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Symbols and Legends

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Hamtramck Idea Men--Home of IF-X! Mystical Unicorn:  Legends Of The Unicorn - The Lion And The Unicorn. European dragon. European dragons are legendary creatures in folklore and mythology among the overlapping cultures of Europe.[1] In Western folklore, dragons are usually portrayed as evil, with exceptions mainly in Welsh folklore and modern fiction. This is in contrast to Chinese dragons, which are traditionally depicted as more benevolent creatures. In the modern period, the European dragon is typically depicted as a huge, fire-breathing, scaly, horned, lizard-like creature; the creature also has leathery, bat-like wings, four legs, and a long, muscular prehensile tail. Some depictions show dragons with feathered wings, crests, fiery manes, ivory spikes running down its spine, and various exotic decorations. Terminology[edit] Classical antiquity[edit] Several vague incarnations of evil in the Old Testament were given the translation draco in Jerome's Vulgate, to undergo changes in meaning and become broad embodiments of evil.[3] Middle Ages[edit] Fire-breathing dragons[edit] Germanic Europe[edit]

Dragons. The History of the Wolf in Western Civilization: Supplemental Notes - Halloween, Witchcraft and the Occult - Chuck Missler. The Poe Decoder - "The Raven" Raven Symbolism. Raven Symbolism and Deeper Meaning of the Raven If you're looking for raven symbolism pertaining to ill omen, death or other gruesome turns of thought, look elsewhere. There are plenty sources to feed macabre minds, and malign the raven. It's not that I'm a big advocate of raven energy, and even if I were, it wouldn't matter because the raven needs no champion.

Content to move about its bizarre ways in solo-mode, the raven could care less if I'm pro or con for its symbolic status. I just think the raven has more to offer than uneducated conjecture and superstition (most of which has only cropped up over the last few centuries). A lot of negative raven symbolism comes about from their appearance on battlefields.

Spans of massacred bodies and gore besieged with glimmery black ravens with chiseled beaks driving coldly into the bloody mire can conjure some nightmarish connotations. Nevertheless, this page on raven symbolism will focus on the raven's higher attributes. I'm not convinced. Dr. Raven in mythology. There are many references to ravens in legends and literature. Most of these refer to the widespread common raven. Because of its black plumage, croaking call, and diet of carrion, the raven has long been considered a bird of ill omen and of interest to creators of myths and legends. It is the official bird of the Yukon and of the city of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Symbolism and mythology by culture[edit] The Raven has appeared in the mythology of many ancient people. Greco-Roman antiquity[edit] In Greek mythology, ravens are associated with Apollo, the god of prophecy.

According to Livy, the Roman general Marcus Valerius Corvus (c. 370-270 BC) had a raven settle on his helmet during a combat with a gigantic Gaul, which distracted the enemy's attention by flying in his face.[3] Hebrew Bible and Judaism[edit] In the Bible, the Jewish and Christian holy book, ravens are mentioned on numerous occasions throughout the Old Testament. Late antiquity and Christian Middle Ages[edit]