Nordic

Níðhöggr who gnaws at the roots of Yggdrasil, the World tree;

Jörmungandr, midgårdsormen (Swedish and Danish), Midgardsormen (Norwegian), the giant sea
serpent which surrounds Miðgarð, the world of mortal men. Thor fought this Miðgarð serpent.

Lindworms, monstrous serpents of Germanic myth and lore, often interchangeable with dragons.
Lindworms are serpent-like dragons with either two or no legs. In Nordic and Germanic heraldry, the
lindworm looks the same as a wyvern. The dragon Fafnir was a lindworm. Fafnir, which had turned into
a dragon because of his greed, and was killed by Sigurd;

Landvættur, the benevolent dragon whom King Harald's servant met in Vopnafjörður according to
Heimskringla, and also depicted on the Icelandic Coat of Arms;
Lagarfljótsormurinn, a lake monster or dragon living in the Lagarfljót, near Egilsstaðir, Iceland.

The dragon encountered by Beowulf.

English

There is a brief mention of a Dragon on Bignor Hill south of the village of Bignor near the famous Roman
Villa, apparently "A Large dragon had its den on Bignor Hill, and marks of its folds were to be seen on the
hill". Similar legends have been told of ridges around other hills, such as at Wormhill in Derbyshire.

The Dragon of Loschy Hill, of Yorkshire folklore

The Dragons of St. Leonard's Forest, of Sussex folklore

The Knuckers, a kind of water dragon, from Lyminster, Lancing, Shoreham and Worthing in Sussex

The Green Dragon of Mordiford, of Herefordshire folklore

The Laidly Worm of SpindlestonHeugh, of Northumbrian legend

The Linton Worm is a mythical beast referred to in a Scottish borders legend dating back to the 12th
century. "Wyrm" is the Old English for serpent. A 12th century writer believed it to be "In length three
Scots yards and bigger than an ordinary man’s leg - in form and callour to our common muiredders." The
monster lived in a hollow on the northeast side of Linton Hill, a spot still known as the "Worm’s Den", in
Roxburghshire on the Scottish borders. Emerging from its lair at dusk and dawn to ravage the
countryside, eating crops, livestock and people, it proved invulnerable to the weapons ranged against it.
The surrounding area became ruined by the beast's predations.

The Lamden Worm is a small eel- or lamprey-like creature with nine holes on each side of its
salamander-like head. Depending on the version of the story the worm is no bigger than a thumb, or
about 3 feet long. In some renditions it has legs, while in others it is said to more closely resemble a
snake. But eventually the worm grows extremely large and the well becomes poisonous. The villagers
start to notice livestock going missing and discover that the fully-grown worm has emerged from the
well and coiled itself around a local hill.
A giant winged snake, which is in fact a full-grown zomok. It often serves as flying mount of the
garabonciás (a kind of magician). The sárkánykígyó rules over storms and bad weather.

Sárkány is a dragon in human form. Most of them are giants with multiple heads. Their strength is held
in their heads. They become gradually weaker as they lose their heads. In contemporary Hungarian the
word sárkány is used to mean all kinds of dragons.
Brnenskydrak (The dragon of Brno), the dragon killed near a Moravian city (legend)
The most famous Polish dragon (Polish: Smok) is the Wawel Dragon or SmokWawelski, the Dragon of
Wawel Hill. Similar to the conventional European dragon, but multi-headed. It breathes fire and/or
leaves fiery wakes as it flies.

The Cuélebre, or Culebre, is a giant winged serpent in the mythology of Asturias and Cantabria, in the
north of Spain.

There is a legend that a dragon dwelled in the Peña Uruelmountain near Jaca on the Iberian Peninsula. It
says that it could mesmerize people with his glance.

Herensuge is the name given to the dragon in Basque mythology, meaning apparently the "last serpent".

In Portuguese mythology Coco is a female dragon that fights with Saint George. She loses her strength
when Saint George cuts off one of her ears.

