Chinese Taoist symbolism revered the dragon as a spirit of "the Way", bringing eternal changes. It was shown coiling among clouds, revealing only parts of itself. Often the dragon was the guardian of the Flaming Pearl (spiritual perfection).
Early drawings in
Babylonia of
dragons had long catlike bodies with scales, lion forelegs, bird hind legs,
snakelike head and tail, and a crown of horns. Such composite animals
were usually symbols of the seasons. In alchemy, the wingless dragon
represented earth or "fixed" elements; the winged dragon
represented volatile ones.
Christians usually equated the subterranean
dragon with the devil. In fact the devil's nickname "Old
Harry" was taken from the Persian dragon-god Ahriman (Arimanius), the
dark twin brother of the supreme god of light. Like angelic Lucifer, Ahriman
had fought his brother god and had been sent down to the underworld to rule
over the demons. Thus dragons became traditional guardians of buried
treasure.
