(East Asian mythology)

The dragon of Chinese folklore. Unlike the ferocious and evil creature of West Asian and medieval European mythology, the lung is essentially a benevolent divinity and held in high regard. He is the rainbringer, the lord of the waters–clouds, rivers, marshes, lakes, and seas. In ancient inscriptions the numerous lung were called upon to refresh the earth with rain. These water gods can make themselves as small as a silkworm, or they can become so large that they overshadow the whole world. They can soar through the clouds as well as penetrate to the deepest springs. Their appearance is composite: the horns of a stag, the head of a camel, the eyes of a demon, the neck of a snake, the scales of a fish, the claws of an eagle, the pads of a tiger, the ears of a bull, and the long whiskers of a cat.

The dragon was closely associated with the Chinese emperor, and the five-clawed lung once served as the imperial symbol. Some form of antagonism existed between dragons and the sun, which they often attempted to bite. It was generally believed that ‘a pearl of wisdom’ reposed in the mouth of each lung. Sages were called ‘dragon men’, and in his battle with the deluge Yu was given a magic chart by a dragon horse which came out of the Yellow River.