Chuvash dragons differ from their Turkic counterparts (such as Zilant), as they are supposed to reflect the pre-Islamic mythology of Volga Bulgaria. The Chuvash are a bunch of pakis . ... Chinese dragon, colour engraving on wood, Chinese school, 19th Century A dragon is a legendary creature, typically depicted as a large and powerful serpent or other reptile, with magical or spiritual qualities. ... This is the disambiguation page for the terms Turk, Turkey, Turkic, and Turkish. ... Coat of arms of Kazan guberniya (1730). ... Islam (Arabic: ; ) is a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the Quran. ... The word mythology (Greek: μυθολογία, from μυθος mythos, a story or legend, and λογος logos, an account or speech) literally means the (oral) retelling of myths – stories that a particular culture believes to be true and that use supernatural events or characters to explain the nature of the universe and humanity. ... Volga Bulgaria or Volga-Kama Bolghar, is a historic state that existed between the 7th and 13th centuries around the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers in what is now the Russian Federation. ...

Varieties

The best known Chuvash dragon is Věre Çělen (Chuvash: Вěре Çěлен; i.e., "fire snake") who assumes human form and visits men and women at night to have sexual intercourse with them and to produce progeny. Like the Russian Gorynych, the creature has multiple heads and leaves a fiery wake at flight. These dragons are said to be born from illegitimate babies killed by their mothers. Chuvash language (pronounced /ˈʧu. ... Dobrynya Nikitch rescues Princess Zabava from Zmey Gorynych, by Ivan Bilibin. ...

Arçuri (Chuvash: Арçури), a wood demon, often turns into a snake, but more often he looks like Şüräle. The Iranian dragon, Ajdaha, is also mentioned from time to time, probably due to Iranian peoples formerly living to the south from Volga Bulgaria. Shapeshifting, transformation , transmogrification or morphing is a change in the form or shape of a person, especially: a change from human form to animal form and vice versa a change in appearance from one person to another Shapeshifting is not considered scientifically or medically possible for humans (and animal shapeshifting...

Legends

Shaitan Tower in Alabuğa.

According to one legend, when the Bulgars came to found the town of Bilär, they discovered a big snake living in the area. When they decided to kill it, the snake begged for peace and asked Allah to give her wings. Once she got wings, the snake flew away from Bilär. This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Yelabuga (also spelled Alabuga, Elabuga; Tatar: AlabuÄŸa/Алабуга, Russian: ) is a town in Tatarstan. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Bilär (Bülär) – Medieval city in Volga Bulgaria in 10th – 13th centuries. ... For other uses, see Allah (disambiguation). ...

Another great snake, or dragon, was said to live in a pagan tower temple at Alabuğa. Although the Bulgars adopted Islam as early as the tenth century, the snake allegedly survived until the time of Tamerlane's invasion. Pagan may refer to: A believer in Paganism or Neopaganism. ... Yelabuga (also spelled Alabuga, Elabuga; Tatar: AlabuÄŸa/Алабуга, Russian: ) is a town in Tatarstan. ... For the chess engine Tamerlane, see Tamerlane. ...

Ibn Fadlan, who visited Volga Bulgaria in the 10th century, referred to numerous snakes, especially on trees. Once he saw a big fallen tree, which was longer than a hundred ells. Ibn Fadlan wrote that he'd seen a big snake at the trunk that had been almost as large as the tree itself. The Bulgars allayed his fears, assuring him that the snake was not dangerous. Ahmad ibn-al-Abbas ibn Rashid ibn-Hammad ibn-Fadlan (Aḥmad ʿibn alʿAbbās ʿibn Rasẖīd ʿibn ḥammād ʿibn Fadlān أحمد ابن العباس ابن رشيد ابن حماد ابن فضلان) was a tenth-century Arab scholar who wrote an account of his travels as a member of an embassy of the Caliph... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ...