Chuvash dragon
Encyclopedia
Chuvash dragon
s differ from their Turkic
counterparts (such as Zilant
), as they are supposed to reflect the pre-Islam
ic mythology
of Volga Bulgaria
.
The best known Chuvash dragon is Věri Şělen (Вěри Çěлен, lit. "fire snake") who assumes human form and visits men and women at night to have sexual intercourse
with them and to produce progeny. Like the Russian Gorynych, the creature has multiple heads and leaves a fiery wake at flight. These dragons are said to be born from illegitimate babies killed by their mothers.
Arşuri
(Арçури), a wood demon, often turns into
a snake, but more often he looks like Şüräle
. The Iran
ian dragon, Ajdaha (Аçтаха), is also mentioned from time to time, probably due to Iranian influence to Volga Bulgaria
.
According to one legend, when the Bulgars
came to found the town of Bilär
, they discovered a big snake living in the area. When they decided to kill it, the snake begged for peace and asked Allah
to give her wings. Once she got wings, the snake flew away from Bilär.
Another great snake, or dragon, was said to live in a pagan
tower temple at Alabuğa
. Although the Bulgars adopted Islam as early as the tenth century, the snake allegedly survived until the time of Tamerlane's invasion.
Ibn Fadlan, who visited Volga Bulgaria in the 10th century, referred to numerous snakes, especially on trees. Once he saw a big fallen tree, which was longer than a hundred ell
s. Ibn Fadlan wrote that he'd seen a big snake at the trunk that had been almost as large as the tree itself. The Bulgars allayed his fears, assuring him that the snake was not dangerous.
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
s differ from their Turkic
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
counterparts (such as Zilant
Zilant
Zilant is a legendary creature, something between a dragon and a wyvern. Since 1730, it has been the official symbol of Kazan. This winged snake is a part of Tatar and Russian folklore and is mentioned in legends about the foundation of Kazan....
), as they are supposed to reflect the pre-Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
of Volga Bulgaria
Volga Bulgaria
Volga Bulgaria, or Volga–Kama Bolghar, is a historic Bulgar state that existed between the seventh and thirteenth centuries around the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers in what is now Russia.-Origin:...
.
Varieties
They are Dragons that lived in the 15th Century and were very dangerous. Viking hated them.The best known Chuvash dragon is Věri Şělen (Вěри Çěлен, lit. "fire snake") who assumes human form and visits men and women at night to have sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
with them and to produce progeny. Like the Russian Gorynych, the creature has multiple heads and leaves a fiery wake at flight. These dragons are said to be born from illegitimate babies killed by their mothers.
Arşuri
Arsuri
Arsuri may refer to several villages in Romania:* Arsuri, a village in Cornereva Commune, Caraş-Severin County* Arsuri, a village in Schela, Gorj...
(Арçури), a wood demon, often turns into
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
a snake, but more often he looks like Şüräle
Süräle
Şüräle , is a male monster in Bashkir and Tatar mythology. According to legends, Şüräle lives in forests. He has long fingers, a horn on its forehead, and a woolly body...
. The Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian dragon, Ajdaha (Аçтаха), is also mentioned from time to time, probably due to Iranian influence to Volga Bulgaria
Volga Bulgaria
Volga Bulgaria, or Volga–Kama Bolghar, is a historic Bulgar state that existed between the seventh and thirteenth centuries around the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers in what is now Russia.-Origin:...
.
Legends
Bulgars
The Bulgars were a semi-nomadic who flourished in the Pontic Steppe and the Volga basin in the 7th century.The Bulgars emerge after the collapse of the Hunnic Empire in the 5th century....
came to found the town of Bilär
Bilär
Bilär was a medieval city in Volga Bulgaria and its second capital before the Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria. It was located on the left bank of the Small Cheremshan River in modern-day Alexeyevsky District of the Republic of Tatarstan.The city was founded by the indigenous Bilyar tribe of the...
, they discovered a big snake living in the area. When they decided to kill it, the snake begged for peace and asked Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
to give her wings. Once she got wings, the snake flew away from Bilär.
Another great snake, or dragon, was said to live in a pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
tower temple at Alabuğa
Yelabuga
Yelabuga The history of the settlement dates back to the 11th century, when a Volga Bulgarian border castle was established. The castle was later abandoned, and its remains are now known as Şaytan qalası ....
. Although the Bulgars adopted Islam as early as the tenth century, the snake allegedly survived until the time of Tamerlane's invasion.
Ibn Fadlan, who visited Volga Bulgaria in the 10th century, referred to numerous snakes, especially on trees. Once he saw a big fallen tree, which was longer than a hundred ell
Ell
An ell , is a unit of measurement, approximating the length of a man's arm.Several national forms existed, with different lengths, includingthe Scottish ell ,the Flemish ell ,the French ell...
s. Ibn Fadlan wrote that he'd seen a big snake at the trunk that had been almost as large as the tree itself. The Bulgars allayed his fears, assuring him that the snake was not dangerous.