Dragon Origins Explained; Here Are Myths, Facts, and Fossil Records

Dragons hold a strong presence in fairy tales and stories of old, which have resulted in many questioning whether they ever existed. As such, there have been fossils that support certain legends that closely relate to a dragon.

Legend of Dragons

Dragons are often referred to as mythical beasts which originate from snakes but evolved into flying monsters capable of breathing fire and terrorizing humans. Nobody knows the origin of dragons scientifically, but they've long been mentioned in legends.

Some of the early mentions of dragons was in a medieval legend, wherein a wingless dragon called lindwurm was found around the town of Klagenfurt in Austria. The legend shared how the dragon would eat anyone attempting to cross the marsh, leading to a local duke funding a stone tower to be built in the swamp.

Upon the completion of the tower, the locals were able to fish for the dragon from the safety of the tower and eventually, they were able to capture the beast. During this time in history, dragons were described as being closer to a water snake.

In 1287, the dragon evolved into having a wolf's head, bird's body, and snake's tail. Throughout the course of a few centuries, the dragon then grew legs and gained the ability to fly and breathe fire.

Scientific Traces of Dragons

Some people found a fossilized skull around the 16th century which they belived to belong to a dragon. However, later analysis of the skull revealed that it actually came from a wooly mammoth but the confusion had led to more myths about dragons.

Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian, previously wrote about fossils which suggested that Egypt was once underwater. There was also descriptions of bones coming from winged serpents, which closely resemble the description of dragons.

Adrienne Mayor, a Stanford University classic folklorist and historian, said that the idea of dragons and mythical creatures could've come from fossil findings of even more ancient creatures. She wrote a book called The First Fossil Hunters which talked about the fossils of dinosaurs, mammoths, and other animals that are now extinct.

Dragon Figures

History has many references to dragon-like creatures in different cultures around the world. These include the Egyptians, which mentioned Apep or Apophis in the 8th Dynasty, around BC2181 to BC 2160.

Apop and Apophis is a giant serpentine creature which lived in the realm of the dead. Apep was born from Ra's umbilical cord and engaged in long duels with Ra.

In Iranian and Persian Zoroastrian culture, dragons were known as Aži Dahāka, which translated to "Avestan Great Snake." This creature was described as snake-like but gigantic.

In Roman culture, the dragon was also used as a military standard of cohort. While the draco was the symbol for the cohort, the Romans used the eagle, or aquila, as the symbol for the legion.

China also had long descriptions of dragons dating back BC 6200 to BC 5400 during the Xinglongwa culture. They were known to accompany gods and demigods and were used as a symbol of strength.

Check out more news and information on Environment and Climate in Science Times.