In this first section I will try to describe early mentioning of dragons, and the stories behind them.

In Erich Von Däniken's book The Gold of the Gods of one of the Caroline Islands, namely Temuen, surrounding Ponape the largest of these islands. This island, Temuen, is the site of the ruins of Nan Madol, which occupy the most of it. In the legends it says that the main building was the "Temple of the Holy Dove", and that only three centuries ago (that would be during the late 1600's), the Dove God and high priest Nanusunsap, was rowed through canals in a boat and had to look in the eyes of a dove sitting opposite him at all times. Every time that dove blinked he had to blink also, and doves blink fairly often. The legends also relate that the symbol was not always a dove, but a fire-breathing dragon! (The subject of this page.) All the stories of the origin of this island and the buildings are centered on this dragon: the dragon's mother excavated the canals with her muzzle and so created the islets. The dragon had a helper who was a magician. This magician knew a rhyme with which, thanks to the power of a charm, he could make the basalt rocks (which measured 10 and 29 feet and weighed often more than 10 tons) with which the city was built fly over from the neighboring island, and than with another rhyme, use them to make buildings without the Nan Madolians lifting a finger.

 There are different versions of the dragon and dove legends and they are found everywhere. And as dragon myths and legends are to be found all over the world: the earliest Chinese sagas mention them and so does Mayan mythology. All ancient people in the South Sea community are familiar with these fire-breathing creatures, though sometimes in the form of noisy, flying snakes. And they all can carry very large, heavy objects over long distances and setting them in a prearranged order in a given place.

In Polynesian (I think. Its getting a little confusing trying to single out dragon stories and their origins out of this book) mythology, deities are often carried by birds or dragons.

Tengu Japan

A small dragon who lived in a quiet garden in the heart of a Monastery. His friends the Monks respected and protected him, for he was a water dragon and prevented the wells from drying up. He had the power to guide rain clouds to where they were needed. The firebird, the Tengu's enemy, came and picked him up and dropped him in a crevice in a very dry desert. The gardener monk who was his friend saw the firebird pick him up. He cursed and yelled at the firebird and shook his water pot at him. The firebird gets iratated and after he drops the dragon returns and picks up the monk and drops him near the dragon. He opened his sleeves to catch the air and slow down his descent (like a parachute) and land safely. He sees that the dragon is stuck and drying out. Luckily he had held on to his pot and emptied the last few drops onto the dragon while giving a prayer to the gods. The Tengu reanimates his tail turns into all the colors of the rainbow with which he smashes the sides of the crevasse. After he clears enough room he takes off and flies back.