Editing European dragon (section)

=== Slavic===
====Alas====
{{Main|Ala (demon)}}

It is said that a very old snake can transform into an ala. Some depictions of alas are confusingly said to have the bodies of women. Other alas look like dragons. The number of heads on an ala may vary. Alas are enemies of the zmeys and it is sometimes said in south Slavic folklore that thunder is a product of alas and zmeys fighting. Alas are considered evil or malevolent, while zmeys are usually considered good or benevolent.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

====Zmeys ====
[[File:Змей Горыныч.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Zmey Gorynych]], by [[Victor Vasnetsov]]]]
{{Main|Slavic dragon}}

Dragon-like creatures of [[Slavic mythology]] hold mixed temperaments towards humans. For example, Drakons (дракон, змей, ламя, (х)ала; dracon, zmey, lamya, ala) in [[Bulgarians|Bulgarian]] mythology are either male or female, and each gender has a different view of mankind. The female dragon and male dragon, often seen as sister and brother, represent different forces of [[agriculture]]. The female dragon represents harsh weather and is the destroyer of crops, the hater of mankind, and is locked in a never-ending battle with her brother. The male dragon protects the humans' crops from destruction and is generally benevolent to humanity. Fire and water play major roles in Bulgarian dragon lore: the female has water characteristics, while the male is usually a fiery creature. In Bulgarian legend, The drakons are three-headed, winged beings with snake's bodies.

In [[Bulgarians|Bulgarian]], [[Russians|Russian]], [[Belarusians|Belarusian]], [[Ukrainians|Ukrainian]], [[Bosniaks|Bosnian]], [[Serbs|Serbian]], and [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonian]] lore, the dragon-like creature, or "змей" ({{Langx|bg|Змей}}), ''[[zmey]]'' ({{Langx|ru|Змей}}), ''smok'' ({{Langx|be|Цмок}}), [[Slavic dragon|''zmiy'']] ({{Langx|uk|Змій}}), ([[Bosniaks|Bosnian]] zmaj), ({{Langx|sr|змај or zmaj}}), ''zmej'' ({{Langx|mk|змеј}}), is generally an evil, four-legged beast with few, if any, redeeming qualities. ''Zmeys'' are intelligent, but not greatly so, often demanding tribute from villages or small towns in the form of [[maiden]]s (for food), or [[gold]]. Their number of heads ranges from one to seven or sometimes even more, with three- and seven-headed Zmeys being most commonly cited. The heads also regrow if cut off, unless the neck is "treated" with fire (similar to the hydra in Greek mythology). [[Zmey#Blood|Zmey blood]] is so poisonous that Earth itself will refuse to absorb it. In Bulgarian mythology these "dragons" are sometimes good, opposing the evil Lamya /ламя/, a beast similar to the ''zmey''.

====Smok====
The most famous [[Poland|Polish]] dragon ({{Langx|pl|Smok}}) is the [[Wawel Dragon]] or ''[[Smok Wawelski]]'', the Dragon of Wawel Hill. It supposedly terrorized ancient [[Kraków]] and lived in caves on the [[Vistula]] river bank below the [[Wawel]] castle. According to lore based on the ''[[Book of Daniel]]'', it was killed by a boy who offered it a [[Sheepskin (material)|sheepskin]] filled with sulphur and tar. After devouring it, the dragon became so thirsty that it finally exploded after drinking too much water. In the oldest, 12th-century version of this fantasy tale, written by [[Wincenty Kadłubek]],<ref>{{citation|title=Kronika Polska|author=Mistrz Wincenty (tzw. Kadłubek)|publisher=[[Ossolineum]], [[Wrocław]]|year=2008|isbn=978-83-04-04613-9|title-link=Chronica seu originale regum et principum Poloniae|author-link=Wincenty Kadłubek}}</ref> the dragon was defeated by two sons of a [[King Krak]], [[Krakus II]] and [[Lech II]]. A metal sculpture of the Wawel Dragon is a well-known tourist sight in Kraków. The Wawel Dragon appears in the coat of arms of the Polish princes, the Piasts of Czersk.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Górczyk|first=Wojciech|title=Ślady recepcji legend arturiańskich w heraldyce Piastów czerskich i kronikach polskich|journal=Kultura i Historia|year=2010|url=http://www.kulturaihistoria.umcs.lublin.pl/archives/1793|access-date=14 July 2013|language=pl}}</ref>

Other dragon-like creatures in Polish folklore include the [[basilisk]], living in cellars of [[Warsaw]], and the Snake King from folk legends, though neither are explicitly dragons.