Dragon

A dragon was a large reptilian creature of legend.

Many cultures have myths and legends about dragons. European cultures tended to consider dragons as forces of evil, as large serpents or winged reptiles that could sometimes breathe fire. Asian cultures tended to consider dragons as powerful, but not necessarily good or evil, with more serpentine bodies and smaller limbs.

Indiana Jones discovered that dragons were real, and not just creatures of legend.

Adventures with dragons[]

In 214 BC at the Siege of Syracuse, the plane of the time displaced Nazi scientist, Jürgen Voller, was seen by the invading Romans as a dragon. This depiction would later go on to be recorded with puppet shows and engravings showing the alleged "dragon" during the siege. This depiction would also be associated with Archimedes.^[1]

In 1929, while in the interior world, Jones faced off with a dragon while traversing Wayua's Swampland. The black, snake-like beast had massive wings and two clawed legs. It killed one of Vicard's guards. Later, a second dragon ambushed the Wayuan giant that was trying to kill Jones. After slashing and biting the giant,it flew off, likely scared by the dinosaur that also was stalking the giant.^[2]

In 1935, a large red dragon was created by Marshal Kai Ti Chang to help him kill Indiana Jones. The creature obeyed the crimelord's orders since Kai possessed the Heart of the Dragon. The dragon spewed fireballs and used dangerous rolling attacks in its attempt to best Jones. After Kai was defeated by Jones and dropped the Heart of the Dragon, the beast stopped obeying Kai's commands and helped the spirits kill the gangster by dragging him down to the Netherworld and devouring him.^[3]

In 1936, a Japanese archaeological expedition discovered a green dragon frozen in the ice near Mount Dhubri in Nepal. The dragon was worshipped by the local natives, who had erected a crude temple around the frozen beast. After General Makimura learned of the discovery, he led an expedition to recover it, while one of the archaeologists, Kobayashi, sent word to Jones to prevent the Japanese military from using the dragon to attack the United States. An ice block containing the dragon was carved out and carried by zeppelin back to a military research base hidden beneath a shrine in Japan. Too late to stop the shipment, Jones received a Mystic parchment from the natives that would cause the dragon to return to them.^[4]

The dragon was thawed out and placed in a chamber with sleep gas. Breaking in, Jones turned off the gas, and the dragon awoke, and began attacking the Japanese guards with its fiery breath. Unwilling to let the dragon escape to the surface to wreak havoc, Jones attracted the attention of the dragon to try to use the incantation, and used his bullwhip to hitch a ride on the winged beast as it broke through the surface.^[4]

Flying over the Japanese countryside, the dragon, oblivious to its passenger, flew over a village, frightening its inhabitants. Before it could attack a festival of schoolchildren, including Yasu, Jones finished reading the parchment's incantation, and the dragon turned around and started to vanish. As it disappeared, the schoolchildren were amused at the stunt, while Jones fell into a nearby body of water. The dragon reappeared dormant in the ice of Himalayas, within the temple of his worshippers.^[4]

In 1969, long after Archimedes death, Indiana Jones and his goddaughter Helena Shaw travelled to his tomb where they noticed a depiction of a "dragon" (in reality Voller's plane) engraved on the side.^[1]