Dragons are mythical beasts that are found in many cultures worldwide. The Wikipedia entry for dragons is a fascinating survey of how dragons appear in different cultures. There is a dramatic divide between the Eastern and Western dragons in terms of benevolence and focus. Western dragons tend to be fire-breathing, belligerent and horders, as exemplified by Smaug in J. R. R. Tolkien’s book, the Hobbit. Dragons in the East are sometimes portrayed as godlike and often associated with water. Dragons from different Eastern cultures can have wings or not, and two or four feet, but are often associated with rain and water. Wikipedia notes, “According to these (Taoist) stories, every body of water is ruled by a dragon king, each with a different power, rank, and ability….” A dragon is also the fifth sign in the Chinese zodiac.
Common features of dragons include bulging eyes, antlers and a long tail with scales. One source (https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/article-chinese-dragons.htm) describes the source of dragon’s attributes as follows:
“According to the Chinese legend, the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi, a legendary tribal leader) launched a series of wars against nine tribes in the Yellow River Valley and incorporated the other tribes’ totems into his dragon totem after defeating them.
This explains why the dragon has attributes belonging to nine other creatures: eyes like a shrimp, antlers like a deer, a big mouth like a bull, a nose like a dog, whiskers like a catfish, a lion’s mane, a long tail like a snake, scales like a fish, and claws like a hawk.”
However, as convincing as this seems, this may simply be a convenient narrative, considering the long history of dragons in Asia and the many different myths and appearances stemming from various regions and cultures.
Although completely ignored in the Wikipedia entry and in most descriptions, Eastern dragons are nearly always shown with a typically flaming ball that is the focus of their attention. The ball invariably leads the dragon during a New Year’s parade, such as below.
(Image unattributed from internet)
So what is the meaning of the ball? One distinct possibility stems from the fact that in China, dragons are associated with the East; i.e., the rising sun. This seems plausible because the dragon is always following the ball, although its close association with water makes this seem inconsistent. On another level, the ball can be seen as simply its focus of attention.
I took the image below in South Korea at the Kyong Ju Temple, although there are many such statues in ROK that guard the gates to temples. These show a demi-god (kami or genie) holding a dragon like a pet in one hand with a ball in the other, while the dragon fixes its attention on the ball. It looks as if they’re about to play catch, such as with a dog. I could not find any explanation for this, but a few things are apparent: the Korean demi-god is superior to the dragon in size and intellect; it sees the dragon as an amusing lesser creature; and it is not intimidated in any way. I suspect that this was a statement about their neighbor China, because Emperors of China adopted the dragon as their symbol, putting it on their flag and forbidding any commoner to display dragon images.
Although many Asian cultures have dragons, there are differences in their appearance. The Wikipedia article discusses regional differences such as the presence and type of wings, the number of feet, the number of claws, and coloration. For example, in China, the Yinglong dragon, which dates back 2200 years and was adopted by the Han Dynasty, has wings, while the Yellow Dragon (Huanglong) that succeeded it does not.
The first image shown above, which I call the Meditation Dragon, is a woodcarving from Bali that I bought in Ubud in 1988. We bought a number of painted carvings from the artists that included garudas, flying dragons and mermaids (complete with mirror and comb), along with a painting of Kalicki with a hand-carved frame and kites. The artistry and craftsmanship of their work was only exceeded by their playful humor, and we were in awe. After we had gathered a considerable pile of such artwork to buy, they brought out the Meditation Dragon. Although we loved everything that we had already picked out, this was a masterpiece in subject matter, woodcarving technique, painting and, especially, in humor.
The Meditation Dragon is clearly regal, considering its bearing and its golden crown, necklace and armband. The Balinese revere bats, and the bat wings are delicate and offset by gold veins. But what I find most wonderful is that the ball is not only unusually multi-colored and subdued, but it sits at the end of the tail. This corresponds to the Hindu Kundalini (“coiled snake”) energy that resides at the base of the spine. Bali is strongly Hindu, although the Balinese have their own version of the religion. Thus, this carving seems to represent spiritual liberation such as found by yoga meditation practice. Dragons are often depicted in the air while actively attending to the ball; however, the Meditation Dragon lies in a bed of flowers, calmly balancing the ball as if in meditation.
That was a fun read!