to prophecy and miracles. with the establishment of a feudal society, emperors compared themselves to the drag

12、on thereby making it the exclusive symbol of imperial majesty. anyone who subsequently used the dragon as a symbol either intentionally or erroneously could be regarded as offending their ruler and condemned to death.from many chinese legends, dragons have many different appearances and the differen

13、t appearances express different symbolic meanings, such as a kind of dragons appeared as a tortoise that symbolizes good luck and tolerance. this kind of symbolic meanings express oriental people could take responsibilities and duty.a kind of dragons was like a tiger, it means justice of the world.

14、this kind of symbolic meaning express oriental people love a kind of justice life, and symbolizes oriental people healthy attitudes of life. some of dragons were like a lizard without a tail. it symbolizes a person like to take adventure or means a brave character. we know oriental people, especiall

15、y chinese people have a brave character in ancient time and today, so we nation have so charming culture and experiences. we know that we chinese people hold loyalty motto from ancient time to today, we also can find this information from a kind of dragons, and it was like a spiral shell bears a lik

16、eness to a closed mouth. it symbolizes honesty. so we always say honesty is best policy. we know there are fifty-six nationalities in china, and the most of people is han people, so dragons culture appears in han peoples life. but we could not deny that dragon culture also appears in others ethnic g

17、roups. we could know that from a kind of dragon, which was depicted as a yellow dragon upon musical instruments such as the hu qin of the han people, yue qin of the yi ethnic group, and tri-chord qin of the bai ethnic group. so we could kwon that our chinese people love music from ancient time, and

18、this kind of dragons symbolizes chinese people love life and have a harmonious relation with other ethnic groups. china has an abundant territory from ancient time to nowadays. there is a dragon that is looks like dolphins or whales. this dragon symbolizes china also is a powerful ocean country. chi

19、na is famous for her delicious cousin in the world. so a kind of dragons, named “tao tie” symbolizes a culture of chinese food. also this kind of dragons symbolizes greedy characters of people, and to warn people avoid self-indulgence and greed. there are many religions in china, such as buddhism. a

20、 kind of dragons was like a lion, which always was introduced into the imagery of chinese buddhism and would be depicted on buddha thrones and incense burners. it symbolizes chinese buddhism, and tells us that china could tolerant other culture.we kwon chinese people love to use some things to symbo

21、lizes good luck and wealthy. a kind of dragons is the best one to express wealthy and good luck, which is “pixiu”. for this reason, many chinese people have a statue of “pixiu” on certain furniture, and it was believed that “pixiu” made of jade were the most effective for such purposes. these differ

22、ent symbolic meanings of dragons are so popular among chinese people. ancient chinese people believe that dragons have may mysterious power which controls the world. because they thought they are decedents of dragons, so they love dragons and respect them. so different symbolic meanings of dragons s

23、pread among chinese people, chinese people also enrich these symbolic meanings of dragons. . the images and symbolic meanings of dragons in the occidental culture2.1 the images of dragons in the occidentthe dragon is a legendary creature, which is prevalent to the mythic culture of many countries. b

24、ritain, with its diverse history, has a tradition of dragons stemming from saxon, celtic and norse influences, as well as those from further field.the most common dragon to appear in british folklore and perhaps the earliest root of the dragon legend is the worm (wurm), which stems from norse influe

25、nces and the anglo saxon word wyrm or vurm. in appearance the worm is wingless and scaly with no arms or legs, very similar to a gigantic snake but with the added dread of poisonous breath, and the ability to rejoin after being cut into pieces. these great worms were often the metal to test the cour

26、age of aspiring heroes. the lambton worm was one such creature as was the dragon of loschy hill. as well as being the making of young heroes, dragons often have other similarities within folklore. they are often associated with the guarding of treasure (or captive maidens), and with sacred wells, hi

27、llocks, springs and deep caves. this may have some relation to ancient religious beliefs and mythic patterns, and esoterically dragons have been linked with the belief in earth energies and chthonic subterranean forces.the typical western dragon is a large, scaly creature resembling a dinosaur or a

