The Evolution of Dragons in Asia: an Examination of how Cultural Diffusion has Impacted Depictions of Dragons over Time and Geographical Range

Abstract

This paper examines the evolution of depictions of dragons in Asia from their origins, and links these changes to the theory of cultural diffusion.
This work has the dragons of Asia divided into a number of traditions, with this work focusing on the Indo-European, East Asian, and Naga traditions. In order to do a proper analysis of these traditions, case studies have been chosen for each one, and a final case study has also been used to discuss the lack of information about dragons beyond regions of mainstream study.
This paper demonstrates that diffusion can often be linked to changes in dragon depictions, and that as a result of diffusion, the dragons of Asia form a continuum of
change, moving between geographical regions.