Did Dragons Ever Exist?

[sylenzednuke 0]

Recently on Discovery Channel there was a show hosted all week long, "DRAGONS : Fantasy Made Real" where they actually showed us a nonCG, real life skeleton or rather frozen body of an dragon and various things about other species like mountain dragons, forest dragons and even sea dragons, why did they extinct and from where did so many types of dragons came into existence, it was a pretty brilliant show.Maybe if you guys can, try to watch that show it was really informative and cool.As per my opinion, I do think dragons existed because there have been numerous carvings and paintings about dragons not only in China or someparts of my country but even the roman empire.And I think main reason for dragons to become extinct were humans, I mean fire was their weapon and we consider fire as our greatest discovery! You see a pattern over there, they say fire helped our existence. So I think their own weapon became the reason for their own extinction. This is just what I think.

[Saint_Michael 3]

Alothough it might have been mentioned but the reason dragons exsist is that no one knew what they discovered when they first saw them and that is dinosaur bones.So most conclusions are simplefied to the point that the bones that where discovered were most likly Pterodactyls or something close to that so dargons are nothing more the myth.But if they do exsist well they must be intelligent enough to stay away from humans cause we most likly hunt them down and make them extinct.

[sylenzednuke 0]

Dinosaurs even the flying ones (Parodactyles) had only four limbs but this skeleton had "6" limbs and that is proof enough that those were no the bones of any dinosaur.And first of all it wasn't mere skeleton, the wings, the muscles, event he heart was still there, and they found the broken piece of an prehistoric human tool somewhere in her (The dinosaur was a juvenile female.) heart.So I think they really did exist and mankind led them to their extinction!

[Snoopy354 0]

I think there was a skeleton found of what looked like a dragon... some creature that was able to fly... and even spit fire I think...

[bhavesh 0]

Recently on Discovery Channel there was a show hosted all week long, "DRAGONS : Fantasy Made Real"

I have also seen that, it was quite informative and interesting.

As per my opinion, I do think dragons existed because there have been numerous carvings and paintings about dragons not only in China or someparts of my country but even the roman empire.

I also belive that, there must had been some dragon sort of thing in past. Because as Falak (sylenzednuke) has said there are cave paintings and I belive that people in past don't draw anything which doesn't exists and is only in there imagination. If you see those painting all the characters they have made do exists then, why not dragons.
Extinct Theory:
If you try to find out the extinct theory, then humans should be the main reason. Because two gaints can not life in this earth together. Charles Darwin's theory comes into play "Survival of the fittest". Humans must have tried to make them pet or tried to restrict there movement to a limited boundary (like tigers, lions), but they fail they might have started killing them.

This might be one of the possibility, who knows.

[Kryptonite 0]

And dragons didn't necessarily exist because a lot of cultures wrote about it, it may just be a commonly-imagined mythical creature (like dwarves and elves).

Many cultures wrote about them thats a fact. O and by the way dwarves and elves do exist havnt you seen the little peopl who re about knee height and 30 yrs old walking the streets. And The folks with really pointy ears.
I am a big believer of Dragons. I mean if they werent real in this time or the next we would not be talking bout them right now.
But i do believe they existed and still do.

[sylenzednuke 0]

Extinct Theory:If you try to find out the extinct theory, then humans should be the main reason. Because two gaints can not life in this earth together. Charles Darwin's theory comes into play "Survival of the fittest". Humans must have tried to make them pet or tried to restrict there movement to a limited boundary (like tigers, lions), but they fail they might have started killing them.

Well I do agree with Bhavesh regarding the implementation of Darwin's theory here. Well I do believe that Humans came to know about Dragons because of their ability to spit fire and this fire might have been used to humans themselves to advance and kill the dragons.
I even agree with Kryptonite regarding dwarves and elves, I mean my neighbour in my old society was a dwarf, it is just that, those "strange" people were portraied as something different in many cultures but they might have been normal as they are today even in those times.

[AnGeL KiSS 0]

Lol....... I've always thought dragons were just some story. The closest thing somewhat related to dragons I would believe that exsisted are dinosaurs.

