Colors of Dragons

[Starjumper]

I've become curious about the meaning of the different colors that Chinese use for their dragons, and what they mean.

 

White dragon:

 

Blue Dragon:

 

Green dragon:

 

Red Dragon:

 

Black dragon:

 

Black dragon:

 

and Yellow dragon ...

Edited February 20, 2014 by Starjumper

[Green Tiger]

I know what they mean in D&D, but not Chinese mythology. Would also love to hear from someone who is familiar with the topic.

[Starjumper]

What is D & D?

 

edit: ... nevermind ...

Edited February 20, 2014 by Starjumper

[Starjumper]

Yes, the South American natives have a rainbow dragon named Quetzalcoatl.

 

I found this website which has some information: http://www.blackdrago.com/colors.htm

 

There's not much on white Chinese dragons:

 

 

In Feng Shui, white is associated with the element Metal in the Chinese Elemental system, Wu Xing. White is connected to Yang, the active principle, as well as with mourning, spirits/ghosts, poise, and confidence. [6]

In the East, white symbolizes death and mourning, [2] and Chinese funeral garments are often coarse white. [5] In India, white is a symbol for unhappiness, and in Japan certain white flowers symbolize death. [6] In Ancient Rome and Greece, people associated white with death and life. [1] In this case, white represents rebirth. [1] In China, white is associated with the direction west. [5]

 

Blue dragons:

 

In some Asian countries, blue is associated with the occult, and blue eyes are a sign of magical powers. [4] In China, blue symbolizes immortality. [5]

In Feng Shui, blue is a color of the element water with the passive Yin aspect. It is used for healing, relaxation, peace, trust, and exploration. [5]

 

Red:

 

In China, red is regarded as an auspicious color [3] because red symbolizes love and fertility. [2] Traditional wedding gowns and veils in China are red. [3] Red eggs are offered to a couple when a child is born. [2] Red is often used in festivals because it represents good luck and celebration. [5,6] Among the five elements, red is associated with the element of Fire and the direction of South. [3] The poetical expression of 'the mark of the vermillion pencil' refers to documents written with red ink by the Emperor. [3]

 

Green:

 

In China, green represents the spring. [2] One of the Chinese Animals of the Four Directions is the Green Dragon, representing the power of the East, [7] whose element is wood. [8] In other parts of the East, green symbolizes health, peace, and eternity. [6] In Western Europe, green represents the spring and money. [6]

Feng Shui utilizes green for its nurturing, balancing, healing, and growing energies. Green is associated with the element wood and is a part of the passive Yin aspect. [6]

 

Black dragons:

 

In China, black represents the passive element Yin. Its opposite element, Yang, is bright yellow. [2] Though black is considered a color for young boys, [9] it remains a color of darkness and isn't usually worn as a primary color. [7] In the four primary directions, black is the color of the Dark Warrior, [8] depicted as a tortoise with an intertwined serpent. [4] The Dark Warrior symbolized the north direction, which, unlike the other directions, was never honored or worshipped. People feared it for being the home of the destructive ocean god. [4] The Dark Warrior's element is water, and in Wu Xing, the Five Elements of China, black is associated with the element water. [8]

[Starjumper]

From here: http://www.dragonsinn.net/east-2.htm

 

Eastern Dragon Colors and Meaning

Dragons and the accompanying colours have different meanings in Eastern mythology. These are the common colors:

· Yellow is superior, imperial, a symbol of the centre of the Earth, linked to the spleen and stomach. A yellow dragon robe was reserved for the Emperor (the Son of Heaven) and his family alone.

· Gold coloured dragons are also special. They have special attributes such as wealth, wisdom, kindness and the ability to face challenges head on.

· Blue and Green are symbols of the East, the chief spirits of the Spring. The blues are pure azure. Green represents good fortune, good health, or luck.

· Red is associated with storms, the South, Summer, the heart and large intestine, fire, passion, activity, and good fortune.

· Black is associated with storms, the North, winter, vengeance, and worry.

· White represents the West, Autumn, mourning, and death. To my own knowledge, it's different from the association of the color white with purity.

