Exploring The Truth Behind Dragons

Dragon. The very word itself brings to mind images of scaled beasts the size of 747’s, fire belching forth from many fanged jaws, and once famed knights meeting crisp and crunchy ends.

Warrior vs Dragon

Even in the age of reason and science, we still dream of dragons and their kin. But why do these magnificently angry flame breathing monsters persist to this day? Is there any truth behind the myths? Let's dig a bit deeper and learn more about our fiery, scaly friends...

Dragons In Cultures Across The World

As we can see in cultures worldwide, dragons persist in myths and legends from the very beginnings of storytelling itself. Even amongst peoples who have never had ancient contact or reasons to share in similar origin stories, dragons have rooted themselves deep in the minds of humans since time immemorial.

We all know that humans have faced similar struggles in evolution of culture, regardless of geographical location. We’ve faced drastic climate change, wild animals hunting us down as prey, and harsh and mysterious things that go bump on the night. And just like people do, we shared stories about it all.

In time, these stories blended together and formed the perfect adversary; one with big sharp dangerous teeth, claws bigger than a man was tall, wings as vast enough to cover the sky, and a fiery breath able to scorch anything, just as the final proverbial cherry on top.

Dragons were the ultimate predator, in both form and function, and the fact that they’ve persisted with us until now is positive proof of how awesome and impressive they are. But stories aside, is there any actual evidence that they may have really existed?

Evidence Of Dragons In The Fossil Record

For all you Paleontology nerds out there, please look away and cover your ears. Things are about to get weird. While we all know that what we've learned about dinosaurs as kids is pretty much all guesswork and theories, the possibility of what existed in the past is extraordinary. We'll never have a complete understanding of what has existed in the past.

So, why not the same for dragons? There are countless unidentified and incomplete bones and skeletons in museums around the world, who’s to say that we haven’t already found a piece of the puzzle, but will never come to know it? Keep that in the mind the next time you’re lucky enough to visit a museum and stare at a T-Rex skeleton. Now imagine it fighting a fire-breathing dragon in an epic battle to the death. Isn’t that awesome??

Dragonic Origins In Myth  

So, when exactly was the first story about a dragon told? Since we’re still learning a lot about the gap of human history between cavemen and Ancient Civilizations, I can’t tell you when the first myth of dragons was told, but I can share with you the earliest known legend.

According to Sumerian myth, the matriarch of the gods, named Tiamat, took the form of a massive dragon when she went to battle with her children. Picture a huge, Tolkien style fight, but in actual myth! When she was slain by her oldest son, Marduk, he used her flesh to create the earth, and her blood to make the oceans and rivers of our world. So, as you can imagine, she must have been one big dragon! And thanks to this story, we continue to tell tales of dragons and their kin in novels and books of our own even in modern times.

5 Infamous Dragons In Our Modern World

As I’ve said before, dragons persist to this day in stories of our own, and thanks to contemporary culture and modern media, their myth and legend can spread even quicker in our modern world. Here are five particularly famous dragons of importance in our own culture that you should definitely know about:

5. Tiamat (Dungeons & Dragons)

Art from dnd.wizards

Tiamat, the immensely powerful high queen of dragons

As mentioned before, she originally started off as mother of the gods in Sumerian myth, but made it as far as modern day in a whole other light! In the deep and lore ridden world of Dungeons & Dragons, Tiamat has become a goddess of chaos of sorts, taking the form of a dragon with five heads, one for each of the well know Chromatic Dragons found throughout the game. When summoned or found in the world, whether it be the tabletop RPG or one of the many digital games, she’s definitely a force to be reckoned with! So get your axes sharpened, swords drawn, and your daily spells refreshed. When Tiamat raises her heads, there’s chaos to be had!

4. Alduin (Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim)

Art by HughEdby

“He-who-flies-in-darkness, high king of all dovah, sovereign of open skies, firstborn of Akatosh, the world eater, prophesized overlord”

3. Deathwing (World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm)

Deathwing the Destroyer faces Thrall, once Warchief of the Horde

When I wake up in the morning, I demand coffee before I speak to anyone. When Deathwing wakes up, the world quakes and people die. If you know World Of Warcraft at all, and have enjoyed the legendary MMORPG in the last few years, you’ll remember when Blizzard released their forever game changing World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm, which literally changed landscapes and towns forever thanks to this baddie just waking up! One of the epic dragon aspects in the game, Deathwing is driven mad whilst being kept in the confines of the world for far too long. Imagine being cramped up in a basement closet with Justin Bieber playing in the background for six years straight. I’d be a little upset too. As the main and final boss in this expansion’s best raid, Deathwing is definitely still a personal favorite of mine!

2. Drogon, Viserion and Rhaegal (Game Of Thrones/A Song Of Ice And Fire)

Art by alexnegrea

“Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice.”

Now we’re moving into the literature and TV series section of things, and what a move it is! With three for the price of one even! As the last three of their kind in the world of George R.R. Martin, Drogon, Viserion and Rhaegal were named by the well known ‘Mother Of Dragons’, Daenerys Targaryen, for important male figures in her life. Needless to say, having a few dragons helps quite a bit! Fun fact: did you know that dragons in the world of Game Of Thrones can switch genders at will? So with three dragons left, looks like the species will survive after all! With the final couple of seasons drawing ever near, fans can’t wait to see what these fire breathing cuties bring to bear! And exactly how big they’ll get to boot!

1. Smaug (The Hobbit)

Art from tumblr

“My armor is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath death!”

And last, but definitely far from least, is the magnificent one himself, the grand catastrophe, the legendary Smaug! When Tolkien wrote his novel The Hobbit, he already knew that Smaug was bound to be a foundation for dragons for years to come. After overcoming a whole village, stomping flat a dwarf settlement, and just causing all kinds of chaos and mayhem all around, the big guy himself decided to just lie down in a massive pile of gold and confidently take a century long nap. When the main hero, Bilbo, is made to head into the old caverns and burgle best he can, he’s shivering in his britches. I don’t blame him at all: I wouldn’t want to have to try and reason with a hurricane made of fire! And that’s exactly what Smaug calls himself in his legendary boast: “My armour is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath death!” When it comes to dragons, Smaug is definitely the granddaddy of them all!

Whether you think they’re real, a good extended figment of our collective imagination, or just something really cool to face in a game, dragons are definitely here to stay. They will live on in our thoughts and minds for generations more to come, and fly on the winds of our dreams until the end of time. Long live the firebreathers. Long live the portents of chaos and nature. Long live our best enemies, and our brightest and bestest scaly friends: the dragons.

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