Sugaar, the Basque male god, is often associated with the serpent or dragon but able to take other
forms as well. His name can be read as "male serpent".

The Catalan dragon (Catalan drac) is an enormous serpent with two legs, or, rarely, four, and sometimes
a pair of wings. As in many other parts of the world, the dragon's face may be like that of some other
animal, such as a lion or bull. As is common elsewhere, Catalan dragons are fire-breathers, and the
dragon-fire is all-consuming. Catalan dragons also can emit a fetid odor, which can rot away anything it
touches. The Catalans also distinguish a víbria or vibra (cognate with English viper and wyvern), a female
dragon with two prominent breasts, two claws and an eagle's beak.

Greek/Roman

Ladon was the serpent-like dragon that twined round the tree in the Garden of the Hesperides and
guarded the golden apples. Ladon was also said to have as many as one hundred heads.
The Lernaean Hydra was a dragon-like water serpent with fatally venomous breath, blood and fangs, a
daughter of Typhon and Echidna. The creature was said to have anywhere between five and 100 heads,
although most sources put the number somewhere between seven and nine. For each head cut off, one
or two more grew back in its place. It had an immortal head which would remain alive after it was cut
off.

Python was the earth-dragon of Delphi, always represented in the vase-paintings and by sculptors as a
serpent. Various myths represented Python as being either male or female (a drakaina).[1] Python was
the chthonic enemy of Apollo, who slew it and remade its former home his own oracle, the most famous
in Greece.
The Colchian Dragon, an immense serpent, a child of Typhon and Echidna, guarded the Golden Fleece at
Colchis.[2] It was said to never sleep, rest, or lower its vigilance. According to Ovid's Metamorphoses,
the monster had a crest and three tongues.

The Ismenian Dragon, of the spring of Ismene at Thebes, Greece, was slain by the hero Cadmus.[5] It
was the offspring of Ares, who later turned the hero into a serpent.

A drakaina (Ancient Greek: δράκαινα) is a female dragon, sometimes with human-like features.
Examples included Campe, Ceto, Delphyne, Echidna, Scylla, Lamia (or Sybaris), Poine, and Python (when
represented as female). Lamia, Campe, Echidna, and many representations of Ceto, Scylla and Delphyne
had the head and torso of a woman. Ceto and Echidna were both the mothers of a huge brood of
monsters, including other dragon-like creatures. Ceto, according to Hesiod, gave birth to Echidna, as
well as Scylla and Ladon, the dragon of the Hesperides. Also according to Hesiod, Echidna gave birth to
the Chimera, Cerberus, Orthrus, Nemean lion, Sphinx and the Hydra. (Other ancient authors, such as
Hyginus, attribute even more monsters as children of Echidna, such as the Caucasian eagle,
Crommyonian sow, Colchian dragon and Scylla and Charybdis.)

Typhon was described in pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheke, as the largest and most fearsome of all
creatures. His human upper half reached as high as the stars. His hands reached east and west and,
instead of a human head, he had a hundred dragon heads; some however depict him as having a human
head and the dragon heads being attached to his hands instead of fingers. He was feared even by the
mighty gods. His bottom half was gigantic viper coils that could reach the top of his head when stretched
out and made a hissing noise. His whole body was covered in wings, and fire flashed from his eyes. He is
described in detail by Hesiod[3] as a vast grisly monster with a hundred serpent heads "with dark
flickering tongues" flashing fire from their eyes and a din of voices and a hundred serpents legs, a
feature shared by many primal monsters of Greek myth that extend in serpentine or scaly coils from the
waist down. Typhon has been identified by some scholars with the Egyptian Set. In the Orphic tradition,
Typhon leads the Titans when they attack and kill Dionysus, just as Set is responsible for the murder of
Osiris. Furthermore, the slaying of Typhon by Zeus bears similarities to the killing of Vritra by Indra[6] (a
deity also associated with lightning and storms), and possibly the two stories are ultimately derived from
a common Indo-European source.

