The Korean Dragon Tradition
Korean dragons are probably less well known in the Western world than their Chinese and Japanese counterparts however they are just as important.
Korean dragons are generically known as Yong. There are three main sub-types:
- Yong
- Yo
- The hornless ocean dragon
- The mountain dragon
When comparing oriental dragons, the first place to look is the feet. Korean dragons usually have four toes or claws on each foot, as compared with Chinese dragons that have five toes and Japanese dragons that have three.
To the Koreans "four toed" is the natural state for a dragon. Having three or five toes is a result of Korean dragons travelling too far from their homeland.
Aside from the toes, the Korean dragon is usually described as having a camel's head with rabbit eyes, a serpentine neck, the belly of a frog and tiger feet.
As with Chinese dragons, the number nine is significant with Korean dragons and they are said to have 81 (=9x9) scales on their backs.
