Dragon
From BME Encyclopedia
Staple of Asiatic tattooing
When most unmodified people think tattoo, two images are usually quick to come to mind: the snarling black panther/heart/rose Americana, or the elemental simplicity of the Japanese Irezumi, complete with the four elements and a snarling dragon.
But few people (even tattooed people) realize the elements that make up the dragon.
In Japanese mythology, the dragon is made up of a mixture of non-mystical animals:
- Head and Face of a Camel
- Antlers of a Deer
- Eyes of a Rabbit (or a Demon)
- Ears of a Bull
- Neck and Body of a Snake
- Scales and Tail of a Carp
- Claws of an Eagle
- Feet of a Tiger
The dragon appears in Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Grecian, European, and Mexican mythology (as well as many others) and can make for a fairly dynamic tattoo subject.
