dragon

A mythical creature present in both western and eastern legends. Usually scaly, serpentine, have wings, and a crest of some kind. Western legends show dragons in a fairly negative light. Most of the legends of dragons show them as fearsome, merciless beats who devour maidens, destroy villages, and keep hoards of treasures for which numerous knights attempt to slay the dragon in quests for either righteousness or personal wealth. Eastern legends, however, show dragons in a much more positive sense. In most eastern areas, especially China and Japan, dragons are sacred beings of a snakes body, wings, a deer's antlers, and numerous other parts from other creatures rather than the modern day scaly, winged beasts. The eastern dragons are revered with honor and are considered symbols of wealth, strength, intelligence, and overall near-perfection. The modern day dragon usually encapsulates the fearsome, strong, and proud looks of western myths and the intelligence, holiness, and strength of dragons in eastern myths. However, most dragons nowadays are used as signs of strength, majesty, honor, intelligence, etc. A dragon is not a dragon unless he breaths fire.