Dragon

a fabulous animal of monstrous size and fierceness. As represented in ancient art it is not unlike a winged crocodile; in heraldry it is a nondescript quadruped with fierce claws, large armed wings, a crested head, fiery eyes, and an open mouth, usually spouting fire. In legends the dragon is a fiery monster guarding a treasure, as the Golden Fleece, or the Garden of the Hesperides. The idea or modern notion most nearly approaching the dragon is possibly the popular conception of the devil, "who goeth about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." Spenser speaks of the dragon "stretched like a great hill." Among Christian traditions, that of St. George and the Dragon is one of the most noted. The dragon, which is regarded in China as a sort of divinity, has been made that nation's imperial emblem. The figure appears on the Chinese flag.