All about Dragons
Do you believe in dragons? Not surprisingly, there are a large number of people out there who do. But the interest in dragons is not a new phenomenon. Although books, like the Harry Potter or Neverending Story series, have sparked a renewed interest in dragon lore, in truth, there are references to dragons in almost every culture that go back in history as far as biblical times. Notable examples include: the dragon on the flag of Wales, the dragon as a symbol of Satan seen throughout literature that was based on Scripture, and the "feathered serpent" of Aztec mythology which was thought to be a god named.
The type of dragon that most Westerners are familiar with is the one that has a scaly, lizard-like or snake-like appearance, four feet, and wings. They can range in size from something smaller than a cat (like the fire lizards mentioned in Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series) to a creature big enough to ride. There have even been dragons mentioned in literature that are closer in size to the biggest dinosaurs (who haven’t heard of the epic battle between St. George and the Dragon?). In recent history (probably due to mistakes made by those in the movie industry), creatures that are true dragons have often been confused with another creature known in old writings as a “wyvern” which has no forepaws. Like a pterodactyl, they have only back claws and no front paws to walk on, but rather have their wings located where the front shoulders should be.
The Eastern dragon, unlike its Western cousin, though also able to fly, does not have wings. Its ability to fly comes instead from its divine or magical nature. The dragon that appeared in the Neverending Story sagas is a good visual representation of the dragon that is known as a "luck dragon" in the Chinese culture. They were thought to be bringers of good fortune, and like their Japanese counterparts, the sky dragon, were thought to be of celestial origin.
When one most often thinks of the colour of dragons, red is associated with it due to a reference in the Bible in the Book of Revelations which speaks of a red dragon that will come at the end of the world and is a symbol to represent Satan. It appears that much of our Western lore concerning dragons was based on this passage, which explains the difference in the way that people in the West and East view dragon kind.
In recent years there has been some speculation among scientific and historical experts as to whether or not references in literature of dragons were, in actuality, a reference to dinosaurs which had survived into more modern eras. Although controversial, the experts cite the discovery of the coelacanth (a fish thought to have died out in prehistoric times) in the 1950s as a possible proof that dinosaurs might have survived as late as into the Middle Ages before dying out. Recently, one team of scientists even went so far as to apply what is known about dinosaur biology to hypothesize about what dragons may have been like had they actually existed. The resulting special, using modern animation techniques like CGI, has played over the last few years on the channels dedicated to scientific topics and which are available by subscriptions on cable or dish.
So if you believe in dragons, you're in good company. Just remember: don't mess with dragons for you are tasty, and would make a good dragon snack, especially when dipped in chocolate!
This is an original news article © The Kids Window
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