Seven Deadly Sin: Greed Second Edition

Greed

Greed (Latin, avaritia) also known as avarice is a sin of excess. Greed is the inordinate desire to possess wealth, goods, or objects of abstract value with the intention to keep it for one's self, far beyond the dictates of basic survival and comfort. It is applied to a markedly high desire for and pursuit of wealth, status, and power.
As a secular psychological concept, greed is, similarly, an inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs. The degree of in ordinance is related to the inability to control the reformulation of "wants" once desired "needs" are eliminated. It is typically used to criticize those who seek excessive material wealth, although it may apply to the need to feel more excessively moral, social, or otherwise better than someone else. The best creature that personified greed is the European (Western) dragon or better known as the classic dragon.
The Western dragon tends to be quite huge and heavy with sharp-claws and bat-like wings. They are typically with reptile features but may also have fur or feathers. Sometimes they are dark colored but always shinny. Some have forked tongues, others crests, fringes, or some other adornment. It always has the ability to belch forth blazing fire and fumes. They are the largest of all the serpents and all the beasts of the earth, the dragon uncoiled at the beginning of time and have multiplied in names and shapes ever since. Known by all the peoples of the world, it is the greatest of all beasts. In the West, the dragon is the drakon (“sharp-sighted”, “watchful”) of the Greeks. The Romans called it drako, and the British know it as “drake”-as in “firedrake”- and “worm.”
Western dragons have traditionally been a symbol of evil.
 A typical Western dragon can fly and breathe fire. Many legends describe dragons as greedy, keeping hordes of gold and other precious treasure. In myths and folklore, dragons were monsters to be conquered. As dragons may be seen to represent the dark side of humanity, including greed, lust, and violence, the conquest of a dragon represents the confrontation and extinguishment of those evil instincts. In medieval legends the Dragons represent evil or the old pagan way that are defeated by virtue of Christianity. An example of this is the Christian knight St. George is depicted killing the Dragon of the old English pagan beliefs.
The dragon has also been used as a symbol of war. The Viking longship, also called a drakkar or dragon ship, was used to transport Viking warriors on their raids across Europe. Often, sea-going dragon ships would have a dragon head mounted at its stern to ward off sea serpents and evil spirits.
In the West, dragons are either living in caves or mountain dwellers and predators. Cave dweller dragons stay most of the time in the coldness of the dark. The caves, filled with fire and water, are easily guarded and located close to towns, where food is convenient. Mountain predators live in cave-riddled mountains that provide an invincible structure, a sort of protection.
Western Dragons like to feed upon livestock, human flesh and prefers young people and those who are weak. They also hunt large game animals such as deer, elk, and sometimes livestock. In folklore, it is depicted that they typically take a flight at night to terrorize the villagers and cause pestilence over the land. However, there are also many accounts of dragons giving assistance to weary travelers or acting as guardians or protectors over sacred forests or treasures.
Western dragons were also very intelligent, and in many cases capable of speech. Legend has it that Western dragons held secrets, knowledge or power that may only be claimed when the dragon is slain. The one who killed the dragon must drink its blood and eat its flesh in order to have these secrets revealed.
In the west, the dragon is an evil beast. There are many myths and legends of many dragon slayers and  people gained sainthood after slaying a dragon such as

Hercules


Sigurd



Beowulf


St. Michael


St. George

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