DRAGONS, UNICORNS, & OTHER CREATURES

Number of posts : 995 Registration date : 2008-11-16

This is the creature there has never been.
They never knew it, and yet, none the less,
They loved the way it moved, its suppleness,
its neck, its very gaze, mild and serene.
Not there, because they loved it,
it behaved as though it were.
They always left some space.
And in that clear unpeopled space they
saved it lightly reared its head,
with scarce a trace of not being there.
They fed it, not with corn, but only with
the possibility of being.
And that was able to confer such strength,
its brow put forth a horn. One horn.
Whitely it stole up to a maid—
to be within the silver mirror and in her.

RANIER MARIA RILKE - Possibility of Being

Number of posts : 995 Registration date : 2008-11-16

The Nine Entities (parts) of A Chinese Dragon

The dragons are said to be made up of many different types of animals of the Earth:

	Head: Camel
	Scales: Carp (fish) 117 scales total - 81 infused with yang, the good, and 36 infused with yin the bad. This evens out the dragons temper and personality.
	Horns: Giant Stag (deer)
	Eyes: hare (rabbit)
	Ears: Bull
	Neck: Snake
	Belly: Clam
	Paws: Tigers
	Claws: Eagle

History

It is belived that the Lung is based on the Indian Nagas.

The Nagas were dragonlike beings, semi-devine snakes with human faces and serpents' tails who occupy palaces (Patala), in the watery region under the earth. They are divided into four classes: heavenly, divine, earthly, and hidden, depending upon their function in guarding the heavenly palace, giving rainfall, draning rivers, or guarding treasures. In Burma, the Nagas combine elements of the dragon, snake, and crocodile, and give rubies to those they favor; in addition, they guarded and protected royalty. Chinese Dragon Kites were even known to be used in warfare.
The Four Types of Dragons

In China dragons are know as Lung. There are four main kinds of Lung.

The Celestial Dragon (Tien-lung)

The Celestial Dragon protects the places of the Gods
The Spiritual Dragon (Shen-Lung)

The Spiritual Dragon controls the wind and the rain
The Earth Dragon (Ti-Lung)

The Earth Dragon controls rivers, and water on the Earth
The Underworld Dragon (Fut's-Lung)

The Underworld Dragon guards precious metals and gems.

Unicorns!!!Now isn't this too easy,lol.

DRAGONS, UNICORNS, & OTHER CREATURES Dolphins-unicorn

DRAGONS, UNICORNS, & OTHER CREATURES Golden_unicorn

DRAGONS, UNICORNS, & OTHER CREATURES Unicorn-34

DRAGONS, UNICORNS, & OTHER CREATURES Unicorn-29

DRAGONS, UNICORNS, & OTHER CREATURES Unicorn-17

Number of posts : 995 Registration date : 2008-11-16

OMG

i love them, cori,,,,,especially the first one
such beauty

DRAGONS, UNICORNS, & OTHER CREATURES Thunderstrike

DRAGONS, UNICORNS, & OTHER CREATURES Ce22bc61

DRAGONS, UNICORNS, & OTHER CREATURES Blackdragon

The one above is probably my favorite of Dragon pics. I know the dragon isn't fighting or breathing fire but to me it reflects the majesty that is Dragon.

