How many different sub-types of dragons do you know about?

[Jemini]

The lore in regards to dragons is wide and varied, with it being one of the two subjects that has appeared in the mythologies of every culture around the world in some form or another, the other being flood stories. For this reason, many have made the connection between dragons and snakes, with the dragon's fire-breath being a result of the damage caused by a poisonous snake's bite which necrotizes the flesh and leaves it looking incredibly similar to the damage caused by a burn.

In this way, the lizard-like European dragons are actually the aberrant variety while more serpentine dragons are the norm.

Cultures around the world have come up with a great deal of variations of dragon stories, from the oldest tales of the Leviathan so large that the world was created from the corpse of the Leviathan Tiamat, to the many off-shoots of the European dragon including drakes and wyverns. From germanic lore we have the wyrm and the lindwyrm, eastern lore has the serpentine komodo dragons, and the Astecs have the feathered serpents while the north American indiginous tribes have the tail of the Thunderbird described as being more bat-like than feathered and quite similar to depictions of European Wyverns.

So, what kinds of dragon varieties have you all heard of? I'm trying to compile a reference to start some research into a list.

 

[georgelee5786]

Mostly the usually European and Asian variants. The common theme between the two is that they're usually portrayed as wise.

 

[CarburetorThompson]

If you are a D&D player the answer is how many colors + how many metals you know the name of.

 

[Prince_Azmiran_Myrian]

 

[NotaNuffian]

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So is the Komodo Dragon a drake instead?

Is the common lizard a drake instead?

Also, to me, there is the standard bigass lizard with wings that breathes fire and then there is the snake with tiny ass legs and antlers.

I did not even think that Kirin is supposed to be part of the dragon family, even though it has a dragon head.

I mean, the mother of dragons aka Tiamet is a hydra... wtf?

 

[SailusGebel]

Zmei Gorynych, a Slavic three-headed dragon. Though I'm not sure how exactly it was depicted in old tales, right now, it's usually portrayed as a typical European dragon, but with three heads.

 

[georgelee5786]

Zmei Gorynych, a Slavic three-headed dragon. Though I'm not sure how exactly it was depicted in old tales, right now, it's usually portrayed as a typical European dragon, but with three heads.

King Gidorah?

 

[Cyberpunkpenguin]

This is the hydra of Greek mythology. Another similar creature is the Orochi from Japan .it was slain by Susanoo, and he found His body Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi This is a sword that's one of the royal world Geller of Japan. There is also Ryujin this is Japan's dragon God of the sea.

There is a common theme in many religions about Thunder, Lightning, and Storm gods being mortal enemies with a sea serpent. The two most famous examples are thor and the jörmungandr the previously mentioned Susanoo and Orochi.

 

[Tumbmar]

This is the hydra of Greek mythology. Another similar creature is the Orochi from Japan .it was slain by Susanoo, and he found His body Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi This is a sword that's one of the royal world Geller of Japan. There is also Ryujin this is Japan's dragon God of the sea.

There is a common theme in many religions about Thunder, Lightning, and Storm gods being mortal enemies with a sea serpent. The two most famous examples are thor and the jörmungandr the previously mentioned Susanoo and Orochi.

You can add Indra and Vritra to that list too.

 

[SailusGebel]

King Gidorah?

More of a Yamata no Orochi, in my opinion. In earlier tales, I believe it was simply Zmei(snake). Then it changed and kind of separated into Zmei Gorynych, which was simply a snake with multiple heads. And then it started getting different powers, and its looks started changing. All of it is mostly my assumptions, as I never studied these myths.

 

[Prince_Azmiran_Myrian]

So is the Komodo Dragon a drake instead?

Is the common lizard a drake instead?

Also, to me, there is the standard bigass lizard with wings that breathes fire and then there is the snake with tiny ass legs and antlers.

I did not even think that Kirin is supposed to be part of the dragon family, even though it has a dragon head.

I mean, the mother of dragons aka Tiamet is a hydra... wtf?

I guessing Tiamat would be a dracohydra (hydra dragon) since she has wings.

This isn't a definitive list, but a chart I found awhile ago that is a cool depiction.

 

[Cyberpunkpenguin]

The first appearance of Firebreathing Dragons is in Beowulf, where the Dragon that appears at the end breathes fire and is venomous.

 

[georgelee5786]

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Where's Jormungandr?

 

[Echimera]

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That kind of lists most major groups I can think of, though I'm not a fan that the western dragon we most commonly see is labelled Dragon, while that should probably be the title of the whole image.

I'm honestly not sure how to handle feathered wings, especially since the only one I know that we could give a distinct name to would be Coatls (serpentine body with feathered wings).
Spin them out from Amphitheres as a variant? Start from the clearly related Quethakoatls?

Multiple heads are enother aspect I'm not sure how to handle, as that's not unique to Hydras.
King Gidorah and Yamata no Orochi have been mentioned, who, going by general body plan, would fit under Wyvern and Wyrm repectively, just with multiple heads.

Where's Jormungandr?

Sea Serpent?

 

[Prince_Azmiran_Myrian]

Where's Jormungandr?

I think is a type of sea serpent?

 

[Cyberpunkpenguin]

Trope Talk: Dragons
This video gives a good overlook Dragons as a concept.

 

[NotaNuffian]

So the concept of dragons, in popular cases at least, is either a bigass snake or a bigass lizard with wings.

Which begs the question, did the ancient chinese saw giraffe as Kirin thanks to its long neck?

Kind of sad that there are no dragon with pincers or centipede legs... as though the concept is just stuck there and stopped.

 

[FGCCheckmate]

If you are a D&D player the answer is how many colors + how many metals you know the name of.

Or RuneScape

 

[Chaos_Sinner777]

Don't forget the Vouivre! Kinda like a wyvern with a gemstone in its forehead.

 

[Poleg]

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the hydra isn't draconic, it is a snake.