Zilant

Zilant (Зилант; җылан ) is a legendary creature, something between a dragon and a wyvern. Since 1730, it has been the official symbol of Kazan. This winged snake is mentioned in legends about the foundation of Kazan. A Zilant is a legendary creature with the head of a dragon, the body of a bird, the legs of a chicken, the tail of a snake, the ears of a canine, the red wings of a bat or bird, sharp teeth, dark-gray feathers and scaly dark-gray skin. The word Zilant is the English transcription of Russian Зилант, itself a rendering of Tatar yılan/елан, pronounced jɯˈlɑn (or sometimes ʒjɯˈlɑn) and meaning a snake. The Tatars themselves, on the other hand, frequently refer to this creature with the Persian word Ajdaha (dragon) or Ajdaha-yılan ('Dragon-snake'). Tatars regarded it as a repulsive creature, corresponding to European and Persian dragon. According to Idel-Ural beliefs, any snake that survives for 100 years turns into an ajdaha. The Zilant/Ajdaha differs from Aq Yılan ('White Snake'), which is the king of snakes. Aq Yılan or Şahmara (from Persian shah (king) and ymar (snake) advised and helped epic heroes (batırlar), often by giving them gifts. As regards his beneficial influence on humans, Aq Yılan resembles a Chinese dragon. Chuvash and Mari (ethnic groups living in the area of Kazan alongside the Tatars) also have legends relating to the foundation of Kazan, but none of them refer to the Kazan dragon. After the 16th century, Russians acquired the foundation legend from Tatars. For Kazan Russians, Zilant had negative connotations, as it was represented as a Slavic dragon rather than as a snake. Western culture has strongly influenced the popular perception of Zilant among citizens of Kazan, and many modern citizens imagine Zilant largely as a classically Western wyvern or dragon – as depicted in films. No strong evidence survives that an image of a dragon or snake with wings occurred in any coat-of-arms of Kazan city or of the Kazan khanate before the Russian invasion of 1552.