For the werewolf lovers. Very Happy

DRAGONS, UNICORNS, & OTHER CREATURES WolfDemon

DRAGONS, UNICORNS, & OTHER CREATURES 6cpya6f

DRAGONS, UNICORNS, & OTHER CREATURES 268563175_m

DRAGONS, UNICORNS, & OTHER CREATURES Breathofwinter

Number of posts : 995 Registration date : 2008-11-16

Number of posts : 995 Registration date : 2008-11-16

FAERIES ARE BORN FROM THE INNOCENT LAUGHTER OF SMALL CHILDREN

Number of posts : 995 Registration date : 2008-11-16

Characteristics
Fairies are generally described as human in appearance and having magical powers. Their origins are less clear in the folklore, being variously dead, or some form of angel, or a species completely independent of humans or angels.^[3] Folklorists have suggested that their actual origin lies in a conquered race living in hiding,^[4] or in religious beliefs that lost currency with the advent of Christianity.^[5] These explanations are not always mutually incompatible, and they may be traceable to multiple sources.
Much of the folklore about fairies revolves about protection from their malice, by such means as cold iron (fairies don't like iron and will not go near it) or charms of rowan and herbs, or avoiding offense by shunning locations known to be theirs.^[6] In particular, folklore describes how to prevent the fairies from stealing babies and substituting changelings, and abducting older people as well.^[7] Many folktales are told of fairies, and they appear as characters in stories from medieval tales of chivalry, to Victorian fairy tales, and up to the present day in modern literature.
Although in modern culture they are often depicted as young, sometimes winged, females of small stature, they originally were depicted much differently: tall, radiant, angelic beings or short, wizened trolls being some of the commonly mentioned. Diminutive fairies of one kind or another have been recorded for centuries, but occur alongside the human-sized beings; these have been depicted as ranging in size from very tiny up to the size of a human child.^[8] Even with these small fairies, however, their small size may be magically assumed rather than constant.^[9]
Wings, while common in Victorian and later artwork of fairies, are very rare in the folklore; even very small fairies flew with magic, sometimes flying on ragwort stems or the backs of birds.^[10] Nowadays, fairies are often depicted with ordinary insect wings or butterfly wings.
Various animals have also been described as fairies. Sometimes this is the result of shapeshifting on part of the fairy, as in the case of the selkie (seal people); others, like the kelpie and various black dogs appear to stay more constant in form.^[11]

Folk beliefs

Dead

One popular belief was that they were the dead, or some subclass of the dead.^[12] The Irish banshee (Irish Gaelic bean sí or Scottish Gaelic bean shìth, which both mean "fairy woman") is sometimes described as a ghost.^[13] The northern English Cauld Lad of Hylton, though described as a murdered boy, is also described as a household sprite like a /Brownie^[14] much of the time a Barghest or Elf.^[15] One tale recounted a man caught by the fairies, who found that whenever he looked steadily at one, the fairy was a dead neighbor of his.^[16] This was among the most common views expressed by those who believed in fairies, although many of the informants would express the view with some doubts.^[17]

Elementals

Another view held that the fairies were an intelligent species, distinct from humans and angels.^[18] In alchemy in particular they were regarded as elementals, such as gnomes and sylphs, as described by Paracelsus.^[19] This is uncommon in folklore, but accounts describing the fairies as "spirits of the air" have been found popularly.^[20]

Demoted angels

A third belief held that they were a class of "demoted" angels.^[21] One popular story held that when the angels revolted, God ordered the gates shut; those still in heaven remained angels, those in hell became devils, and those caught in between became fairies.^[22] Others held that they had been thrown out of heaven, not being good enough, but they were not evil enough for hell.^[23] This may explain the tradition that they had to pay a "teind" or tithe to Hell. As fallen angels, though not quite devils, they could be seen as subject of the Devil.^[24]

Demons

A fourth belief was the fairies were devils entirely.^[25] This belief became much more popular with the growth of Puritanism.^[26] The hobgoblin, once a friendly household spirit, became a wicked goblin.^[27] Dealing with fairies was in some cases considered a form of witchcraft and punished as such in this era.^[28] Disassociating himself from such evils may be why Oberon, in A Midsummer Night's Dream, carefully observed that neither he nor his court feared the church bells.^[29]
The belief in their angelic nature was less common than that they were the dead, but still found popularity, especially in Theosophist circles.^[30]^[31] Informants who described their nature sometimes held aspects of both the third and the fourth view, or observed that the matter was disputed.^[30]

Humans

A less-common belief was that the fairies were actually humans; one folktale recounts how a woman had hidden some of her children from God, and then looked for them in vain, because they had become the hidden people, the fairies. This is parallel to a more developed tale, of the origin of the Scandinavian huldra.^[30]

Number of posts : 995 Registration date : 2008-11-16

Babies' laughs

A story of the origin of fairies appears in the 1906 Sir J. M. Barrie novella Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, composed of chapters sliced out of the novel The Little White Bird after the success of his re-imagining of the character into the play Peter Pan and then incorporated into the novel Peter and Wendy. Barrie wrote, "…when the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies."^[32]

Pagan deities

Many of the Irish tales of the Tuatha Dé Danann refer to these beings as fairies, though in more ancient times they were regarded as Goddesses and Gods. The Tuatha Dé were spoken of as having come from Islands in the north of the world, or, in other sources, from the sky. After being defeated in a series of battles with other Otherworldly beings, and then by the ancestors of the current Irish people, they were said to have withdrawn to the sídhe (fairy mounds), where they lived on in popular imagination as "fairies."

