DRAGONS IN ORIENTAL MYTHOLOGIES
Dragons are often associated with evil and destruction, especially during the western Middle Ages. In oriental mythologies view on them is completely different. Japanese, Chinese and Korean mythologies showed dragons as smart mystical creatures which represented wisdom, longevity - Japanese myths or good luck and prosperity in ancient China, plus Korean dragons were able to fly, speak and feel complex emotions. Because of those traits, they were linked with the figure of the emperor. In all of these beliefs, these creatures were a mix of different animals e.g. Chinese dragon is a mix of tiger, deer, serpent, and carp. This combination helped the dragon to understand life from different perspectives. Also, the carp part is connected with the origin story of the dragon in which the carp was fascinated by the size of a mountain that he decided to climb on top of it, and during this journey, he slowly evolved.
From modest carp to magnificent dragon - seems almost ironic.
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