Dragons: Where Did They Come From?

Dragons have captivated people with their imposing appearance, ability to fly and breathe fire, and their tendency to be the biggest bad asses around. Appearing as both vessels of mass destruction and benevolent guardians full of wisdom, dragons have had a close relationship with us for a long time. The most interesting thing about dragons is the similarities that they have throughout the world. Separated by thousands of years and miles, the image of dragons tends to be the same wherever you go. Large serpentine bodies covered in thick scales accompanied by massive wingspans and, of course, the ability to breathe fire.  Both Western and Eastern mythologies have the same images of dragons, so how did these images come to be so similar? It certainly isn’t a complete coincidence that all of these cultures throughout time carry this image so what’s the physical connection?

Photo via makinggameofthrones.com

One of the popular theories behind the origin of dragons goes back to our predecessors on Earth: dinosaurs. Dinosaurs, especially carnivorous ones like the T-Rex, share many qualities with dragons. It is possible that people in past civilizations, long before archaeologists began giving dinosaurs names and categorizations, stumbled upon some dinosaur bones and believed them to be dragon bones. Crocodiles and other large reptiles have also been claimed to be the origin of dragon stories. While these theories would explain much of the physicality of dragons, is it not enough to attribute everything about the dragon myth to dinosaur bones and reptiles.

The personalities of dragons differs from myth to myth, but the most popular depiction of dragons in Western culture is the bringer of absolute destruction and death. Many a dragon have been the doom of heroes and regular folk alike. This depiction of dragon comes from a term called chaoskampf which is German for “struggle against chaos.” This motif is present in just about every Western and Near Eastern (Babylon, Sumeria, etc) mythology, where a hero or god takes on some kind of monster that threatens the existence of said God or the world that the hero lives in. Some examples include the Nordic god Thor battling the monster Jörmungandr, Zeus and his fight with Typhon, and even Beowulf and his struggle with the dragon. These stories have given dragons their malevolent disposition in pop culture. Dragons represent everything we fear: fire that destroys absolutely, hard skin that human creations cant affect, and the only predator capable of easily taking all of us as prey. Not to mention the serpent has always been an image of negativity in all of the world’s religion so that gives the dragon a further evil presence

The Eastern perception of dragons is much different. Dragons are revered in Chinese culture and considered to be the animal highest on the hierarchy. The dragon is a symbol of power, wisdom and good luck in the old Chinese dynasties, where the emperor would often use the dragon as the image of his power. In the Taoist belief of Yin and Yang, the dragon is the representative of yang, while the phoenix, another mythical creature, represents yin. In Japan, dragons are a part of many Buddhist and Shito temples, where they act as elder protectors and water gods. The physical description of Eastern dragons differs from the Western legends. Instead of wings, Chinese and Japanese dragons have very long bodies and are more snake like. They also don’t breathe fire, but instead are associated more with water.

Dragons have always been around in literature from around the world, bringing terror or wisdom wherever they went, depending on which part of the world you come from. They have captivated audiences and are still a significant part of our culture.  Even with all of the variations of origins, dragons from all over have succeeded in one thing: representing the highest form of power. Whether its destructive force or a benevolent one, dragons will always have a place in our world, even though they themselves do not exist, physically at least.