Verechelen (; Chuvash: ''Вӗрӗҫӗлен'' , or ''Вӗриҫӗлен'', ''Вӗриҫлен'', ''Вриҫлен''; Russian: ''Вереселень''), also known as Chuvash

dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

s, are winged fire-breathing and

shapeshifting In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest existen ...

dragons. The legend originates with the ancestral people of the Chuvashians. The name means 'invisible snake'. These differ from their Turkic counterparts (such as Zilant), as they are supposed to reflect the

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

of Volga Bulgaria.

Varieties

Chuvash dragon is Věri Şělen (Вӗри Ҫӗлен, lit. "fire snake"). Like the Russian Gorynych, the creature has multiple heads and leaves a fiery wake when flying. The wood demon Arşuri often turns into a snake, but more often he looks like Şüräle.

Legends

According to one legend, when the

Bulgars The Bulgars (also Bulghars, Bulgari, Bolgars, Bolghars, Bolgari, Proto-Bulgarians) were Turkic peoples, Turkic Nomad, semi-nomadic warrior tribes that flourished in the Pontic–Caspian steppe and the Volga region between the 5th and 7th centu ...

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 Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...

to give him wings. Once he got wings, the snake flew away from Bilär. 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 Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol tradition, Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timuri ...

's invasion. 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.

References

* Чӑваш халӑх пултарулӑхӗ: Мифсем, легендӑсем, халапсем. — Шупашкар: Чӑваш кӗнеке изд-ви, 2004. {{DEFAULTSORT:Chuvash Dragon Turkic legendary creatures Chuvash folklore European dragons Shapeshifters Culture of Chuvashia

Varieties

Legends

See also

References