Colors are often very important in art and stories as they represent many different possibilities. (Note: Eastern dragons have different colors, and I will now be including them here.)
- Introduction
- Black Dragons
- Blue Dragons
- Bronze Dragons
- Brown Dragons
- Green Dragons
- Gold Dragons
- Purple Dragons
- Rainbow Dragons
- Red Dragons
- Silver Dragons
- White Dragons
- Yellow Dragons
This page was compiled based on the symbolism of colors in various mythologies. A dragon's color does not tell much about it, although there have been some common themes throughout certain mythologies.
Since symbolism is linked with color, this page will review how that symbolism works with dragons. Please note that this is not meant to be an all-encompassing color chart for dragons that correctly predicts personality. Instead, it takes information from various groups and mythologies and compiles them in one place.
Of course, in some mythologies and/or histories, the color pattern is much more strict and sometimes even linked with social structure. A popular example of this is from the Dragon Riders of Pern series where the dragon's color corresponds to its rank and sex.
Black dragons are thought to be the most evil. They have deceptive ways and are often out only to meet their own needs. They are known as the Plight of the Land, usually, and are loathed by the people they live near. When you think about it, black dragons are like undead dragons, they are considered evil because of the color.
Black is known as a color of evil because it represents night, and in the night you can not see. So, it is clear why black dragons get such a bad reputation. I have not read a story about a good black dragon just yet, but there are some in Pern...rare, though.
For the Dragons of the East, black is a chaotic color. Black Eastern Dragons are said to cause lightning storms when they fight. They are also said to be symbols of the North.
Blue is a sullen, cold color that often is associated with the water or ice. Most blue dragons are calm and peaceful, unless they are sea serpents. Sea serpents are said to be mean and overbearing to any and all ships, so they are normally bad tempered and spiteful.
Ice blue dragons usually live in cold places and hibernate the whole time. They especially like hoarding things and are often overprotective of their items. Ice dragons are seldom told of, however, as most dragons live in warm places.
Eastern Dragons are of the purest azure colors. They are a symbol of the East, and are pacifying and calm.
Bronze dragons are rarer than others because they are metallic, like silver dragons. Copper and other brown-golden tones are generally classified as bronze as well. As a metallic color, these dragons enjoy hoarding items that are shiny like them, namely gold and treasure.
Brown is a very common dragon color, much like green. Brown is the color of dirt and earth, and it associated with the ground and caverns. Unlike green, brown is not often a color of reptiles, although many dinosaur replicas are fashioned with brown skins instead of green.
Brown dragons are known for hoarding skills, but they also are known to roam from cavern to cavern instead of living in a single cave.
Gold dragons are revered as kings and queens of dragons in most stories. Others hold them as greedy hoarders that will settle for nothing less than gold and gems. When they are kings and queens, they are often good ones, and are fair and proportionate to all dragons.
However, golden dragons are also a symbol of wealth and prosperity. Much like their other metallic counterparts, they hoard treasure and enjoy shiny objects.
Green is an earthly color. Thus, the green dragon is often associated with the world, vegetation, and nature. Some people believe that some green dragons spew acid instead of fire or ice. Also, most green dragons can command forces of nature.
Forces of nature include things like growth, earthquakes, and fluxes in the landscape. Lore is another thing that people have attributed to green dragons; they attract people with earthly tidings and such wondrous things. However, green dragons are often thought of as creatures that gobble up humans.
Many dragons in mythology are green because many reptiles and serpents are green, and dragons are related to them.
The color purple has been a symbol of royalty for a long time, possibly because the pigment is so hard to find in nature. There are very few stories about purple dragons, since it is not a 'natural' color.
In modern artwork, many dragons are purple, but a lot of them are blue with purple undercolors. It is likely, therefore, that they would retain much of the color significance of blue dragons.
Although rainbow dragons are said to be quite rare, there are many stories involving dragons of multiple colors. The most famous and wide-spread of all these dragons is Rainbow Serpent, found in various mythologies.
The Rainbow Serpent is generally connected with water, since the rainbow is seen after a rainstorm. The rainbow is a symbol of rebirth, life, and death because water is both a life-giving and a life-taking source.
While few dragons are rainbow-colored, multiple dragons are connected with causing the rainbow, usually by reflecting light off of their scales.
Red, as a symbolic color, has various connotations. It is the color of passion, love, anger, blood, and fire. Bad temperament and unpredictability are both associated with the color red. Red dragons, therefore, can vary from being symbols of love and passion to symbols of fire, anger, and bloodshed.
Many dragons in mythology are red, and many of them that are in poems are red, too. Red dragons seem ferocious and dangerous, which adds to their terror and the valor of a knight who dares attack one.
For Eastern Dragons, Red is the color of chaotic storms. The Red dragons are a symbol of the West, and they cause storms when they fight in the night.
Silver dragons are thought to be very reflective and thoughtful. However, silver dragons are after extremely hoarding and are too occupied with taking and guarding their materials than to share their insight with other dragons. Silver dragons like shiny object of any kind, but especially mirrors.
Another factor of silver dragons is that they seldom leave their cave. They almost always hibernate and hide, probably because they stand out so much in nature. Metallic dragons are often depicted as cyborgs in modern artwork.
White dragons are among the wisest dragons there are. Perhaps because they are associated with the light and righteousness. Though white dragons are considered wise, most stories tell them as evil as well, because they never tell the whole truth.
White, for the East, is also a symbol of mourning. White Eastern dragons are said to be an omen of death. Which, mind you, the Chinese did not deem evil. They were symbols of the South.
Yellow dragons are similar to gold dragons, although they are slightly more common. Like purple, yellow is generally a more common undercolor than a total color for a dragon. Yellow is a symbol of sunshine, health, and wellness.
For the Eastern Dragons, Yellow dragons were the most revered and well-thought of. However, they were secluded and were only seen at "the perfect time".
All of the dragon graphics on this page were created by Donna Quinn.
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© Kylie 'drago' McCormick.
Last updated: 2 August 2008