A quiet day spent reading and contemplating the concept of dragons.

It all seems to start with the ancient Indian myth of the nāgā. "Nāgā" is the Sanskrit term for an intelligent snake-like creature believed to have supernatural powers to form clouds and cause rain to fall at will. Nāgārajas (nāgā kings) are water deities who govern springs, rivers, lakes and the seas. In Buddhism, the nāgā is a synonym for a realized arhat, or enlightened person. The term reportedly also means "elephant."

The wise serpent is at the root of so much of the world's mythology. It was the serpent who enticed Eve to eat of the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden. In Tibetan Buddhism, nāgārajas dwell in sea palaces where they guard the Buddhist scriptures that were placed in their care because humanity was not yet ripe for their reception. The sea serpent of Nordic and other traditions is a variant of the nāgāraja.

In the Indian tradition, the mahanāgā (great nāgā) climbs into the heavens in the spring, and in winter lives deep in the Earth. In medieval European folklore, the mahanāgā were encountered in caves deep in the Earth and were known as "dragons." To this day, dragons play a central part in Chinese mythology and folklore.

It is said that the Buddha prophesied that someone would come after him who would clear up any confusion regarding the dharma. According to tradition, Nāgārjuna, the 14th patriarch in the Buddhist lineage, was that person. Nāgārjuna is said to have been born under a tree and later instructed in the occult sciences by the nāgās in their undersea palaces. There, he discovered their hidden Buddhist scriptures, most notably the 12-volume Prajnaparamita Sutra, entrusted to the nāgā by none other than Ananada, the Buddha's cousin.

Nāgārjuna subsequently became one of the most important philosophers of Buddhism and numerous writings have been attributed to him. He is often depicted in composite form comprising human and nāgā characteristics. Often the nāgā aspect forms a canopy crowning and shielding his human head.

The worm, the snake, the dragon - all variants of this theme. From Viking ships to St. George, from Eve and Adam to Nāgārjuna, from Potala Palace to Howth Castle and Environs, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, it's all been inspired by the nāgās.