The Great Dragon is a being that most animals of the Bamboo Kingdom believe in. It is a deity worshipped by the animals of the Bamboo Kingdom and watches over all animals that live there. Pandas believe that bamboo and various qualities, such as wisdom and strength, come from the Great Dragon, for which they thank him at each of the Nine Meals. The Great Dragon also leads the spirits of deceased pandas to the mountains in the sky. Because of Brawnshanks' schemes, the Great Dragon is currently destroyed, and the Light Dragon, the Dark Dragon, and an unknown sparkling Dragon rule in its place.
Description[]
The Great Dragon resembles the Chinese Dragon from Asian Mythology. It has shining red and gold scales that shimmer with their own internal light, golden talons like a bird, deep red spines and golden hair curling from its tail. It has a vast face with the jaws of a snake, the whiskers of a tiger, bright, pupilless golden eyes that burn like the sun and a constantly moving mane of hair the colour of stars.
Origin[]
At the beginning of time, two Dragons, the Light and Dark Dragons, roamed the Bamboo Kingdom. The First Monkey became jealous of their power and tried to destroy them. Knowing the Dragons' connection to pangolins, she took a group of them down to the lava cave below the Broken Forest. The two Dragons followed, merging into the Great Dragon and becoming more powerful than could ever be imagined. The pangolins who witnessed the event and their descendants became known as the Children of the Dragon.
Destruction[]
Brawnshanks persuades Curling Star and Spiral Moon to tell him the story of the Dragon's origin, to learn how to destroy it and take its power for himself. He and his troop capture as many pangolins as they can and bring them to the lava cave. When the Dragon arrives, Brawnshanks orders the pangolin prisoners driven in opposite directions. Nimbletail attempts to thwart his scheme by taking a few pangolins to safety. Because of this, the Dragon splits back into the Light and Dark Dragons, along with a third, sparkling dragon that even the pangolins have never heard of.
Dragon Speakers[]
The Great Dragon has always had a giant panda to act as its Speaker, who alone can hear its voice and pass it on to other creatures. The Dragon chooses its Speaker at birth and informs the current Speaker who they are. Once the new Speaker comes of age, their Watcher will escort them to the Dragon Mountain, where the Dragon will appear to them and show them their life. From then on, the Dragon can talk directly to its Speaker and send messages and warnings. The contact can be amplified by using the Speaker's Seeing Stone. Even before meeting the Dragon, the Speaker can still receive visions, marking them as Speakers.
Known Dragon Speakers[]
See also: Dragon Speakers
Trivia[]
- Carp are considered to be the Great Dragon's favorite animal; catching one means good luck for the whole season.