Dragon

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Artist's impression.
Gather 'round the campfire for

 Folklore 

RW Folklore Template 2.png
My grandmum used to say....

Dragons are legendary creatures that resemble over-sized lizards, snakes, or crocodiles, but with occasional extra limbs,[1] and the ability to fly, and are thought to have other special powers such as the ability to breathe fire. Evidence of dragons' existence has never surfaced[citation NOT needed] except in mythology, legend, fantasy novels, and the imaginations of some cryptozoologists, but there exists a subculture which believes in them. There is also a subculture who thinks they are dragons or identifies with them in a similar manner as furry fandom. There is a rather larger subculture which knows they do not exist but deeply wishes they did.

The seemingly worldwide nature of dragon myths has led some people to engage in some truly bizarre speculation about the origins of humanity, or about "species memory" and such like. Some animals have been named after the dragon, like the leafy sea dragon, dragonfly, and komodo dragon.

Some YEC's have claimed that the existence of dragons in various human mythologies is evidence for humans and dinosaurs co-existing. Using the same reasoning they presumably also believe in fairies and trolls. Saner heads, most notably historian Adrienne Mayor[wp], have proposed a more sensible hypothesis on the dinosaur-dragon connection, namely that dragons and other legendary creatures may have been inspired by the fossil remains of prehistoric animals.

Villagers in modern day Henan province in China, have been grinding dinosaur fossils for use in traditional Chinese medicine. The bones have been ground up into tea for decades; a practice recorded to have occurred with ancient peoples across the world. When asked why so many Chinese still believe in dragons, China's premier dinosaur hunter responded: How many Americans still don't believe in evolution?[2]

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[edit] External links

[edit] Footnotes

  1. Normal lizards have four limbs — they are tetrapods. Some dragons, like the one on the Welsh flag to the right, have four limbs plus two wings, making six limbs. Other dragons may have only four (i.e. wyverns have two legs and two wings; Chinese dragons and their variants have no wings and usually four legs).
  2. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/070713-china-dinos.html
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