[Starjumper]

From here: http://www.ehow.com/info_8562089_do-colors-chinese-dragons-mean.html

 

In Chinese culture, the colors blue and green are associated with nature, serenity, growth and health. Blue and green dragons symbolize the approaching spring, evoking the clear skies and new plants that the season brings. These colors also are representative of the East and indicate Eastern dragons. Other Chinese associations with blue and green include healing, rest, prosperity and harmony.

 

 

Black and white are key colors on the Chinese spectrum, representing the balance of the black yin, which is negative, passive and feminine, and the white yang, which is positive, active and masculine. Black dragons are associated with winter and the North, while white dragons represent autumn and the West. In China, the color white is associated with purity as it is in Western cultures, but it also symbolizes mourning and mortality, suggesting that the white dragon functions as an omen of death. The black dragon is known for its power and vengeance and is often connected to storms.

 

 

Yellow dragons have been called “superior” and “the most revered of the dragons” because they represent the Emperor and the imperial family. Even in the 21st century, yellow is a color associated with solidity, reliability and warmth, and it is set aside for royalty and those of higher social class. Gold dragons share many of these assets and are recognized as symbols of wealth, wisdom and compassion.

 

 

In China, red is the traditional color of good fortune and happiness, and it is often used in large celebrations, such as weddings. The red dragon is associated with luck, fire, passion and the heart. It is the dragon of summer and the South. Other Chinese associations with the color red include vitality, enthusiasm and creativity.

[mYTHmAKER]

The dragon colors relate to the Bagua colors

[ChiDragon]

The picture of dragons shown in the OP are not the Chinese dragons. However, the Chinese are always refer the dragons are golden as noble because gold color seems to be a honorable color.

Edited February 20, 2014 by ChiDragon

[Starjumper]

The dragon colors relate to the Bagua colors

 

Is there a black bagua color?

[Starjumper]

The picture of dragons shown in the OP are not the Chinese dragons. However, the Chinese are always refer the dragons are golden as noble because gold color seems to be a honorable color.

 

I realized that after doing a little searching, which means my avatar picture is incorrect too =)

 

There is this about the gold/yellow dragons:

Yellow dragons have been called “superior” and “the most revered of the dragons” because they represent the Emperor and the imperial family. Even in the 21st century, yellow is a color associated with solidity, reliability and warmth, and it is set aside for royalty and those of higher social class. Gold dragons share many of these assets and are recognized as symbols of wealth, wisdom and compassion.

 

but the literature mentions other colors also.

Edited February 21, 2014 by Starjumper

[ChiDragon]

Is there a black bagua color?

 

The black and white are the only two basic colors for Bagua. White is being Yang and Yin is being Yin. All the other colors used are not officially known as Bagua colors.

[mYTHmAKER]

The abysmal, water is the black dragon

[Wu Ming Jen]

Colors relate to the five elements like this year being green horse, wood. Dragon years follow the same format.The symbolism of colors and how it relates to energetic correspondence has been pointed out I believe.

 

This year is green, wood, growth, advancement all those wonderful energetics associated with spring, Like being more external as contrasted with winter being a more internal time. The application does not have to line up with time, the movement of sun and moon it could be that one is young in the spring time of there own personal life or in a new relationship or new job or something just starting. The interaction of the five elements it ones own life is amazing.

[silent thunder]

I had an incredible dream featuring a white dragon some years ago: it still gives me shivers when I recall it.

 

 

 

I become lucid when I realize I'm standing in a long line which is looping through a shadowy basement/warehouse space. The queue snakes through something of a maze of empty metal shelving units.

I can peer through the empty shelves to the center of the room and the front of the line where a single overhead bulb, illuminates a simple metal table holding a large white egg.

Each person in line has an opportunity to hold the egg and try to hatch it.
As I'm standing in line I am almost oblivious to the other people in line, seeing no faces.

My focus is the egg.

As I begin to near the front of the line, I start to trill softly to the egg in my mind.
A soft, loving, comforting sound.

