Yinglong: The powerful ancestor of the dragon clan

Archaeologists have discovered patterns depicting a winged dragon in an archaeological excavation in Inner Mongolia. These patterns are over 7,400 years old. This winged dragon is called Yinglong.

The earliest record of Yinglong in the classics is found in the “Shan Hai Jing” or “Classic of Mountains and Seas”. In terms of mythology, Yinglong is believed to have appeared since the time of Nuwa.

General about Yinglong

Yinglong is the ancestor of the dragon clan in Chinese mythology.

No one knows how long Yinglong has existed because it does not live in the mortal world but comes from the celestial domain.

According to mythology and ancient records, Yinglong appeared three times in the mortal world.

The first time

In the legend of Nuwa mending the sky, Yinglong descended to the mortal world to become Nuwa’s mount to assist Nuwa in mending the sky.

The second time

Yinglong appeared to help the Yellow Emperor fight for the throne.

According to legend, the Yellow Emperor led the tribes in the Yellow River basin to fight against Chiyou, who led the tribes in the Yangtze River basin. The Yellow Emperor was in a weak position and could not defeat Chiyou.

At this time, Yinglong descended to the mortal world to help.

According to the “Classic of Mountains and Seas”, Yinglong fought in the war and killed Chiyou and Kuafu. However, it also ran out of energy and could not return to heaven. It flew to the south to take refuge, which is why the south is often rainy. Yinglong remained there until the Yellow Emperor’s celestial ascension, when they reunited and returned to the celestial domain together.

The third time

By the time of Yu the Great’s flood control, Yinglong descended for the third time.

The legend tells that when Yu the Great was controlling the flood, Yinglong appeared and used its tail to mark the ground to guide the river. It was almost successful, only the Huai River kept appearing with swirling water, causing Da Yu to fail.

The cause was due to the interference of the water god of the Huai River, Wuzhiqi. 

Wuzhiqi has the shape of a monkey. Some theories even link Wuzhiqi to the Four Monkeys of Havoc mentioned in the novel Journey to the West, alongside Sun Wukong. 

Under the interference of Wuzhiqi, Yinglong once again took action, and finally captured Wuzhiqi and imprisoned it at the foot of Turtle Mountain. Therefore, Yu the Great’s flood control finally achieved great success. 

In the course of fighting with Wuzhiqi, Yinglong also accidentally created Longmen (or the Dragon Gate), which is the gate in the legend that can turn carp into dragons.

Yinglong and Chinese Emperor

Yinglong is described as a golden dragon with two wings, so it is also called Huanglong (Yellow Dragon) or Feilong (Flying Dragon). There is a theory that Yinglong is a creator god, with a noble position. Therefore, Yinglong later became a representative of the imperial family.

However, over time, its two wings were transformed into cloud patterns, and the dragon representing the emperor no longer had wings, but instead focused on having five claws, called the Five-clawed golden dragon.

The father of the Nine Sons?

Some theories suggest that Yinglong is the father of the Nine Sons. However, there is no mention of this in any ancient books or classics.

While there is no record of this, there is some logic to this theory. First, Yinglong appeared before Yu the Great began his flood control efforts. Second, Bixi, a dragon son, also helped Yu the Great. This connection lends some credence to the theory of Yinglong’s fatherhood. Do you think so?