28、large lizard. it usually has wiazor sngs and it can fly, often it will breathe fire. the wyvern: these are dragons which have two wings, but only two legs, sometimes shown as having claws on the wings, acting like another pair of hands. the wyvern is sometimes depicted as having a rharp stinger fill

29、ed with poison on the end of its tail.the hydra: these are dragons that have multiple necks and heads. they may or may not have wings or legs.pernese dragon: these dragons have four legs, and two wings. they have smooth, leathery skin without scales. the dragons eyes are compound and faceted like a

30、flys that can change color depending on the mood of the dragon. they have a telepathic ability with other dragons, and their rider. pernese dragons can also teleport into between, which is a void, to escape danger. gold and green dragons are female. bronze, brown and blue is male. they can breathe f

31、ire by first swallowing a certain type of flammable rock known as firestone.from the information of western dragons we know that western dragons also have different kinds and appearances. but all kinds of western dragons are strong and huge and all of them are like a kind of huge animals. they have

32、no intelligence and minds. 2.2 the symbolic meanings of dragons in the occidentwestern dragons are usually portrayed as evil, mean, and bloodthirsty. they were also known to have huge hoards of gold and jewels hidden in their lairs. the most famous dragons are portrayed as western-type dragons: st g

33、eorge and the dragon, beowulf and the dragon, and draco in the movie dragon heart. some stories have the western dragon as the devil in christianity. other stories in legend say that eating a dragons heart will give the consumer the power of understanding birds, eating the dragons tongue enables the

34、 person to win any argument, and rubbing the dragons blood on skin will protect against stab wounds. another myth references vlad drakul to mean son of the dragon, or devil. the end of the dragon came with christianity, and knights that were eager to prove their faith. the knights quickly discovered

35、 that dragon hunting was very profitable, and soon most the dragons in the world were destroyed in a very short time. vikings had dragon figureheads on the prow of their ships. the dragons on the ships were believed to endow keen site and cunning to the viking warriors. today the welsh flag still ha

36、s a red dragon on a green/white background, and the red dragon is their national symbol.the history of the wyvern seems to come from europe. the history of this dragon is not so clear. it seems to be mixed in with the history of the 4-legged dragon. wyverns have been depicted in heraldry on shields

37、and banners for hundreds of years, and is considered a sign of strength to those who bear the symbol. one of the more famous wyverns is vermithrax in the movie dragonslayer.in greek mythology hercules fought a grand hydra with 8 heads (history tells us 6 to 9 heads for this particular hydra). every

38、time he managed to slash one off with sword, two would come in its place. he finally figured out by burning the stump with a torch, it could not grow another head. that is how hercules rid the world of the mighty hydra. also in greek mythology, jason killed a hydra to get the golden fleece.the colon

39、ists of pern (a world created from the stories by anne mccaffrey) genetically engineered these huge dragons from their small cousins, firelizards. pernese dragons and their riders have a life-long relationship. this is started at the impression. this is when the dragons hatch and choose their human

40、partner. if the human partner dies without the dragon, the dragon will go between permanently. if the dragon dies, the human usually wastes away until they pass on。from above information of western dragons we know that the symbolic meanings of western dragons are so evil and terrible. most of films

41、and books about dragons tell us that dragons are evil and strong. so we could judge that the symbolic meanings of western dragons are evil and horrifying. comparisons between dragons in the orient and occident3.1 the parallels of oriental dragons and occidental dragonsthey are both fictive animals i

42、n fable; they are both huge animals; they both can fly; they are similar on the shape. they are both imaginary animals and have come down through their own culture.oriental dragons are huge and powerful, and they are so strong that no animal could compare with them. occidental dragons also are stron

43、g and powerful. we known dragons power from many western legends such as wyrm, these powerful creatures like to eat and kill man or other creatures. the size of dragons is huge and long. western dragons are like dinosaur. we known dinosaurs are so big that they could be the biggest monsters in old a

