Vietnamese dragon

Vietnamese dragons (Vietnamese: Rồng; ‹The template Chunom is being considered for deletion.›  chữ Nôm: 蠬/蠪; Sino-Vietnamese: Long; ‹The template Chuhan is being considered for deletion.›  chữ Hán: 龍) are symbolic creatures in Vietnamese folklore and mythology. According to an ancient origin myth, the Vietnamese people are descended from a dragon and an Immortal. The dragon was symbolic of bringing rain, essential for agriculture. It represents the emperor, the prosperity and power of the nation. Similar to the Chinese dragon (which has also influenced and appeared in Japan and Korea as fierce but benevolent serpentine dragons alike), the Vietnamese dragon is the symbol of yang, representing the universe, life, existence, and growth.

Lạc Long Quân, king of the dragonkind living near the Đông sea, married a fairy goddess, Âu Cơ who was the daughter of the birdkind emperor Đế Lai, descendant of Thần Nông. Âu Cơ bore 100 eggs, which hatched into 100 sons. The first-born son became the king of Lạc Việt, the first dynasty of Vietnam, and proclaimed himself Emperor Hùng Vương. The First was followed by Hùng Vương The Second, Hùng Vương The Third and so on, through 18 reigns. This is the origin of the Vietnamese proverb: "Con Rồng, cháu Tiên" (Descendants of Dragon and Immortal, lit. "Children of Dragon, Grandchildren of Immortal").

The Vietnamese dragon is the combined image of crocodile, snake, cat, rat and bird. Historically, the Vietnamese people lived near rivers, so they venerated crocodiles as "thuồng luồng" or "Giao Long", the first kind of Vietnamese dragon.

There are some kinds of dragons found on archaeological objects. One group is that of the crocodile-dragons, with the head of a crocodile and the body of a snake. The cat-dragon excavated on a glazed terracotta piece in Bắc Ninh has some features of Đại Việt period dragon: it does not have a crocodile head, its head is shorter and it has a long neck, its wing and backfin are long lines, and its whiskers and fur are found in the Đại Việt dragon image.

On the brick from this period found in Cổ Loa, the dragon is short, with a cat-like body and a fish's backfin.

The Lý dynasty is the dynasty which laid the foundation of Vietnamese feudal culture. Buddhism was widespread and Văn Miếu, the nation's first university, was created. The slender, flowing dragon of this period represents the vassal kingdom.

These dragons rounded bodies curve lithely, in a long sinuous shape, tapering gradually to the tail. The body has 12 sections, symbolizing 12 months in the year. On the dragon's back are small, uninterrupted, regular fins. The head, held high, is in proportion with the body, and has a long mane, beard, prominent eyes, crest on nose (pointing forwards), but no horns. The legs are small and thin, and usually 3-toed. The jaw is opened wide, with a long, thin tongue; the dragons always keep a châu (gem/jewel) in their mouths (a symbol of humanity, nobility and knowledge). These dragons are able to change the weather, and are responsible for crops.

The Trần dynasty dragon was similar to that of the Lý dynasty but looked more rugged. The Trần dragon had new details: arms and horns. Its fiery crest became shorter. Its slightly curved body became fat and smaller toward the tail. There are many kinds of tail (straight and pointed tail, spiral tail) as well as many kinds of scale (a regular half-flower scale, slightly curved scale).