First, there appear to be no cultures that do not have dragons in their mythology. Even the Babylonians had Tiamat. Tiamat, the Five headed Evil Dragon, killed by Marduk.(a)

The Epic of Creation (Enuma Elish): Tablets IV-V

“Marduk came with his host to attack her. Qingu’s strategy initially confused him, and Tiamat tried to enspell him, hurling jibes at him. She was rebuffed and incited into single combat with Marduk. She continued to cast her spell and Marduk netted her, and threw a wind at her. She tried to swallow it and was undone - distended, shot, sliced in two and cut in the heart. Her crushed skull heralded her death, and half of her body was used to roof up the sky. Her eyes became the sources of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.” (Dalley pp. 249-257)

Dragons likely go back even further, but this is enough to give an idea that they have always been with us. They filtrate though our religions, art, symbols, every aspect of Human life has had some representation by a Dragon of some kind throughout the centuries.

“Dragons are memorialized in legends, historical accounts, and artwork from around the world. To name a few, there’s an Aboriginal depiction of a water monster that resembles a plesiosaur, an ancient historical account of serpents in Egypt with bat-like wings, the epic poem Beowulf with its account of a fiery flying serpent, and Native American petroglyphs (etchings in stone) that resemble dragons. Dragons are depicted on flags, emblems, tapestries, maps, pottery, pictographs, and more.” (b)

So where do they come from? Are they real, or imaginative? This is something that continues to pop up again and again, with so many answers and so many questions. One of the worst aspects of finding out, is not that they expand from connecting cultures that could be passed on, but from cultures that have had no dealings with any of the other cultures, and in different forms as well. Thus, it cannot be said to be a collective mythology, but separate and independent of its own with each culture.

It is possible that some of these “Dragons” came from creatures that were seen; like the Komodo dragons, or the occasional Dinosaur Bones or Skulls. After all, early man had no knowledge what a Dinosaur was, or when hefirst found a Komodo dragon with it size up to 10 feet long. So associations such as these could be very likely.

“There were also the occasional eyewitness accounts from sailors returning from Indonesia who reported encountering dragons - Komodo dragons, a type of monitor lizard - which can be aggressive, deadly, and reach 10 feet in length. Western scientists verified their existence around 1910, but rumors and stories of these fearsome beasts circulated long before that.” (c)

But what about the cultures that did not find such things? Well that is not exactly out of the question either. There is no continent on which dinosaur bones and skulls have not been found. Also, in every Continent there is some animal that could also inspire the myth. An Article by the Smithsonian Magazine has pointed this out as well, showing how researchers have found such evidence. (d)

So there are valid reasons for the belief in these creatures, but it is lacking evidence that the great mythological beast in all its glory ever actually existed. It is far more likely that it is all misconception of what early man found, and not what was actually there.

But what if there ever was such a creature? Would it have all the powers that the myths say they did? The fact is likely not, because man has a way of exaggerating about new creatures and this has been proven many times. Yet there are treatises from as far back as the 1st Century that talk of creatures found in India, Germany, France, and a few other places that were called Dragons.(e)

“The first century Greek historian Strabo, who traveled and researched extensively throughout the Mediterranean and Near East, wrote a treatise on geography. He explained that in India “there are reptiles two cubits long with membranous wings like bats, and that they too fly by night, discharging drops of urine, or also of sweat, which putrefy the skin of anyone who is not on his guard;” (Strabo, Geography: Book XV: “On India,” Chap. 1, No. 37, AD 17, pp. 97-98.)”

This explains the reason why such debates keep coming up on the validity of more than just the bones, but maybe some real creature that we have not found. Yet a new Dinosaur recently found; Dracorex hogwartsia, (f) a 66 million year old skull found in 2004, has all the looks of an actual Dragon skull; thus the name Dracorex. Draco Latin meaning Dragon, Rex Latin meaning King, looks just like one. If this skull had been found somewhere else by someone, it would literally be reason for a Dragon myth. Or if some had actually survived, say up to 4000 years ago. Although this is very doubtful, it is just that if a creature 65 to 70 million years ago could have looked like this, there will always be the possibility that something else could also. It is also worth the mention that the Dracorex hogwartsia was a herbivore.

Questions are likely to remain with us for as many centuries as they have been talked about, into our future if not longer. It is doubtful there will ever be one solid answer, but many that will all play a crucial role in the understanding of the myth and its origins.

But to think, if something did successfully exist once that looked like a Dragon, which spawned the belief in them, then maybe evolution could bring back something just as successful again with modifications for the modern age. Wouldn’t that be something to see?