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Long (Chinese dragon)

Character Profile

Name Long 

Other names Loong, lung, Oriental dragon, Eastern dragon, Chinese dragon

Type/Species Snake-like dragon, hybrid creature, scaly creature, the god

Size Various sizes from large to extremely giant

Capacity Individual longs will possess one or more of the following abilities: Control rain, water, wind, thunder, fire, wood, ground, metal…

Color Each individual will have different colors, such as: white, black, red, blue, yellow...

Subtype(s) Unknown

Parents Long

Children Long, jiaolong…

Activity cycle Unknown

Diet Unknown

Origin Chinese mythology

Terrain The water, the caves, the sky, the mountains

The Chinese dragon, also known as the loong, long or lung (Chinese: 龍 / 龙), is a legendary creature in Chinese mythology, Chinese folklore, and Chinese culture at large. Chinese dragons have many animal-like forms such as turtles and fish, but are most commonly depicted as snake-like with four legs. They traditionally symbolize potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water. During the days of Imperial China, the Emperor of China usually used the dragon as a symbol of his imperial strength and power.

The Chinese dragon  is a significant cultural icon that symbolizes strength, bravery, invincibility, virtue, unity, intelligence, triumph, integrity, and auspiciousness.

Appearance:

Originally the long was depicted as having a crest, a spur, a snake body, a lizard’s thigh, a falcon’s claws, a snake’s tail, deer horns, and fish scales. In some Asian countries, longs are depicted with snake bodies, fish scales, lion’s mane, deer horns, no wings but can fly. However, the most commonly described dragons include the following characteristics: The body of the snake; carp scales (81 scales of yang and 36 scales of yin); camel head; deer horns; lobster eyes; the liver of the tiger’s feet; falcon’s claws; nose, mane, lion’s tail. Their bodies are so big that their blood can engulf an entire castle and everything on their body is considered the most precious treasure; things that sometimes give the owner wishes, strength; longevity; the ability to control nature and other creatures...

They could turn invisible at will and polymorph into the shape of just about any small to large creature that they wanted. Long Dragons could also shift to other planes of existence. 

Personality:

Each individual dragon has a unique personality. Some will live and behave like humans in the human world, some will hide away from humans, some will live as a patron god of humans. However, they all live and follow their own moral values.

Intelligence:

Long Dragons are creatures with a very long lifespan, almost limitless. They are a species of high intelligence far beyond humans, have extensive knowledge, have magic to control nature and some are even worshiped as gods and can grant wishes to people.

Interactions:

Long Dragons are legendary and powerful creatures. Long Dragons are at the top of the scales, can be hidden, can transform small or large, long or short; In spring, long fly to the sky, and in autumn, long dive deep into the sea

Legend:

Historically, the Chinese dragon was associated with the Emperor of China and used as a symbol to represent imperial power. The founder of the Han dynasty Liu Bang claimed that he was conceived after his mother dreamt of a dragon. During the Tang dynasty, Emperors wore robes with dragon motif as an imperial symbol, and high officials might also be presented with dragon robes. In the Yuan dynasty, the two-horned five-clawed dragon was designated for use by the Son of Heaven or Emperor only, while the four-clawed dragon was used by the princes and nobles. Similarly during the Ming and Qing dynasty, the five-clawed dragon was strictly reserved for use by the Emperor only. The dragon in the Qing dynasty appeared on the first Chinese national flag.

The image of the Chinese dragon was roughly established in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, but there was no great change for a long time. In the Han Dynasty, the winged Yinglong, as a symbol of feudal imperial power, frequently appeared in Royal Dragon vessels, which means that most of the dragon image designs used by the royal family in the Han Dynasty are Yinglong patterns.Yinglong is a winged dragon in ancient Chinese legend. At present, the literature records of Yinglong’s winged image can be tested from "Guangya" (廣雅) during the Three Kingdoms period, but Yinglong’s winged design has been found in bronze ware from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties to stone carvings, silk paintings and lacquerware of the Han Dynasty. The literature records of Yinglong can be traced back to the documents of the pre-Qin period, such as Classic of Mountains and Seas and Chuci. According to the records in Classic of Mountains and Seas, the Chinese mythology 2200 years ago, Yinglong had the main characteristics of later Chinese dragons – the power to control the sky and the noble mythical status.

However, since the Tang and Song Dynasties, the image of the real dragon symbolizing China’s imperial power was no longer the Yinglong with wings, but the common wingless Yellow Dragon in modern times. For the evolution of Yinglong and Yellow Dragon, scholar Chen Zheng proposed in "Yinglong – the origin of the image of the real dragon" that from the middle of the Zhou Dynasty, Yinglong’s wings gradually became the form of flame pattern and cloud pattern at the dragon’s shoulder in artistic creation, which derived the wingeless long snake shape. The image of Huanglong was used together with the winged Yinglong. Since then, with a series of wars, Chinese civilization suffered heavy losses, resulting in the forgetting of the image of winged Yinglong, and the image of wingless Yellow Dragon replaced the original Yinglong and became the real dragon symbolizing China’s imperial power. On this basis, scholar Xiao Congrong put forward that the simplified artistic creation of Yinglong’s wings by Chinese ancestors is a continuous process, that is, the simplification of dragon’s wings is an irreversible trend. Xiao Congrong believes that the phenomenon of "Yellow Dragon" replacing "Ying Long" can not be avoided regardless of whether Chinese civilization has suffered disaster or not.

Types of long dragons: 

Azure Dragon a dragon that represents the east and the spring season, in Chinese mythology and one of the Four Symbols (Chinese constellation).

Dragon King, a water and weather god in Chinese mythology.

Yellow Dragon of the Center in Chinese mythology.

Fucanglong of the volcanic element, and god of crafting.

Tianlong, a celestial dragon in Chinese mythology.

Jiaolong, defined as a “scaled dragon”, is a dragon in Chinese mythology.

Shenlong, “god dragon” or “divine dragon”, s a spiritual dragon from Chinese mythology who is the master of storms and also a bringer of rain. He is of equal significance to other creatures such as Tianlong, the celestial dragon.

Dilong, “earth dragon”, one of many types of long dragons such as shenlong and huanglong, the “Yellow Dragon”.

Qiulong, a Chinese dragon was contradictorily defined as “horned dragon” and “hornless dragon”.

Yinglong, is a winged dragon and rain deity in ancient Chinese mythology.

📚 Explore more of the Mystical Creatures series here: Dive into the Enchanted Realms of Mythology

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