The most famous serpent-dragon of Turkey, Bulgaria and Russia is called Zilant, a word that means “serpent” in one of the Turkish dialects. Sometimes there are references to this creature using the Persian word Ajad, which is related with the cyrilic Аждаhа. For the Russian people, the Zilant was a repulsive creature, similar to the European and Persian dragons.

According to this belief which extended to the vicinities of the Volga and the Idel-Ural region, if these serpent-dragons survive 100 years they transform into white serpents (called Aq Yılan).

At this point of his evolution, they have a beneficial influence on the human beings, in a way similar to the Chinese dragon, which are able to attract good luck.

Most of the Russian legends consider Zilant as malignant, although some variants exist. According to popular folklore, an enormous serpent-dragon of two heads lives at the bottom of the water of the Qaban lakes and attacks the citizens who live by the borders of such. According to other histories, the giant serpent transformed itself into a spirit called Diü, who founded the subaqueous kingdom of the lake. Other legend indicates that Zilant continues plotting how to take revenge of a horseman who stabbed him with a poisoned dagger.

Also in Bulgaria the comparison of the dragon with the serpent is habitual, like in the Christian beliefs, although not always they acquire the connotation of diabolic creatures.