Sources of beliefs

A hidden people

One common theme found among the Celtic nations describes a race of diminutive people who had been driven into hiding by invading humans. They came to be seen as another race, or possibly spirits, and were believed to live in an Otherworld that was variously described as existing underground, in hidden hills (many of which were ancient burial mounds), or across the Western Sea.^[4]
In old Celtic faery lore the sidhe (fairy folk) are immortals living in the ancient barrows and cairns. The Tuatha de Danaan are associated with several Otherworld realms including Mag Mell (the Pleasant Plain), Emain Ablach (the Fortress of Apples or the Land of Promise or the Isle of Women), and one of the most well known Tir na nÓg (the Land of Youth). [1]
The concept of the Otherworld is also associated with the Isle of Apples, known as Avalon in the Arthurian mythos (often equated with Ablach Emain). Here we find the Silver Bough that allowed a living mortal to enter and withdraw from the Otherworld. According to legend, the Faery Queen sometimes offered the branch to worthy mortals, granting them safe passage and food during their stay.
Some 19th century archaeologists thought they had found underground rooms in the Orkney islands resembling the Elfland in Childe Rowland.^[33] In popular folklore, flint arrowheads from the Stone Age were attributed to the fairies as "elf-shot".^[34] The fairies fear of iron was attributed to the invaders having iron weapons, whereas the inhabitants had only flint and were therefore easily defeated in physical battle. Their green clothing and underground homes were credited to their need to hide and camouflage themselves from hostile humans, and their use of magic a necessary skill for combating those with superior weaponry.^[4] In Victorian beliefs of evolution, cannibalism among "ogres" was attributed to memories of more savage races, still practicing it alongside "superior" races that had abandoned it.^[35] Selkies, described in fairy tales as shapeshifting seal people, were attributed to memories of skin-clad "primitive" people traveling in kayaks.^[4] African pygmies were put forth as an example of a race that had previously existed over larger stretches of territory, but come to be scarce and semi-mythical with the passage of time and prominence of other tribes and races.^[36]

Christianised pagan deities
Another theory is that the fairies were originally worshiped as gods, but with the coming of Christianity, they lived on, in a dwindled state of power, in folk belief. In this particular time, fairies were reputed by the church as being 'evil' beings. Many beings who are described as deities in older tales are described as "fairies" in more recent writings.^[5] Victorian explanations of mythology, which accounted for all gods as metaphors for natural events that had come to be taken literally, explained them as metaphors for the night sky and stars.^[37] According to this theory, fairies are personified aspects of nature and deified abstract concepts such as ‘love’ and ‘victory’ in the pantheon of the particular form of animistic nature worship reconstructed as the religion of Ancient Western Europe.^[38]

Spirits of the dead

A third theory was that the fairies were a folkloric belief concerning the dead. This noted many common points of belief, such as the same legends being told of ghosts and fairies, the sídhe in actuality being burial mounds, it being dangerous to eat food in both Fairyland and Hades, and both the dead and fairies living underground

Number of posts : 251 Age : 56 Registration date : 2009-01-21

Number of posts : 251 Age : 56 Registration date : 2009-01-21

Number of posts : 251 Age : 56 Registration date : 2009-01-21

Number of posts : 251 Age : 56 Registration date : 2009-01-21

Number of posts : 251 Age : 56 Registration date : 2009-01-21

Number of posts : 251 Age : 56 Registration date : 2009-01-21

Number of posts : 251 Age : 56 Registration date : 2009-01-21

Number of posts : 251 Age : 56 Registration date : 2009-01-21

Number of posts : 251 Age : 56 Registration date : 2009-01-21

Number of posts : 251 Age : 56 Registration date : 2009-01-21

Number of posts : 251 Age : 56 Registration date : 2009-01-21

Number of posts : 251 Age : 56 Registration date : 2009-01-21

Chintz,
I really like that white dragon in the pic just 2 pics above. The artist did a great job portraying the majesty of Dragons. Thanks for sharing.

