Myths are not stories that are untrue. Rather, they are tales that don't fit neatly into the historical record, which serve as a foundation to a culture. Gather around the campfire, myth lovers!
Or, you know, your screens. Because today, we're going to try a little thought experiment. When I say the word, dragon, what do you think of?
You probably picture a serpent-like creature with clawed feet that flies, and has a long horse-like face. But some of you may be thinking of a terrifying monster and others an auspicious sign of good luck. So where do these disparate myths of a dragon come from?
Nearly every civilization on earth has dreamt up a creature we might call a dragon. From the Babylonian Mushkusu with its snake-like body and lion-like paws to the Egyptian serpent god Apep. the enemy of Ra who tries to cast the sun from the sky.
Dragons have been with us since the dawn of civilization. Though in fact, they actually predate what we often call civilization. For even older dragons can be found in the jade carvings and neolithic pottery of China. Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent of Aztec fame, was the dragon of Mesoamerica centuries before European sails appeared on their shores.
And the rainbow serpent of Aboriginal Australian faith is perhaps the oldest continuously venerated deity in the world. From the world serpent of Viking myth, to the venerable Japanese dragon, there's almost no part of the globe where we don't find dragon-like creatures. They appear in some of our earliest myths. They're one of the first things we as a species ever dreamt up. Either to frighten us, or to protect us.
To nurture the world, or destroy it. But why? Ophidiophobia, or fear of snakes, might be one reason. It's been shown. that human beings have a biological reaction to serpents, and our fear of them is atavistic and primal.
It exists deep below our conscious level in our amygdala. Show us a snake, and our internal alarm system starts to go off. It's why even if you aren't afraid of snakes, you might have felt your skin start to crawl, or get that tiny goosebump feeling prickling your arms when you see one or feel one slither over you.
But let's face it, a lot of folks are afraid of snakes. In fact, it's the single most common reported phobia, and statistically, more than a third of you right now have some fear of snakes. So with this ancient primal urge, it makes sense we'd create powerful creatures or deities out of serpents. Myths can form from manifestations of our subconscious, and here's one of our strongest subconscious triggers.
But there are other interesting answers too. Let's look at some of the distinguishing features of the dragon. A surprising number of cultures give the dragon an odd, non-serpentine head. From the horse-like head of the dragons of Western Europe, to the camel-like head of the dragons of China.
We often get... a facial structure on these beings wholly unlike what we'd think of on a snake. And if dragons are just manifestations of our fears, why not just adopt the image whole hog? Err, you know, serpent. Well, there's one theory that says it was dinosaurs.
More accurately, that it was fossils. As people around the world stumbled on the bones of these giant creatures, they naturally imagined what beings they might have come from. And not knowing what parts went where, it's easy to see Stegosaurus plates as huge scales, or look at a Triceratops skull.
and start giving things all manner of gnarly horns. Plus, early people not necessarily realizing that sometimes they'd see piles of bones from several different animals, they'd string together a fanciful creation. Even putting multiple heads on things like the dragons from Slavic myth or the famous Hydra.
And there's even some argument, though it's more of a hypothesis than anything remotely conclusive, that the different fossils around the world also help account for the variations in dragons. Though again, take that with a grain of salt. because it seems like there's just as much, if not more, evidence against that idea as for it.
Another theory though, favors our own predilection for telling tall tales. In a few go-rounds the campfire, it's easy for that crocodile that almost got you to go from being 10 feet long to being 30, sprouting wings and breathing flames. But of course, this is one of those hypotheses that feel right, but we'll never really be able to verify for sure. Next, there's whales.
A number of dragons, especially across Northern Europe and Asia, are associated with water. Seeing a whale leap could almost seem like flight, and seeing a whale launch a geyser as it surfaces for air could easily lead the imagination to the idea it might be able to breathe all sorts of elements in an explosive torrent. Interestingly though, wherever they came from, all of us around the globe interpret them in different ways. In Western Europe, dragons are often seen as evil, and even used as allegories for demons or the devil after Christianity became the dominant religion.
While in China, Dragons were seen as wise and benevolent, a symbol of good luck, strength, and prosperity. And of course these different reads on dragons directly affect our myths about them. For in Europe, stories evolved about heroes slaying dragons, while in China, stories were created about heroes descending from them or seeking them out to get their help. Now this next part is only my own personal pet theory, but I think this was at least a little bit, dare I say, political?
Whaaaaat? Politics and myths. Well, now they've ruined everything.
See, in ancient Greece and medieval Europe, where society is disunified, you get a lot of dragon stories. However, in the Roman period, you don't get as many. So to me, this is because in that chaotic world of local politics, you as a politician want to symbolize a dangerous enemy that will ravage the countryside.
Something that only a strong leader and their heroic retinue can defend you from. But in Rome, you of course don't want anything that could imply there were things out in the world that the state couldn't handle. And in China, with the Long, their version of the dragon, things went even a step further. By associating the dragon with wisdom and might well used, and then associating the Imperial House with the dragon, a myth cycle was created that reinforced the social order and helped encourage the idea of a wise and benevolent ruler.
Now again... That's wild speculation! And in fact, I'm not even 100% sure if I believe it, but it's always interesting to think of myths, not just on their own, but as a product of the societies that they came from.
What I find hard to believe is how these dragons could exist at all within the rules of physics and biology. Hey, hey! Julian from MinuteEarth! At my campfire?
Whoa! Good thing I brought extra animated marshmallows. Hey, listen, I'm so glad you're here. Because I was just thinking how some dragons throughout history might be considered more plausible than others. Exactly.
In fact, we could probably rank them by most realistic. I mean, Dragonite isn't going anywhere with those tiny wings. True.
Plus, I've never heard of a flying animal as giant as Drogon. Oh man, now I'm thinking of so many pop culture dragons. Let's head over to the Minute Earth channel and rank them.
Lead the way, good sir. Oh, and Zoe, could you please make Julian's marshmallows to go? Yeah, nice and crispy. Legendary thanks to patrons Kyle Murgatroyd and Ahmed Sead Turk.