Commusings: Guardians or Foes? A Tale of Dragons Across Cultures by Mimi Kuo-Deemer
Jan 31, 2025
Dear Commune Community,
Today’s essay is about dragons. In full disclosure, my personal experience with dragons is limited to puffing the magic one. That said, in reading Mimi’s essay on how the depiction of dragons diverge between Eastern and Western culture, I immediately thought of “Thou Shalt.” This was the peculiar name of Friedrich Nietzsche’s dragon in his philosophical tome, Thus Spoke Zarathustra.
The German philosopher often leveraged these fire-breathing creatures to symbolize the oppressive forces, societal norms and religious dogmas that individuals must overcome to achieve true self-realization.
One of Nietzsche’s most celebrated references to dragons appears in the concept of “The Three Metamorphoses,” where the nihilist describes three stages of spiritual transformation:
- The Camel: Representing burden-bearing, where an individual unquestioningly carries the weight of societal and religious expectations.
- The Lion: Reflecting the spirit of rebellion, where one fights against imposed values and seeks freedom.
- The Child: Characterizing a state of radical creativity and new beginnings, embodying true self-overcoming.
During the Lion stage, Nietzsche describes a great dragon named "Thou Shalt" which represents the oppressive moral values imposed by tradition, religion, and authority. The dragon is covered in golden scales, each inscribed with a commandment of society—rules that dictate what is "right" and "wrong."
To move beyond this stage, the Lion must slay the dragon by declaring "I Will!", symbolizing the assertion of personal will and autonomy over imposed values.
Nietzsche’s use of the dragon metaphor is tied to his broader philosophy of self-overcoming. The dragon is a symbol of fear, control, and mental barriers, and only by defeating it can an individual achieve true freedom and self-actualization.
Today’s essayist, the Qigong teacher Mimi Kuo-Deemer, describes a very different depiction of the dragon as portrayed in Eastern mythology. Of course, the West and the East often clash in terms of how they interpret the natural world. In the West, we are taught to see nature as separate and hostile – something to be subdued and sublimated. The East understands humans as nature, mutually arising as part of it.
Mimi has numerous wonderful courses on Commune, including Mindful Dragon Qigong, and I am pleased to feature her musing today.
In love, include me,
Jeff
P.S. I’ve written a book titled GOOD STRESS and it’s available for pre-order. If you’re inclined to support my work, I’d be so grateful if you picked up a copy. If you order now, you’ll get all sorts of additional bonus goodies including courses from teachers like Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Zach Bush, and Dr. Casey Means.
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Guardians or Foes? A Tale of Dragons Across Cultures
by Mimi Kuo-Deemer
Growing up in a Chinese-American household, certain contradictory cultural icons puzzled me. Dragons were a prime example. Were they the fierce, fire-breathing creatures like Smaug in The Hobbit? Or were they the benevolent beings I saw in Chinatown parades, bringing good luck and protection to the community?
It turns out that Eastern and Western cultures have radically different concepts of this mythological creature. While modern Chinese perspectives may resemble Western ones in some ways, classical Chinese philosophy took a remarkably different approach to the non-human world.
What can we learn from this comparison? A fresh view of dragons, certainly. But also, perhaps, a radically different attitude toward what we typically consider threatening or dangerous—be it a spider, bat, or snake. You might even walk away from this article rethinking your relationship with the non-human realm.
The Chinese Dragon
Since ancient times, dragons in Chinese culture have been cherished as legendary bestowers of life. They are harbingers of rain and water, symbols of renewal, and representations of power, boundlessness, and protection. In this way, they mirror the Dao itself.
As expert problem-solvers, Chinese dragons are known for never turning down a challenge. They are highly adaptable and innovative, in part because they are triphibious—they are at home in water, on land, and in the sky. As resourceful creatures, they use their power to achieve great acts of compassion. (See the Legend of the Four Dragons and the Jade Emperor at the end of this Commusings as an example!)