Cerberus, another one of Typhon's sons was a three-headed dog that was employed by Hades as the
guardian of the passage way to and from the Underworld. According to Hesiod, he was the son of
Orthrus and Echidna.

Ladon was a serpentine dragon, known as a drakon. According to Hesiod, Ladon was the son of Phorcys
and Ceto, instead of Typhon and Echidna. Regardless of his parentage, Ladon entwined himself around
the tree in the Garden of the Hesperides at the behest of Hera, who appointed him the garden's
guardian. He was eventually killed by Heracles.

The Lernaean Hydra, another one of Typhon's daughters, terrorized a spring at the lake of Lerna, near
Argos, slaying anyone and anything that approached her lair with her noxious venom, save for a
monstrous crab that was her companion. She was originally thought to have nine heads, and any neck, if
severed, would give rise to two more heads, her ninth head was immortal. She and her crab were slain
by Heracles as the second of his Twelve Labors - he cut off her heads and burnt the neck so that she
could not regenerate, and crushed her ninth head under a rock, (the crab being crushed underneath
Heracles' heel when it tried to stop him).
Typhon's last child was his daughter, Chimera. Chimera resembled a tremendous, fire-breathing lioness
with a goat's head emerging from the middle of her back, and had a snake for a tail. She roamed the
ancient kingdom of Lycia, particularly around Mount Chimaera (possibly near Yanartaş), bringing bad
omens and destruction in her wake, until she was slain by Bellerophon and Pegasus at the behest of
Iobates.

Hittite

Illuyanka from Hittite mythology, was a serpentine dragon slain by Tarhunt(Tehsub)(dIM), the Hittite
incarnation of the Hurrian god of sky and storm.

Babylonian

Tiamat is a chaos monster, a primordial goddess of the ocean, mating with Abzû (the god of fresh water)
to produce younger gods. It is suggested that there are two parts to the Tiamat mythos, the first in
which Tiamat is 'creatrix', through a "Sacred marriage" between salt and fresh water, peacefully creating
the cosmos through successive generations. In the second "Chaoskampf" Tiamat is considered the
monstrous embodiment of primordial chaos.[1] Although there are no early precedents for it, some
sources identify her with images of a sea serpent or dragon.[2] Though Tiamat is often described by
modern authors as a sea serpent or dragon, no ancient texts exist in which there is a clear association
with those kinds of creatures, and the identification is debated. In the EnûmaElish, the Babylonian epic
of creation, she gives birth to the first generation of deities; she later makes war upon them and is killed
by the storm-god Marduk. The heavens and the earth are formed from her divided body. The
EnûmaElish specifically states that Tiamat did give birth to dragons and serpents, but they are included
among a larger and more general list of monsters including scorpion men and merpeople, none of which
imply that any of the children resemble the mother or are even limited to aquatic creatures.

Jewish
In later Biblical texts, the Book of Isaiah, the Book of Job, and Psalm 89 refer to a sea-demon called
Rahab. Isaiah 51:9 equates this Rahab with a dragon or monster.

Indian

Vritra (Vṛtra वत्र

ृ "the enveloper"), is an Asura and also a serpent, naga, or dragon, the personification of
drought and enemy of Indra. Vritra was also known in the Vedas as Ahi ("snake")and he is said to have
had three heads.He appears as a dragon blocking the course of the Rivers and is heroically slain by Indra.

