Dragons, Naga and Bakunawa...

Titus Pullo · 20th January 2006, 05:19 AM

Dragons are inspired by the reptiles in the crocodilian family. This comprises of the alligators, crocodiles, caimans, and ghareals. When Europeans went to Africa and saw the huge Nile crocodiles, they came up with the myth of dragons when describing to other fellow Europeans. The early drawings seem to represent the real crocodiles, but later, people started adding wings, and so forth, and pretty soon they were breathing fire!

[laugh!] The Chinese also have myths and legends involving dragons, no surprise, because Chinese alligators (a very closed cousins of the American alligators) were once wide spread throughout China. They were hunted to the brink of extinction, but are now being extensively bred in captivities, in China. And crocs are also very common in South and Southeast Asia, which come in different species and size (ranging from the gigantic salt water crocodiles to the mean man-eating Indian muggers and Siamese crocodiles).

BSMStar · 20th January 2006, 02:10 PM

In North America, the Plains Indians had flying dragons! And they did not look anything like a croc or an alligator (usually like Pterodactyls, but not always).

In fact, I was unaware that dragon myths were native to North America before the Europeans came over until I saw this show.

The scientist interviewed were trying too use dinosaur fossils and fossil foot prints as the reason for the myths (in North America and most locations... for example: dragon bones in China are fossils)... but it was amazing the similarities that all dragons have (different structures like scales)... that are not in fossils, but are guessed at today by scientist.

20th January 2006, 02:10 PM	#2
BSMStar Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Kansas City, MO USA Posts: 312	Dragon inspiration In North America, the Plains Indians had flying dragons! And they did not look anything like a croc or an alligator (usually like Pterodactyls, but not always). In fact, I was unaware that dragon myths were native to North America before the Europeans came over until I saw this show. The scientist interviewed were trying too use dinosaur fossils and fossil foot prints as the reason for the myths (in North America and most locations... for example: dragon bones in China are fossils)... but it was amazing the similarities that all dragons have (different structures like scales)... that are not in fossils, but are guessed at today by scientist.

20th January 2006, 05:19 AM	#1
Titus Pullo Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 123	Dragons are inspired by the reptiles in the crocodilian family. This comprises of the alligators, crocodiles, caimans, and ghareals. When Europeans went to Africa and saw the huge Nile crocodiles, they came up with the myth of dragons when describing to other fellow Europeans. The early drawings seem to represent the real crocodiles, but later, people started adding wings, and so forth, and pretty soon they were breathing fire! [laugh!] The Chinese also have myths and legends involving dragons, no surprise, because Chinese alligators (a very closed cousins of the American alligators) were once wide spread throughout China. They were hunted to the brink of extinction, but are now being extensively bred in captivities, in China. And crocs are also very common in South and Southeast Asia, which come in different species and size (ranging from the gigantic salt water crocodiles to the mean man-eating Indian muggers and Siamese crocodiles).