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Dragons are mythological creatures that have been
represented in many of the stories and ancient histories of
most of the countries of the world. Even the Bible has
dragons in it. But although there are many stories about
these mythical creatures there has been no proof that they
actually did exist.
Dragons have many myths attached to them. Some dragons have
been depicted as being hoarders of vast collections of gold
and precious items. Others ravaged the landscape and made
life generally miserable for the humans who tried to live
alongside of them. Some are said to have been powerful and
benevolent, bestowing knowledge and gifts upon humankind.
Then there are the dragons that slumber for centuries,
usually in the depths of some mountain, to awaken at a time
of world cataclysm to either wreak havoc or rescue the
world, depending on the story.
The dragons that are depicted as hoarders of gold are often
one and the same as the ravagers. An example is in the
popular book "The Hobbit," written by John Ronald Reuel
Tolkien, in which, when the hobbit took some of the dragon's
gold, the dragon set fire to the nearby human town as
revenge.
Most of the time dragons are depicted as intelligent if they
belong to the hoarders or the benevolent types. The ravagers
are more often displayed as giant reptiles that have no
intelligence and a lot of killer instinct.
There are other myths attached to dragons and other types of
large mythical reptiles. Some are sages that help humankind
as in the Chinese traditions. Everything about the eastern
dragon is considered to be sacred and therefore blessed.
The European dragons are more ravagers and there was even a
myth that if you managed to slay one, gifts would be
bestowed upon you - not only from the people you rescued
from the dragon and the horde of gold that the dragon
possessed but also from the dragon's body itself.
For example, a popular myth is that if you eat the heart of
a dragon you can then hear and understand
bird language.
Another is that if you rub dragon's blood upon your skin
your skin will then turn away knives and you will be
protected from being stabbed. Another is about eating the
tongue of a dragon. You then can win any argument with
words.
There have been and still are many tales and beliefs
attached to this mythical creature. Some would say that they
did actually exist if not in the present then certainly in
the past. And others wish to this day that they did still
exist, because of the magic and fantasy that surrounds them.
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