Cosmic Radiant Posted April 6, 2012 #1 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Could anyone point me in the right direction into learning the origin of Dragons? Is "Dragon" just a term for snake or serpent? Did they literally once exist and literally breathed fire? It could just be a mythological creature that never actually existed, but I am curious what others think of Dragons. I always thought that they might of existed along with the dinosaurs. Why are dragons such a popular concept in mythology? What made people think of such a creature if it wasn't partially real? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bendy Demon Posted April 6, 2012 #2 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Well..as I understand, the term "Dragon" has often been used to describe large and unknown beasts whether they were large snakes, crocodiles, hippos or the like. From a mythological view however, Dragons were -according to western culture- large, winged lizards who could breath fire and were quite vicious unless they could be placated somehow. Of course some myths viewed certain dragons more favorably. Eastern mythology views them as beings with serpentine bodies yet were not really reptilian and often possessed great power and wisdom. Some were good while others might not be. Dragons can come in various sizes, shapes and temperaments; some are willing to help if asked while others want to be left alone. One thing is for sure is that dragons are not fools and cannot be exploited, at least not for long. Anyways..some think that "dragons" were nothing more than a smattering of surviving dinosaurs while others seem to think they were a separate species all of their own while others think they were merely "spiritual" entities. Most however feel they were nothing more than myths created after seeing normal yet unclassified animals. I used to think that dragons existed on our world at one point then left for another dimension but now I feel that they are nothing more than fantasies. You might want to try a search engine to find entries that are more informative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhg4410 Posted April 7, 2012 #3 Share Posted April 7, 2012 I have read the myth originated from the discovery of Dinasaur fossils, and they were mistakingly misinterpreted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arbitran Posted April 7, 2012 #4 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Could anyone point me in the right direction into learning the origin of Dragons? Is "Dragon" just a term for snake or serpent? Did they literally once exist and literally breathed fire? It could just be a mythological creature that never actually existed, but I am curious what others think of Dragons. I always thought that they might of existed along with the dinosaurs. Why are dragons such a popular concept in mythology? What made people think of such a creature if it wasn't partially real? Well, depending on whether it's a Western or Eastern dragon you're interested in, a different answer would be necessary. If you're interested, strike up a conversation with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drums Posted April 7, 2012 #5 Share Posted April 7, 2012 The word dragon does derive from Latin, which pretty much means giant serpent. As for fire breathing, pretty much what everyone else said above, was really only a western style of dragon. As for the origins I really don't know when they began, but Easterners would find fossils of dinosaur bones and use them in remedies, thinking they were dragon bones. The Eastern dragons breathed mist instead of fire, I would rather come across them then the other Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dreamer - Hybrid89 Posted April 14, 2012 #6 Share Posted April 14, 2012 Ive a growing fascination with regards to mythical dragons myself actually. However I do recall watching a documentary a few years back about how some Dinosaurs evolved into large birds of prey. Like 'Ryu' said above, its definitely a possibility that it these so called Mythical dragons were nothing more then Dinosaurs that got a new name. That's just a random theory though. Dragons fascinate me but thats about it so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amon-Ra Posted April 14, 2012 #7 Share Posted April 14, 2012 Sorry, but the truth is boring, the stories are much better. The real dragons were a vicious animal that constantly ate farm animals and, sometimes, the farmer's children. They could not fly, did not breath fire and were no danger to armored knights. They were hunted to extinction like other dangerous animals in Europe. After they were gone the stories of fighting them became just interesting stories, disconnected from reality. Why allow reality to interfere with good story telling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallaliak Posted April 14, 2012 #8 Share Posted April 14, 2012 (edited) Sorry, but the truth is boring, the stories are much better. The real dragons were a vicious animal that constantly ate farm animals and, sometimes, the farmer's children. They could not fly, did not breath fire and were no danger to armored knights. They were hunted to extinction like other dangerous animals in Europe. After they were gone the stories of fighting them became just interesting stories, disconnected from reality. Why allow reality to interfere with good story telling? I can't resist... How did you come to this conclusion, and with what as your source materials for said conclusion? I'll be honest, it's something I can't quite grasp on the top of my head, but it does sound like it can be a interresting read if properly presented. Edit: Or are you just refering to it as stories of normal animals like wolves, bears and the like that were changed to make for more thrilling story? Edited April 14, 2012 by Mallaliak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DieChecker Posted April 16, 2012 #9 Share Posted April 16, 2012 If you do a Search on this site, you'll find a lot of dragon threads from like 3 years ago. There was a fellow named DraconicChronicaler, who thought dragons were angelic creatures of God, and in fact that God WAS a Dragon. That all angelic and demonic creatures were dragons. It got so bad that even Nessie, sea serpents, the Australian rainbow serpent, and anything with scales on it, was a dragon. I think dragons started out from descriptions of Crocodiles from Egypt by European travelers and soldiers, and those evolved, in the way that urban stories do, to give them wings, and fire breath. Plus the fire and wings made them seem more demonic, and thus the Enemy of mankind. Which made much better stories then killing crocodiles did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangepeaceful79 Posted April 16, 2012 #10 Share Posted April 16, 2012 If you do a Search on this site, you'll find a lot of dragon threads from like 3 years ago. There was a fellow named DraconicChronicaler, who thought dragons were angelic creatures of God, and in fact that God WAS a Dragon. That all angelic and demonic creatures were dragons. It got so bad that even Nessie, sea serpents, the Australian rainbow serpent, and anything with scales on it, was a dragon. I think dragons started out from descriptions of Crocodiles from Egypt by European travelers and soldiers, and those evolved, in the way that urban stories do, to give them wings, and fire breath. Plus the fire and wings made them seem more demonic, and thus the Enemy of mankind. Which made much better stories then killing crocodiles did. Sounds like this draconicChronicaler sHould get together with tailormaneinafog and have a chat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Posted April 16, 2012 #11 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Could anyone point me in the right direction into learning the origin of Dragons? Is "Dragon" just a term for snake or serpent? Did they literally once exist and literally breathed fire? It could just be a mythological creature that never actually existed, but I am curious what others think of Dragons. I always thought that they might of existed along with the dinosaurs. Why are dragons such a popular concept in mythology? What made people think of such a creature if it wasn't partially real? Hey, I would start with the Wiki article then discuss anything further if it has not been answered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clobhair-cean Posted April 16, 2012 #12 Share Posted April 16, 2012 If you're interested, go and get hold of the book The First Fossil Hunters: Paleontology in Greek and Roman Time by Adrienne Mayor, it's quite a brilliant piece of work about how fossils gave rise to or strengthened the belief in a lot of myths in Classical Antiquity, including dragons and sea serpents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyrant lizard Posted April 16, 2012 #13 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I think it was probably a mixed of fossil finds and boogyman stories. The old roman paleontologists probably found dinosaur bones and after examining them found them to be quite bird-like, and maybe this gave rise to myths like flying reptiles? I heard the cyclops myth came about after someone found an old elephant skull - enter giant one eyed monster... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myles Posted April 16, 2012 #14 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I think it was probably a mixed of fossil finds and boogyman stories. The old roman paleontologists probably found dinosaur bones and after examining them found them to be quite bird-like, and maybe this gave rise to myths like flying reptiles? I heard the cyclops myth came about after someone found an old elephant skull - enter giant one eyed monster... This is the most logical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DieChecker Posted April 16, 2012 #15 Share Posted April 16, 2012 (edited) Here's a typical Draconic Chronicler thread from 2007. Is the Biblical Yahweh actually a dragon? All of the evidence seems to say so. Reading the whole thread will be enlightening about dragons in general. Edited April 16, 2012 by DieChecker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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