44、ge.oriental and occidental dragons can fly. although occidental dragons have a pair of bat wings, they can fly in every western story. oriental dragons can fly without wings. this reflects a different way of thinking of orient and occident. oriental people have a romantic and colorful way of thinkin

45、g, in their mind, a powerful and mysterious dragon could fly without wings, but this mysterious dragon has some supernatural power which make he can fly without wings. but occidental people study a thing physically. they see birds and bats fly with wings, so they couldnt image a creature can fly wit

46、hout wings.oriental and occidental dragons could breathe fire. from western legends or stories we known all of dragons could breathe fire such as dragon heart. from chinese legend we could find some dragons could breathe fire such as fire dragon, this dragon only a kind of chinese dragons, because t

47、here are so many kinds of dragons which have different supernatural power such an breathe fire, water, cloud and so on. 3.2 the differences of oriental dragons and occidental dragonsits benevolence signifies greatness, goodness and blessings. instead of being feared and hated the chinese dragons are

48、 highly respected creatures of good fortune that bring ultimate abundance, prosperity and good fortune. chinese mythology says dragons control the rain, rivers, lakes, and seas. many chinese cities have pagodas where people used to burn incense to ask the dragons to favor their crops or change the w

49、eather. dragons are referred to as the divine mythical creature. as an animal possessed of magical abilities the chinese dragon is able to shrink to the size of a silk worm; and then swell up to fill the entire space between heaven and earth. it can make itself visible or invisible, as it so chooses

50、. it can take on human form or that of another animal to carry out some secret mission.dragons are so wise that they have been royal advisors. a thirteenth-century cambodian king spent his nights in a golden tower, where he consulted with the real ruler of the land a nine-headed dragon. eastern drag

51、ons are vain, even though they are wise. they are insulted when a ruler doesnt follow their advice, or when people dont honor their importance. then, by thrashing about, dragons either stop making rain and cause water shortages, or they breathe black clouds that bring storms and floods. when western

52、ers first came into contact with the civilization of china, they discovered that chinese mythology and art was rich with tales and pictures of a large, powerful reptilian creature that looked remarkably like the large, powerful reptilian dragon with which they were already familiar. the chinese call

53、ed the creature the lung. westerners called it the dragon. this has led to a belief that the dragon is a universal symbol in both east and west, based on memories of the dinosaur or some other great lizard of the past. in reality, there is no evidence to support this view. the western and oriental d

54、ragons have quite different origins. the two forms of dragons really have few things in common aside from being generally long and rather fearsome in appearance. in mythology both western and oriental dragons are reputed to be powerful and the guardians of great fortunes. there the similarities end.

55、 western dragons were evil misers, while one rarely encountered and oriental dragon without coming away with a generous gift. oriental dragons could occasionally be capricious and even malevolent, but they were usually benevolent. unlike the western dragon, which was a symbol of evil, the oriental d

56、ragon was often a symbol of royalty and good luck. western dragons were notoriously solitary, while oriental dragons lived in crowded chinese-style societies. there was, for example, a hierarchy of dragon bureaucrats. iv. the reasons of the difference between oriental dragons and occidental dragons4

57、.1 in politics to the chinese, the imperial dragon or lung is considered to be the primary of four benevolent spiritual animals, the other three being the phoenix, the unicorn and the tortoise. having unrivaled wisdom and power the dragon symbolized the emperors of china themselves, who were actuall

58、y called dragons. shun, chinas first emperor was said to have a dragons tail. shen nung, his successor was supposed to have been fathered by a dragon. the chinese emperor sat on a dragon throne, rode in a dragon boat and slept in a dragon bed. to distinguish the chinese imperial dragon from all othe

59、r dragons, only the imperial dragon bore five claws. we can find that many emperors have stories with dragons. from oldest chinese create world legend: pan gu created this world, whose image is like a dragon. nv wa who is the oldest female god in china, who has a womens face and a snakes tail. these god and emperor are the most famous images in china. so every emperor use dragon to be his s