Essay About American Astronomer And Pervasiveness Of Dragon Myths

Dragon Case
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It is not certain or proven that dragons were to have existed, yet they are known in the history of almost every region of the world. It could be that these legends were created from a local superstition. However, it is known that nearly every human culture had similar stories, even though these groups were separated by culture, language and distance. An American astronomer, Carl Sagan, once argued, “The pervasiveness of dragon myths in the folk legends of many cultures is probably no accident” (The Dragons of Eden). Every group has their own idea of what a dragon is and has their own stories. For medieval dragons, there are many similar qualities derived through comparing the various legends told throughout this era. The word dragon is derived from the Greek word “draco” meaning serpent, which is reflective of how European Medieval dragons were portrayed (The Aberdeen Bestiary). Common traits among medieval legends depict the dragon as a personification of evil, a fire breathing, scaly serpent-like creature with wings like bats and a long serpent tail that kills anything it can coil. Jorge Luis Borges, author of The Book of Imaginary Beings, describes dragons as a combination of nine creatures: “horns resemble those of a red deer, the head to a camel, its eyes to a demon, their neck to a serpent, its belly to a sea animal, its grudges to a fish, their claws to an eagle, their feet to a tiger, and their ears to an ox” (The Book of the Imaginary Beings). They are said to live in remote caves and dungeons, underground lairs, or in castles where they hoard the treasure that a hero awaits to seek.