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| Painting of a Japanese dragon by Hokusai (c. 1730 – 1849). Source |
China
In a small village lived a lord. His name was Lord Ye Gao. Lord Ye Gao was known throughout his village as a man who loved dragons. He loved them to the point of obsession. All throughout his house, the Lord adorned dragon motifs, paintings, vases, statues. Whenever he walked through town, Lord Ye Gao would find a new piece to add to his collection.
Lord Ye Gao wished with all his heart to see a dragon. He prayed to the gods for this to come true, but none ever appeared.
One day, a dragon flew over this village and happened to see Lord Ye Gao's dragon shrine. The dragon was so impressed by the pieces that he flew closer to get a better look. Indeed, the Lord's collection was bountiful, and the dragon wanted to meet the person who so admired his kind.
The dragon knocked on Lord Ye Gao's door with his tail. Not expecting any visitors, Lord Ye Gao opened the door and was shocked at what he saw: a magnificent dragon. The creature's giant head loomed above him. It stared at the Lord with intense, black eyes. It opened it's large mouth, showing dagger-like teeth, and Lord Ye Gao ran away in fright. He wouldn't chance being eaten by such a terror.
The dragon watched this in confusion. As he flew away, he thought about the wonderful collection of the running human. Perhaps he'd find out another time.
Japan
A brave samurai named Minamoto no Mitsunaka was hunting in his lands. The samurai grew tired, and decided to nap under a nice, shady tree.
The samurai dreamed of a beautiful woman. He could see she was saying something, but he couldn't quite hear her. As he got closer, her words became more clear: "Please save my land. A dragon is killing my people."
The brave samurai agreed to save them. In thanks, the maiden offered him the fastest horse in all the lands. She disappeared, and the samurai awoke.
Upon awaking, he noticed a magnificent white horse standing before him. The samurai climbed on, and made haste to the lands of the maiden.
Upon arriving in the lands, the samurai came upon Sumiyoshi. He stopped, and prayed to the gods for 8 days. When he felt he was ready, the samurai left and confronted the dragon.
He saw the serpent flying above the river. It was larger than anything he had ever seen before. The samurai nocked an arrow, and let loose. It flew through the air, and lodged itself in the eye of the dragon. The dragon let out a mighty roar, and fell from the air, landing in the river below.
The lands were safe, and the samurai rode off on the next adventure.
Author's Note: I've been really interested in dragons lately. I'm not sure why, but I read these two stories and wanted to retell them. The first story is a myth from China, and is considered one of the most famous legends. The second from Japan features a real person and the myths surrounding him. It's really fascinating, and I love reading about them!
Bibliography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon#Asia
Hi Jennifer, I really enjoyed reading your Week 11 story! I think that it’s really cool how you introduced two stories from different regions about a similar topic as it allows the reader to see the differences between the two stories brought upon by the culture of the region the story originated from. Overall, a great pair of stories that showed how dragon myths are presented in two different countries.
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer, I enjoyed reading these stories from two different cultures! It was interesting to see how they were presented based on their heritages. The dragon in the first story from China was much more peaceful, only flying down to interact in a pleasant manner. The dragon from Japan on the other hand was a terror that needed to be slayed by someone.
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer!
ReplyDeleteDragons have always been one of my favorite mythological creatures, though I would probably run away just like Lord Ye Gao if one actually showed up at my door. I like how nonchalant the dragon was in the story of the Chinese dragon. The dragon was just kind of wandering around and when the lord ran from him in fright, he just figured he would learn more about his shrine on a different day. Your story about the Japanese dragon reflects common themes in many Japanese myths, with some creature threatening a town or young maidens and a hero coming about to save them. I really liked reading your stories!