The Dragon and the Phoenix

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Story:
(These dragon and phoenix information are stories that I know  from my family and traditions. It might not be fully accurate, so read with discretion.)

These two are one of the most often seen symbols in Chinese mythologies, temples, and restaurants, etc.
The Chinese dragon (Long)"龍", and the Chinese phoenix "鳳" (feng...but really sounds like "fong") are often depicted dancing or battling each other out, like the symbol of Yin and Yang. The dragon is often depicted as a powerful, royal, male symbol-yin (darkness). And the phoenix is often depicted as a beautiful, elegant, royal female symbol-"yang". I remember being told as a child the reason dragons were considered "yin" or darkness was because it ate the sun...and sometimes the moon (the cause of solar and lunar eclipse). While Phoenix being associated with the rooster in the zodiac, always called and brought up the sun. The dragon was associated with rain and water, and the phoenix fire and sun. So there's the opposite, and the yin and yang that pushes one another.

The Chinese emperors were considered descendants of the dragons, and the empress was considered to be the phoenix, who accompany the emperor to make him established. Without the Phoenix, the emperor would be consider one half of a whole. When the two are together it is consider a harmonious love. The phoenix is sometimes reference back to the chinese zodiac as the rooster. The pair rooster and dragon, are consider phoenix and dragon. (I know this because my parents are this pair...and...they boast about it)

The funny thing about the phoenix is that is use to be a male symbol. It was not just "鳳" (feng) but "鳳凰: (fenghuang), and Huang meaning emperor. The two Chinese letters represented two birds. Feng, the female bird, and Huang, the male bird, merged together, they became the king of birds/ emperor.

I actually thought about this...because looking at the phoenix physically as a bird, it is very flamboyant. It has tales of peacock feathers, and head of a rooster, and body of mandarin duck (supposedly), those traits are actually male bird's trait to attract females.

So PAUSE...think about this...maybe the women are the dragons...hehehe. We rule. Which is not far from the truth... After an emperor die, the true ruler behind each great empire, stands a woman.

There are too many symbolic meanings between the two mythological creatures...I can't list them all...

BUT, share what you know about the dragon and the phoenix! I love to hear different tales from different asian cultures and countries.


About the art:
This is the back cover for my sequential art class's art book.....The struggle to maintain traditional colors of the two creatures...and to maintain a color harmony...was a battle. I'm not 100% satisfied with this...but...at 3am in the morning and struggling to finish...Don't even...Just don't ... 




_{The Dragon and the Phoenix © by Melody Wang "Chukairi"
Character belong to Melody Wang Chukairi
All Rights reserved.}