As I approach the egg, I hear a second harmonizing trill in my mind coming from the egg.

As the egg is placed in my hands the sounds merge and crescendo... at their peak the egg shell vibrates and evaporates in light and sitting in my hands is a white dragon. Her mother-of-pearl scales shimmering with lavender and blue highlights as she breaths.

She is staring at me with emerald eyes, so bright with love, they shine with light. As the harmonic sound of our connection peaks again, I wake up.

I can see her bright eyes in my mind's eye as clearly as if I just awoke.

[dawei]

Dragons take on the color of their surrounds at times... carve a dragon in stone and it is stone-colored

 

But the king wore the dragon rope with a color of yellow.... obviously: Yellow is the Imperial color !

 

The oldest representation of a dragon was clam shells with an opposing Tiger; Oldest archtype of Yin and Yang.

 

The Chinese dragon is the god of water based on The Four Dragon Myth: At a time of severe drought, the four dragons (Long, Black, Pearl, Yellow) asked the Jade Emperor (the god who governed the mortal realm) to send rain down to earth. Eventually the dragons decided to swallow up the oceans to spray the water upon the lands. When the Jade Emperor discovered this, he set four mountains on top of the dragons to contain them forever. The four dragons transformed themselves into rivers which came to be known as: Long River (Yangtze), Black Dragon (Herilongjian), the Pearl River (Zhujiang), and Yellow River (Huanghe). This lends to the depiction of the Chinese Dragon as “guardians”.

 

 

Chinese scholars have classified dragons in diverse systems. For instance, Emperor Huizong of Song canonized five colored dragons as "kings".

• The Azure Dragon [Qinglong 青龍] spirits, most compassionate kings.
• The Vermillion Dragon [Zhulong 朱龍] spirits, kings that bestow blessings on lakes.
• The Yellow Dragon [Huanglong 黃龍] spirits, kings that favorably hear all petitions.
• The White Dragon [Bailong 白龍] spirits, virtuous and pure kings.
• The Black Dragon [Xuanlong 玄龍] spirits, kings dwelling in the depths of the mystic waters.

With the addition of the Yellow Dragon of the Center to Azure Dragon of the East, these Vermillion, White, and Black Dragons coordinate with the Four Symbols, including the Vermillion Bird of the South, White Tiger of the west, and Black Tortoise of the north. -- wiki

[Starjumper]

Thanks for those informative posts. I recently found out what color dragon I am and so I'm looking for more detailed info on specifics of colors to dragons and not just 5 element theory or whatever. I wonder if anyone can guess what my color is

[soaring crane]

what's your birthday (and time)?

 

<< ---- by the way, golden dragon lol

Edited February 25, 2014 by soaring crane

[Starjumper]

Hi Golden Dragon, my birthday is March ten at around 1:15 AM. I'm curious.

[soaring crane]

year???

 

also - location

Edited February 25, 2014 by soaring crane

[Starjumper]

1949, Akron Ohio, 1:17 AM

Edited February 25, 2014 by Starjumper

[Captain Mar-Vell]

...

There really is only one dragon, as we all know.

 

The Fire Dragon.

 

The Red Dragon.

 

Y Ddraig Goch.

 

I always liked the Welsh.

 

http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/r/reddrag.htm

 

 

And who is that leaning on his shoulder?

 

Speaking of Wales, I used to enjoy walking up Cader Idris, when I lived not too far away.

 

http://www.hedgedruid.com/2010/08/cadair-idris-the-dragon%E2%80%99s-teeth/

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadair_Idris

 

Giants and Dragons and Wizards, oh my!

 

Not to mention poets and madmen...

...

Edited February 26, 2014 by Captain Mar-Vell

[gatito]

Magnolia or taupe - but that's just a guess

[soaring crane]

Hi Golden Dragon, my birthday is March ten at around 1:15 AM. I'm curious.

 

Yellow/Gold

Edited February 26, 2014 by soaring crane

[spatha]

Seiryu - Blue (Qing) Dragon

 

[idiot_stimpy]

drawn to the black dragon of the North