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The Dragon has played an important
part in myths and religions since
pre-historic times. The history of
dragons goes back at least six thousand
years, and there are dragon tales
and legends from every continent except
Antarctica. In almost every culture,
and all throughout history, there
are stories of these mythical and
magical creatures called dragons.
Different people have various theories
of why so many cultures developed
such a long lasting belief in dragons;
however, none can actually be proven.
Many believe that dragons were what
we now call dinausaurs. It may be
that dragon stories partly grew out
of people finding dinosaur bones.
The thought is that when dragon bones
were dug up later, they were given
the new classification of dinosaur.
Many evolutionists believe that dinosaurs
became extinct millions of years before
man walked the planet, while others
claims dispute this. It is said that
dinosaur fossils, which have been
discovered along with human footprints
and remains, add proof to the ancient
people's history of dragons. Others
feel that people forgot that dragons
were ever real, and quickly faded
into mythology.
In almost every culture and all throughout
history there are stories of these
magical creatures called dragons.
Later, in Europe these dragons in
art forms were thought to be real
life animals rather than symbols of
evil.
Throughout many cultures, dragons
may have appeared different, but they
have always retained the same basic
core elements. When most people think
of dragons they generally think of
fire breathing monsters, but originally
dragons were usually connected with
water. To the ancient Chinese, dragons
were not creatures of fire, as so
many would think, but rather creatures
of water. The dragon of the Chinese
resided in rivers, lakes, pools and
rose in great clouds of mist to promote
rainfall. In earlier Mideast stories,
the dragons are most often associated
with water and wisdom. Historians
use this conection with water to distinguish
dragons from other mythical animals.
While the east feels that the dragon
is a divine, mythical creature that
brings good fortune, prosperity and
bounty, western dragons are viewed
differently. They are connected to
the element fire, and they fling their
colossal tails about, and viciously
create destruction. The contrary views
of the east and the west indicate
opposing views where humans viewed
dragons as a symbols of wisdom and
peace, or symbols of chaos and evil.
Neither would disagree that dragons
were viewed as powerful creatures.
This, along with the wide variance
in the physical description of dragons,
contributes to confusion in the definition
of a dragon.
The humans revered the dragons, some
clans even calling them gods. Hence,
dragons were held in high regard,
and their images kept and worn, to
win their approval. Originally, it
was believed that dragons were the
ones who talked directory to the Gods.
It was also thought at this time that
earthquakes were caused by battles
between dragons and gods. In history,
many different cultures began to adopt
the idea of gods fighting with dragons
to restore order.
The dragon may be ancient, but it
remains as influential today as it
did four thousand years ago. Today,
the popularity of fantasy, and such
role-playing games as Dungeons and
Dragons, means that dragon figurines
are a hot commodity.
Online stores promoting dragon items
have popped up including http://www.dragon-gifts.com
About the Author:
Francesca Black has long been a fan
of dragons with Dragon Gifts http://www.dragon-gifts.com
and http://www.mystical-creatures.com
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