Chinese
Chi: hornless dragon or mountain demon
Dilong, Qinglong (or Seiryū): the earth dragon
Dragon King: king of the dragons and the ocean. He has the ability to shapeshift into human form and
lives in an underwater crystal palace. He has his own royal court and commands an army comprising
various marine creatures. Apart from presiding over aquatic life, the Dragon King can also manipulate
the weather and bring rainfall.
AoGuang (敖廣), Dragon King of the East Sea - (corresponding to the East China Sea)
Ao Qin (敖欽), Dragon King of the South Sea - (corresponding to the South China Sea)
Ao Run (敖閏), Dragon King of the West Sea - (sometimes seen as the Indian Ocean and beyond)
Ao Shun (敖順), Dragon King of the North Sea - (sometimes seen as Lake Baikal)
Fucanglong: the treasure dragon
Jiaolong: dragon of floods and the sea
Shenlong: the rain dragon
Tianlong: the celestial dragon
Yinglong: powerful servant of Huangdi
Huanglong, the Yellow Dragon of the Center
Zhulong: the luminous red celestial "torch dragon" (only part-dragon)
Bashe: a snake reputed to swallow elephants
Xiangliu: nine-headed snake monster
Lung/Long: Depicted as a long, snake-like creature with four claws (or five for the imperial dragon), it
has long been a potent symbol of auspicious power in Chinese folklore and art. This type of dragon,
however, is sometimes depicted as a creature constructed of many animal parts. It might have the fins
of some fish, or the horns of a stag.

The well-known Rainbow Serpent is central to creation myths of the Indigenous Australians (translated
as Chinese hongshe and Japanese nijihebi 虹蛇 "rainbow snake"). Some other examples include:
• Ayida-Weddo is a rainbow serpent loa of rainbows and fertility in Haitian Vodou
• Nehebkau is a two-headed snake in Egyptian mythology
• Sisiutl is a three-headed sea serpent, with one anthropomorphic and two reptilian heads, in
Kwakwaka'wakw mythology
• Oshunmare is a male and female rainbow serpent in Yoruba mythology

Indian

Naga: A serpentine dragon common to all cultures influenced by Hinduism. They are often hooded like a
cobra and may have several heads depending on their rank. They usually have no arms or legs but those
with limbs resemble the Chinese dragon.

Japanese

Ryu: Similar to Chinese dragons, with three claws instead of four. They are usually benevolent,
associated with water, and may grant wishes.

Korean

Yong (Mireu) A sky dragon, essentially the same as the Chinese lóng. Like the lóng, yong and the other
Korean dragons are associated with water and weather. In pure Korean, it is also known as 'mireu'.

Imoogi A hornless ocean dragon, sometimes equated with a sea serpent. Imoogi literally means, "Great
Lizard". The legend of the Imoogi says that the sun god gave the Imoogi their power through a human
girl, which would be transformed into the Imoogi on her 17th birthday. Legend also said that a dragon-
shaped mark would be found on the shoulder of the girl, revealing that she was the Imoogi in human
form.
Gyo A mountain dragon. In fact, the Chinese character for this word is also used for the imoogi.
Vietnamese

Con rit is a water dragon from Vietnamese mythology

Russian

Gorynych, Zmei, the most famous of Russian dragons

African

AidoWedo, the Rainbow Serpent of Dahomey mythology

Apep or Apophis the giant snake or serpent from Egyptian mythology

Native American

In Lakota mythology, Unhcegila is a dragonoid creature which was responsible for many unexplained
disappearances and deaths.[1] It is also related to the recently made up version of a Lakota Sioux
Dragon named UnkCekula Pronounced Unc-Check-Yula. This version was told to be a demon from the
Eastern Nations who rose from the icy waters of the northern Atlantic and made his way to the prairie
lands of the Lakota Sioux. He was slain after he ate the family of a great warrior from the bear clan. This
warrior was told by a Weasel spirit that if he was to get swallowed by UnkCekula he could use his knife
to cut his way out of the belly of the beast and free the other victims.

