Mythical, Mystical,
 ......Factual?



 

American Heritage Dictionary: drag-on (dr²g"…n) n. 1. A mythical monster traditionally represented as a gigantic reptile having a lion's claws, the tail of a serpent, wings, and a scaly skin.

Webster's Dictionary: drag.on \'drag-en\ n dracon-,draco serpent,dragon, [fr.GK drakon;akin to OE torht bright,Gk derkesthai to see,look at] 1 archaic: a huge serpent 2:a fabulous animal usually represented as a monstrous winged and scaly serpent or saurian with a crested head and enormous claws.

Tormont Illustrated Encyclopedia: drag'en n. 1. a. A fabulous monster, represented usually as a gigantic reptile breathing fire and having a lion's claws, the tail of a serpent, wings and scaly skin. b. A figure or other representation of this creature. 2. Archaic. A large snake or serpent [Middle English drago(u)n, from Old French dragon, from Latin draco (stem dracon-), dragon, serpent, from Greek drakon, serpent]

Various resources such as books and the internet, were used in my research. Including Here Be Dragons! one especially grand web site. Note: A check on 4/16/00 found that the Here be Dragons web site no longer exist.
 

First off lets take a quick look at the dragons that exist today. We have.....
Water dragons A small lizard that is popular as a pet.
Komodo dragons Not discovered until 1912, Komodo dragons are the largest known lizard today, reaching lengths of 10 feet, and 150 pounds.
Dragonflies We all know what a Dragonfly is, but we also have proof that in the Jurassic period, these creatures were as big as seagulls.
Snapdragon flowers Probably get their name from the way they look, a red mouth with a gaping yellow throat.
Draco This is a Constellations in the sky, shaped like a dragon.

Many also think that flying dinosaurs such as Archaeopteryx and Pterosaurs may have existed as little as a couple of centuries ago and could have been interpreted as dragons.

Though here I will mostly be discussing Western Dragons (the big, scalely, winged, fire breathing dragons), there are many others in our history that should be noted as well. They are.....

Amphiptere A winged and feathered serpent god of Mexican history. This myth may be linked to the Quetzal, a bird with long tail feathers that looks like a serpent when in flight.

Amphisbaena Originating in Africa, this was a two headed dragon (one at the front, and one on the end of its tail). The front head would hold the tail (or neck as the case may be) in its mouth, creating a circle that allowed it to roll.

Drake Very similar to the Western Dragon but wingless.

Eastern Portrayed as good, kind, and intelligent. Oriental Dragons have the most recorded history in the world


 

Faerie This is a very rare breed (as if the other aren't), there has been very few reports of the Faerie Dragon. They were vegetarians and only grew to 1 - 5 feet in length.

Hydra Hercules made it famous remember? An 8 headed dragon (6-9 historically), and with each head that was cut off two would grow back in its place. Herc finally figured out that by burning the stump it would stop growing more heads.

Lindworm/Lindorm History tells us that the Lindworm (or Lindorm) was discovered by Marco Polo while crossing Central Asia. He described them as, "Swifter than it looks. Easily able to take down a man on a galloping horse."

Naga The history of these dragons come from India. They are said to have had a human head with a serpent body and worked for the gods as patrons of water and clouds.

Ouroboros A dragon that devours its own tail, weird huh? Nevertheless it is first seen as early as 1600 years BC in Egypt.

Sea Serpent Loch Ness Monster, Nessie, call them what you will but ever since man has been sailing on boats, sea serpents have been in history.

Wyrm Having originated in England, these creatures were said to have laired anywhere near water.

Wyvern A winged dragon with only two legs and a poisonous stinger on its tail. Though they have a vague European history, Wyvern's have been symbolized on shields and banners for hundreds of years. Want to see a Wyvern? Rent the movie 'Dragonslayer'.

Dragons are the most fierce creatures ever thought to exist. They have huge scales and long sharp teeth and claws. Many have wings and breath fire. The legend of dragons is nearly as old as time it's self, and this fantastic creature is more widely known then any other mystical creature thought to have existed. Ask anyone, anywhere, male or female, young or old, and nearly all will be able to describe a dragon with a fair amount of detail. Could it possibly be that dragons did in fact exist? Well lets look at the facts, shall we?

Tales of dragons are found in the most ancient text, they've been detailed on the most ancient of pottery and walls of Egyptian tombs. Dragons were also spoke of many times in the bible. Where?..........