Dragon: A mythical creature found in many cultures across the globe. Although modern day depictions are mostly static (at least in the western world)--the combination of a lizard with bat wings, capable of spewing fire from it's mouth, and notorious for hoarding gold--the definition of dragon is loose. Dragons very depending on region. typically large and serpentine
Hydra: A greek monster, whom Heracles slew as one of his seven (later nine) labors. The hydra is commonly portrayed as a dragon, with multiple heads the center of which spits fire. When beheaded, two more heads grow back to take it's place
Chinese/Oriental/Eastern Dragons: Depicted as a long, snake-like creature with four legs, sometimes include as a hybrid of animal parts, such antlers. There are different verisons in Chinese mythology:
*Azure Dragon: Dragon of the east and of spring. He is one of the four symbols in Chinese mythology.
Western Dragons: usually characterized as a giant lizard with devil wings, loves to hoard gold and thus was originally associated with greed. They were often incorporated into medieval royal crests as a symbol of strength.
Wyvern: A western dragon often presented as having their wings and forelegs fused together like a bat's (there's a better term for this but I'm so tired I can even be bothered right now.
Japanese dragons: Similar to the Chinese dragon, these dragons have three claws instead of four.
Korean dragons: shares similarities with the Chinese and Japanese dragons, but diverges from the two by sometimes possessing a beard and holding a orb (called a Yeouiju, which is itself the Korean name for Cintamani) in its mouth or claws.
Serpents:
Quetzalcoatl: A south Meso-American god who was worshipped in different forms, most often a feathered serpent. In Aztec mythology, he was the god of wind, air, and learning. His twin brother is Xolotl, the aztec god of death, destruction, twins, deformities, disease, and other general unpleasantness. In other mythologies he was either the sun god or had some connection to the sun.
Python: A giant serpent inhabiting the cave of Delphi, slain by the god Apollo in Greek and Roman mythology
Bakunawa: A giant sea serpent who lives in the sea in Filipino mythology who is said to be responsible for the disappearance of the sun and moon during an eclipse.
Leviathan: A monstrous sea serpent in Jewish legend, said to face off against it's land counterpart, the Behemoth on judgement day.
Orchi: Eight-headed serpent slain by the Japanese kami Susanoo, god of storms and
Wagyl: A rainbow snake is a creator god in Aboriginal lore. It is viewed as a giver of life through it's association with water and is one of the oldest continuing religious beliefs.
Naga: A species of serpent prevalent in every derivative of Hinduism; they may possess multiple heads depending on their rank.
Ryūjin: The Japanese kami of the sea.
Wyrm: Another term for sea serpent in old english.
Other serpents:
While not dragons, strictly speaking, these creatures do overlap with dragons and are sometimes confused with them. They are included here because, as stated earlier, what is and what is not a dragon is usually pretty vague.
Basilisk: (lit. "little king") A gigantic snake hatched by a rooster from the egg of a snake and possessing similar abilities. Because they are very similar, they are often confused--indeed, in the late medieval era, the basilisk took on properties of a cockatrice. As a result they share much of the lore and the terms may sometimes be used interchangeably. The basilisk is called "little king" because it was reputed to have a crest shaped like a crown.
Cockatrice: A bipedal snake with the head of a rooster and a pair of wings. A cockatrice is hatched from the egg of a cock (rooster). Like its twin, the basilisk, it possesses the ability to kill simply by looking at someone (sometimes this can extend to touching or possibly breathing on them). Later interpretations of basilisks adopted some traits from the cockatrice, however, basilisks typically lack wings.
Jörmungand: In norse mythology, he is the son of Loki, brother of Fenris wolf and Hel, and is so large he encircles the globe, holding his tail in his mouth. He is prophesied to be killed by the god Thor, who after defeating him will take nine steps and perish.
Jabberwocky: A nonsense chimara from a poem by Lewis Carroll in his novel Through the Looking Glass.
Dragons in pop culture:
*Smaug: The dragon in Tolkien's The Hobbit, who guards the golden hoard of Erebor, the dwarven kingdom.
Puff the Magic dragon: A fun loving dragon from the song of the same name. If you want to cry, look up the song.
The luck dragon: a furry, drowsy-looking dragon who aids a young boy on his quest throughout the film The Never-ending Story.
Haku: A river spirit who lost his name to the witch Yubaba in the 2001 Japanese animated film Spirited Away.
Toothless: A adorable Nightfury who befriends a young viking boy in a time where vikings are at war with dragons. He is modeled after a cat.
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The Book of Fictional Writing 101
Non-FictionA handy lexicon of terms used in and applied to literary fiction and what they actually mean, as well as some ideas on how to improve your writing.