Peace & (((hugs)))
Cori

Number of posts : 251 Age : 56 Registration date : 2009-01-21

Im glad you like it Cori

hugs Annie

Number of posts : 995 Registration date : 2008-11-16

DRAGONS, UNICORNS, & OTHER CREATURES 86ocujb

The Spirit Dragon in its spiritual form appears as a small orb of light and energy just before it manifests into this form and just before it returns to the soul of the person it inhabits. Spirit Dragons do not have any real territory. They live in the spirit of a person, where they obtain the necessary energy to live. When a person dies they move to a new spirit.

DRAGONS, UNICORNS, & OTHER CREATURES 6lmabmh

DRAGONS, UNICORNS, & OTHER CREATURES 6lmabmh

APPEARANCE
Spirit Dragons have no appearance in their true form. However, in their manifested form they appear as large dragons with brilliant blue scales. Their underside is covered in lighter blue scales. Their wings are the brilliant blue of their bodies except that they are trimmed in a deep purple. The crest of their head, the brow of their eyes, and a strip down their muzzle is a firey red. The last three inches of their tail is a deep crimson. Spirit Dragons stand about 6.5 till 7 peds tall. They are about 5 peds wide, and they are between 8 and 8.5 peds long. Their eyes are a multitude of colors ranging from the darkest brown to the lightest blue. They have sharp teeth, but these serve no real purpose.

DRAGONS, UNICORNS, & OTHER CREATURES 8f4t2er

DRAGONS, UNICORNS, & OTHER CREATURES 8f4t2er

The Spirit Dragon in its spiritual form appears as a small orb of light and energy just before it manifests into this form and just before it returns to the soul of the person it inhabits (see Territory for more details). These creatures do not die as long as they inhabit a soul. However, if they remain outside of a person’s soul long enough they will die. This length of time varies, but on average it is a period of supposedly one human year.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

The Spirit Dragon is able to withstand drastic temperature changes and dangerous amounts of energy in their spiritual form because in this form they are nothing but heat, energy, and light. It is concievable that one could actually survive outside a being's spirit if they were to live in an area with high amounts of energy. In its manifested form, its hide will turn most any weapon making it a perfect ally in battle (Note: Spirit Dragons only fight directly when it is for a cause such as the protection of the world they live in). They grant the person they inhabit enhanced strength and speed along with the wisdom and knowledge that they have collected over their seemingly infinite life.

TERRITORY

Spirit Dragons do not have any real territory. They live in the spirit of a person, where they obtain the necessary energy to live (see Diet). When a person dies they move to a new spirit.

HABITAT & BEHAVIOUR

These creatures seek to find answers to three main questions. 1.) Why do some people treasure life so much? 2.) Why do other creatures seek to destroy that life? 3.) What is this life that these creatures treasure or destroy?

DIET

They feed off of energy. This is because they give off large amounts of energy which must be replaced. To get enough energy they inhabit the spirit of a living thing and draw on the soul's energy. After they are done with the energy it is given back to the soul. This is an endless process which happens rapidly. There is an equilibrium, however, a balance between the Spirit Dragon and its "victim". It is more like the Spirit Dragon and the soul share each other’s energy. However this only works in the soul due to the high amount of energy. It takes at least a year for them to run out of energy if they are not in a spirit. Not every spirit can support them, some are less energetic than others. The people rarely know that they harbor one of these creatures.

MATING

Spirit Dragons do not mate. There are only eight to ever live as it is told, at least this is told in various legends. If one was to die which doesn’t actually happen, it is reborn when a new soul is created. It loses all the knowledge it has gained, but it continues to inhabit the world seeking answers to their three questions.

ORIGIN

The Spirit Dragons' origin is unknown. However, it is believed that they came into existence when some of the people with the strongest souls were born. Actually, it commonly is believed that they are the remaining energies of the spirits of those souls believed to have concieved them.

MYTH & LORE

The Spirit Dragon in fact is more of a legend than a creature. Nobody really knows anything about them. All that is known is what has been told in stories for generations. However, while these stories have become legends, most legends and myths are originated from fact. Thus it is entirely possible that these creatures do perhaps really exist. Nobody in the past several generations has actually seen evidence of one though. Furthermore, stories speak of there being only eight. It has been said that they are guardians of some secret, or keys to some secret. The stories tell us that it is possible that someone capable of detecting strong magical or energetic presences can judge if someone is inhabited by a Spirit Dragon or not. Other than extra strong spiritual and magical energy these people would supposedly exhibit slightly abnormal strength and speed, and could possess extraordinary knowledge.

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