Many Asian folktales and myths portray Eastern Dragons as friendly towards people and generous in their rewards. In the legend of “The Four Dragons,” the dragons saw that there was a terrible drought in China, causing “the crops [to] wither, the grass [to] turn yellow and fields [to crackle] under the scorching sun,” (E1). When the dragons saw the people’s suffering, they grew very upset and decided to appeal to the Jade Emperor, who agreed to send down rain. However, ten days pass and there was still no rain; they decided to try to make rain themselves using ocean-water, saving the people’s crops. The Jade Emperor punished them and imprisoned them, but they turned themselves into four rivers, “determined to do good for the people forever”
