Interestingly enough, dragons have different general structures and scale types depending on the continent of origin. The dragon is believed to have originated in Ancient Greece. The name dragon came from the Greek word δράκων (Drakon). The first mentioning of a dragon is the three-headed hydra in the biographical and historical poem, The Iliad by Homer.
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| European Cliff Side |
European dragons began to appear in journals and accounts of English explorers. These dragons were depicted as having large wings and living in cliff sides and underground in caves. However, no dragons at this time were seen breathing fire or any material for that matter.
In China, artists depicted dragons as long, snake-like lizards, sometimes with very small wings. These artists viewed the dragons first-hand, often painting them as with still nature. Some even reported that the dragons stood solid in one place as if they knew the art was historically crucial. Japanese dragons are very similar to the Chinese dragons; so similar in fact, that Chinese artists accused the Japanese of stealing their dragons. Some even asserted that Japanese artists copied the Chinese paintings and added minor details.
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| The Hungarian Horntail |
In addition, the autobiographical Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling features many dragons, even the formerly undiscovered Hungarian Horntail dragon. These novels along with personal accounts by Mrs. Rowling herself have served to qualify the existence of dragons in recent court cases.
As a closing note, I recommend the movie featured below. It is the first-person account of an encounter with modern day dragons.
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| Dragon Wars |
-Ezra Sharpe