Among Cherokee people, a Horned Serpent is called an uktena. Anthropologist James Mooney,
describes the creature:

Those who know say the Uktena is a great snake, as large around as a tree trunk, with horns on
its head, and a bright blazing crest like a diamond on its forehead, and scales glowing like sparks
of fire. It has rings or spots of color along its whole length, and can not be wounded except by
shooting in the seventh spot from the head, because under this spot are its heart and its life. The
blazing diamond is called Ulun'suti—"Transparent"—and he who can win it may become the
greatest wonder worker of the tribe. But it is worth a man's life to attempt it, for whoever is seen
by the Uktena is so dazed by the bright light that he runs toward the snake instead of trying to
escape. As if this were not enough, the breath of the Uktena is so pestilential, that no living
creature can survive should they inhale the tiniest bit of the foul air expelled by the Uktena. Even
to see the Uktena asleep is death, not to the hunter himself, but to his family.

According to Sioux belief, the Unktehila (Ųȟcéǧila) are dangerous reptilian water monsters that lived in
anicent times. They were of various shapes. In the end the Thunderbirds destroyed them, except for
small species like snakes and lizards. This belief may have been inspired by finds of dinosaur fossils in
Sioux tribal territory. The Thunderbird may have been inspired partly by finds of pterosaur skeletons.

 Misi-kinepikw ("great snake")—Cree

 Msi-kinepikwa ("great snake")—Shawnee
 Misi-ginebig ("great snake")—Oji-Cree
  Mishi-ginebig ("great snake")—Ojibwe
 Pita-skog ("great snake")—Abenaki
 Sintilapitta—Choctaw
 Unktehi or Unktehila—Dakota
 Olobit—Natchez
 Uktena—aniyunwiya

The earliest representations of feathered serpents appear in the Olmec culture (circa 1400-400
BCE).[2] Most surviving representations in Olmec art, such as Monument 19 at La Venta and a
painting in the Juxtlahuaca cave (see below), show it as a crested rattlesnake, sometimes with
feathers covering the body, and often in close proximity to humans.[3] It is believed that Olmec
supernatural entities such as the feathered serpent were the forerunners of many later
Mesoamerican deities,[4] although experts disagree on the feathered serpent's importance to the
Olmec.[5]

The pantheon of the people of Teotihuacan (200 BCE - 700 CE) also featured a feathered
serpent, shown most prominently on the Temple of the Feathered Serpent (dated 150-200 CE).[6]
Several feathered serpent representations appear on the building, including full-body profiles and
feathered serpent heads.

The Aztec feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl is known from several Aztec codices such as the
Florentine codex, as well as from the records of the Spanish conquistadors. Quetzalcoatl was a
bringer of knowledge, the inventor of books, and associated with the planet Venus.

The corresponding Mayan god Kukulkan was rare in the Classic eraMaya civilization.[8]
However, in the PopolVuh, the K'iche' feathered serpent god TepeuQ'uq'umatz is the creator of
the cosmos.

Awanyu (also Avanyu), is a Tewa deity, the guardian of water. Represented as a horned or plumed
serpent with curves suggestive of flowing water or the zig-zag of lightning, Awanyu appears on the walls
of caves located high above canyon rivers in New Mexico and Arizona. Awanyu may be related to the
feathered serpent of Mesoamerica— Quetzalcoatl and related deities. In some tribes Awanyu is believed
to be a companion to the Kokopelli.

In Aztec religion, Xiuhcoatl[ʃiʍ'koːaːt͡ɬ](Quetzalcoatl) was a mythological serpent, it was

regarded as the spirit form of Xiuhtecuhtli, the Aztec fire deity. Xiuhcoatl is a Classical Nahuatl
word that literally translates as "turquoise serpent"; it also carries the symbolic and descriptive
meaning, "fire serpent".Xiuhcoatl was typically depicted with a sharply back-turned snout and a
segmented body. Its tail resembled the trapeze-and-ray year sign, and probably does represent
that symbol. In Nahuatl, the word xihuitl means "year", "turquoise" and "grass".During the
Classic Period, the War Serpent of Teotihuacan was probably a forerunner of Xiuhcoatl, it was
also depicted with the grass symbol, flames and the trapeze-and-ray year symbol. Although the
Fire Serpent can be easily traced back to the Early Postclassic period in Tula, its ultimate origins
are unclear.