Western Draigs appearance
Most of them had two strong hind legs, two shorter forelegs, a thick body and long tail. Their
wings are membranes, like that of bats and had long ribs or bones. Their wedge shaped heads were carried on long sinuous necks.
Western draigs are fully armed with long claws and sharp teeth, besides their fiery breath. They talk to humans by telepathy
and were extremely cunning and wily.
Some Celtic Draig lore
The ancient Celts had a ram snake or draig and it connected with Cernunnos, the antlered Earth
god. This Celtic ram-draig is also connected the number eight this being the number of spokes in the wheel of the solar year.
The solar year is put into play by the head of the ram-headed draig. What few carvings we have of Cernunnos picture him with
a bag of gold at his feet and a double headed ram draig belt about his waist. This belt with the twin ram headed draig
symbolizes the spiritual bridge between various planes of existance. The Celtic shaman knew that in order to travel this bridge,
she/he must go inward to meet the draig guarding this bridge. A lack of self discipline and self knowledge would prevent any
seek from being able to pass the draig and enter the realms of the Otherworld.
Conchobar of Ireland, was said to have had both a divine and human father. He was born at the
Winter Solstice and what the story calls a water worm in each hand. From the discription of these water worms they were probably
baby draigs.
The Irish hero Finn MacCumhaill also killed draigs. Some magickal systems would look at Finn's
exploits are not physical but as battling his own destructive inner thoughts.
The draig has been depicted on the Welsh Banner since the last departure of the Roman Legions.
And in England, Scotland and Ireland the draig has been drawn with Four Legs and the Wyvern with two since the 16th Century.
On the European Continent howver the two legged wryvern is still called a Draig, the same name given to the four legged variety.
Even today the Draig alone or with other designs is part of the heraldic history of some two hundred English families and
some three hundred in Europe.
Wyverns have been mentioned and briefly described here is a better
description
These cousins of the draig can have or have not wings. They have the throat and legs of an
eagle, the body of a large serpent, the wings of a bat (when they have them) and a tail with an arrow tip. They have two large
hind legs, and either a very short pair of fore legs or none at all.
How Christians tried to destory the Draig
Christians were very quick to associate the Draig with their version of the Devil and their
explaination of Hell.
The Christians also portrayed all Non-Christian rulers as evil destructive Draigs.
There are many Christian references to the draig, all of them negative. It was their way of
eraticating the pagan ways of life.
One such tale is in the Apocrypha Bel and the Draig and another is in the Book of Daniel.
Christian Tales of Saints and draigs always picture the draig losing. The Christians wanted you to believe that they have
killed the draig power, but this is not so. They have not and never will destroy magick, or the elusive wily draigs.
Christianity and its abmonition to hunt down and destroy draigs brought the end of the common
sightings of the draigs, for these great and knowledgeable beasts withdrew from the physical plane, especially in Britain
and Europe.
Some powers of the Draig
All legends agree on certain characteristics concerning the draigs. Legends say that you should
never look a draig in the eye. He has hypnotic powers. A draig will not give his real name; this will give you power over
him. Several legends from different cultures speak of the draconic ability of the draig to appear in human form. It is very
difficult to see through his disquise unless he allows it.
Draig have a precious stone called the dracontias, in the forehead. This stone is credited
with amazing powers of many kinds. For the stone to hold its powers though it had to be removed from the draigs head before
its death.
There is a story of a stone being acquired and them kept within a family for centuries.
About 1345 the Chevalier do Gozano, who was later the Great Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, killed a draig on
the Isle of Rhodes. It is unclear how he was able to get the Dracontias stone from the draig before it died, it was said that
if a Dracontias was extracted after death it would lose its powers. This stone is about the size of an olive and beautifully
colored, it became a family heirloom. On several occasions this dracontias was placed in water; the water was then boiled
and drank as an antidote to poison and disease, with complete recovery by the ill person.
Few legends tell of draigs suffering from illness or eye disease. One herbal cure used by draigs
ws the eating of Balis. This strong unknown herb had the power to raise the dead draig babies. For eye diseases draig either
eat fennel or rubbed it on their eyes.
The Magickal and medicinal uses of draigs
Several tales tell of the magicakal uses of the organs and body parts of the draig including
the blood.
In European lore, the blood was said to make a person invulernable to stab wounds if they bathed
in it. Able to understand the speech of birds and animals if they drank it. If you ate the heart of a draig you became
brave and strong. Eating the tongue gave eloquence and the ability to win every arguement. The liver cured certain diseases
as did other various parts did.
Medieval medicine and magick mention the use of draigs blood many times. Since the Draig
very rarely gave it out willingly, the practitioners had to turn to another source. There were said to be many sources of
this material, other than from an actual draig.
The bloodstone hematite an ore rich in iron and the mineral cinnabar, a compond of mercury
were both called forms of draig's blood. However the most widely used draig's blood was a gum resin. It was said that trees
which originally grew from where the blood of draigs had spilled, produced a reddish brown sap of great magickal value. This
species of tree is still called Dracaena draco by botantists. Incisions were made in the bark and the sap is collected as
it congealed into resin. Most of these trees are found in the East Indies, southern Arabia and the Canary Islands.
Meeting a Draig---Pros and Cons
Draigs are long lived hord treasure and are very wise. The older a draig the wiser he is. Conversing
with an old draig is a double edged sword. He may be wiser; able to give you greater knowledge, but he is very touchy and
extremely untrustworthy, unless you handle him correctly. After all, he has been around long enough to have experienced humanity
at its most unreliable and deceitfulness.
Draigs have control of deeper currents of elemental energies that is usually felt by humans.
They are always connected in some manner with various forms of the five elements. Sights of draigs have also occurred, such
as ghosts and other astral creatures.
Depending on the behavior of the draigs under observation, their appearance can be considered
an omen of good fortune. (But remember there is exceptions to every rule).
Draigs tend to speak in riddles and symbols, avoiding straight answers whenever possible. The
only weapon a draig will respect is a sword, but only if it is wielded by a highly trained and skilled practitioner who is
prepared to stand his/her ground.
NOTE the following
Respect does not mean fear----Draigs like most humans have a very healthy
balanced opinion of themselves. They do not care for vacillating humans, who are afraid to make a decision to take responsibility.
Do not make the mistake of trying to physically attack with the sword. In the first place a draig
would melt the blade like ice in a flame. Secondly, the draig is astral incapable of being actually harmed by a physical weapon.
The sword is only for magickal gestures.
As one can see the draig did materialize from the astral to the physical on a fairly regular
basis. Considering the intellegence of these creatures, it is no wonder why they stay away from humans. Most humans want to
control, dissect or vanquish everything they don't understand and even alot of that they do understand.
All it takes to meet a draig is respect, honor, self discipline and the ability to know
yourself. When these keys are grasped by a human they can enjoy the ability to meet these wily, cunning, intelligent beasts
as peers. To learn from the literal wisdom of the ages from those that lived it.
