Each of Us Has Dragon Inside!
By Emma
Dragons are snake-like scaly creatures with 4 legs and 5 claws. The traditional Chinese stories explain that the farther away from China the fewer claws the dragons have. In Korea dragons have four and in Japan dragons have three.
Claws and feet are important because the five clawed Golden Dragon is the Imperial Dragon in China. Only the Emperor of China was allowed to wear cloth embroidered with the Imperial Dragon. Lower officials had to wear the three claw dragon to show lower status.
Chinese people believed that dragons are the ruler of weather and water. Many Chinese villages had temples dedicated to their local dragon king. People made offerings to the dragons when there are times of drought or floods.
There are four Dragon Kings. They represent the four directions of the compass: Ao Guang (East) Ao Qin (South), Ao Run (West) Ao Shun (North).
The Chinese dragon is one of the four good spirit creatures in Chinese mythology. The other three are unicorn, phoenix, and tortoise. Unlike the Western cultural traditions of dragon with evil power, the Chinese dragon is a splendid good-willed creature. But people believe the appearance of the Chinese dragon can cause widespread drought or an eclipse of the sun. Because of this fear, the Chinese hold special festivals each year to honor it.
When I feel “dragon” I feel dramatic and emotional. I feel loud like a lion roaring, so loud that that the stars can hear me. I feel powerful like the moon’s pull on the tides, like a gigantic balloon that is squeezing tight. I feel power flowing through my veins and the racing of my heart. I am strong like the throbbing power of the sky and eternity. I am dragon when I am onstage, when I feel people are paying attention to me, when I am in charge and I want people to have to obey my commands.
But being a dragon can have consequences. Sometimes people get scared or feel frustrated with me. I can even scare myself when I am dragon. I feel out of control, like a train hurtling towards something that I will get in trouble for breaking. Sometimes it is a rule or my brother’s toys or my friend’s feelings. I wish I could learn how to stop feeling dragon. But even if I did know how, sometimes its fun to be dragon and it feels good.
When are you dragon? What is your dragon like?