With their serpentine bodies coiling through mist-shrouded mountains, Chinese dragons breathe clouds that bring rain and nourish the earth. In this way, they embody soft, cooperative power instead of the kind that seeks to dominate. Their infinite wish to better the world through acts of generosity, benevolence, and wisdom made them ideal guardians of Buddhist dharma. What better creature to protect sacred teachings from being misconstrued or misused? I sometimes wish a dragon would swoop into our media or political establishments and offer some wise discernment.
In sum, Chinese dragons are loved and championed as the guardians of goodwill and protectors of humanity. We could certainly use more of that energy in the world today, couldn’t we?
The Western Dragon
In contrast, the narrative of Western dragons evolved very differently. In much of European culture, dragons are dangerous, treasure-hoarding, lascivious creatures.
Hercules defeated the many-headed dragon Ladon as the 11th of his 12 labors. Legendary kings, including Beowulf, lost their lives to this fierce foe. St. George, England’s patron saint, famously slayed a dragon that terrorized villages and demanded daily sacrifices of livestock and children. When it demanded the king’s daughter, St. George intervened just in time to save her. In St. John’s Book of Revelation, the dragon is equated with Satan, depicted as “an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns.”
One exception to this negative image is the Welsh Red Dragon, or Y Ddraig Goch. According to Welsh legend, an epic battle between a red and white dragon ended with the red dragon’s victory over the white, symbolizing the Welsh triumph over the invading Saxons. This dragon’s strength became a beloved cultural symbol of protection, courage, and resilience.
Human Relationships with Power
For many Western-educated people, powerful or threatening creatures often elicit fear and symbolize evil. The result? They are targeted for violence or extermination. Wolves, for instance, were hunted to extinction in England by the 15th century and in much of Europe by the 20th. Snakes, bats, and spiders fare no better. Seen as connected to death and the underworld, they are often met with fear or hostility. Spiders, for example, are believed to live in shadowy corners and are generally seen as dangerous and malevolent. Not much good comes from an encounter with an arachnid!
In contrast, African, South American, and Chinese traditions show a more nuanced relationship with these creatures. In African and South American traditions, for instance, spiders symbolize wisdom, creativity, and the interconnectedness of life. Their webs are seen as threads weaving together not just physical existence but the social fabric of life. In China, bats symbolize good fortune and longevity, while snakes carry wisdom and offer protection.
In traditional Chinese culture, fear of animals like snakes often generated respect. Martial artists observed the snake’s movements, learning from it to refine their skills. Rather than a “see it, kill it” policy, the Chinese offered another possibility: respect its place in the world, appreciate what it can teach you, and celebrate its qualities.
Remember that all creatures can remind us of the dangers and unpredictability of life. Humans are no exception! If we can align with the uncertainty and the unknown of this universe, then perhaps we can also find greater peace within ourselves and greater peace in our relationship with all life.
A Dragon’s Lesson for Us
Revisiting your relationship with dragons might help you start this realignment. They’re mythical, so not quite as threatening as a spider lurking in your shed. And if you practice qigong or martial arts, you might begin embodying a different relationship with other living creatures. Just imagine moving like a dragon—powerfully, fluidly, with a heart infused with compassion. They could become your teachers. You might even awaken your dragon-like potential in human form.
But why stop there? What if we saw not just dragons, but all creatures, as reflections of our own potential—brimming with wisdom, power, and compassion waiting to be awakened? It might make our world a bit more playful, wacky, and wonderful. And it just might make it kinder, too.
The Legend of the 4 Dragons and the Jade Emperor
Once upon a time, four dragons watched as a devastating drought ravaged China. They begged the Jade Emperor to bring rain. The emperor promised to help, but, burdened by other tasks, he forgot. Ten days passed with no rain, and starvation spread.
The dragons decided to act. They scooped water from the sea, filled it into their colossal bellies and transformed it into rain to nourish the land. When the Sea God noticed, he demanded justice from the Jade Emperor. Furious, the emperor ordered the Mountain God to imprison the dragons beneath four peaks.
But the dragons continued their generosity and summoned even greater resourcefulness. From within each mountain, they created rivers: the Yellow River, the Yangtze, the Black River, and the Pearl River, ensuring China would never lack water again.
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