[jedidog 0]

The worldwide literature and appearances of dragons in many different cultures, stories, poetry, illustrations, art, architecture cannot be simply coincidence. To be dismissed as simply a fantasy creature does not consider that for all myths and legends there is some truth behind it, albeit a more dilute version. Never the less, by the very instances of so many dragon encounters worldwide, and historically accounts it appears that there may be some truth to the argument that dragons existed. If we consider the extinction of the tasmanian wolf, the dodo and the great auk it could be argued that dragons are too big to have simply vanished, but if we look at the literature, dragons appear in many cultures up to the 13th century. Consider then that over time many creature have become extinct, often by hunting, it could be that dragons were hunted to extinction. Add to this the similarity of dragons to dinosaurs and we may start to see some credibility to the case. Perhaps not so far as great winged beasts but again looking at early diagrams of the rhino and elephant and how fantastic they appear. The bggest problem is that the evidenceis circumstantial, there is no concrete proof, we have no bones, skin , teeth, footprints,ect (or if we do it is attributed to dinosaurs) yet, it cannot be ignored that dragons appear so widely across so many cultures and globally. So, did they ever exist? I think yes, perhaps not as thetraditional imagery but perhaps as large lizards ratherlike the komodo dragons?

[zetasextantis 0]

While the most logical theory seems to be that these 'dragons' are just myths sprouting from dinosaur bones found in the past, in actuality European "dragon bones" have all turned out to be from mammals that recently went extinct in the last glaciation. Cave bear bones were constantly thought to be dragons, and a village in Germany had a "dragon" skull on display that was actually a whooly rhino's.In China, all thier "dragon bones" seem to come from marine reptiles, which would explain why the Chinese dragons are serpentine in appearance.As of now, there is no confirmed dragon bones that were in actuality dinosaur bones. Still based off extinct creatures, just not dinosaurs as most people would think.

[sylenzednuke 0]

Well, on the show that was aired in my country (please check above posts by me for further details) didn't showcase any skeletons technically they were carbonized skin and tissues, even the heart was intact.And please how many times do I have to mention the fact about the number of limbs, no other (big) animal had more than 4 limbs, not even those flying dragons, but this one had and it also had his tail in the shape of a fin, some might say and thats because after the K2 event, all dragons and dinosaurs except for the dragons under water (aquadragons) became extinct and from these water-dragons came more and diverse species of dragons like mountainous ones and forest dragons too. Basically the Chinese dragons are forest dragons.Check my posts some some special indications showing that humans were the sole reason for the extinction of the stage 2 dragons.

[iGuest 3]

I have just been researching up on this through interest and for dargons actually existing, I do think that they are manipulated from actually being dinosaurs but as for breathing fire, there is a species of beetle that can spit 200'see liquid from the mouth, dragons may not be that far off the mark.-Lucy

[iGuest 3]

Hello, my name is samantha and I want to say that I have all ways bielived in dragons so I want to say that they do exist! if you type in dragons on google and go onto page five where you will see a skull!! that will prove the inocence over them and that they do exist![note=Approved by BH][/note]

[Joshua 0]

I believe the world is much younger than the theory of evolution suggests, therefore, dinosaurs and humans once co-existed. I think the dragon legends found worldwide are simply proof for that. There are native american dragon legends, legends in Africa, legends in China, and legends in Europe.

And an early poster said the Catholic Church would've mentioned dragons if they existed, but didn't. They must not know much about dragon lore, or they'd know some of the best known dragon stories are from Medieval Europe and associated with Catholicism, such as Saint George and the Dragon.

And no, I'm not a fan of Catholicism, just of the Bible, but I wanted to point out the inaccuracy. And speaking of which, there's a perfectly good description of dragons to be found in Job ch. 41:

Job 41:1 Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? 2 Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?
3 Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee?
4 Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?
5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?
6 Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants?
7 Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears?
8 Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more.
9 Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?
10 None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me?
11 Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.
12 I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion.
13 Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double bridle?
14 Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about.
15 His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.
16 One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.
17 They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered.
18 By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
19 Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out.
20 Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.
21 His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.
22 In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.
23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.
24 His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone.
25 When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves.
26 The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.
27 He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.
28 The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble.
29 Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear.
30 Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire.
31 He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.
33 Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.
34 He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.

The dragon is called here 'leviathan'. The Hebrew word is probably closer to 'livyathan', but oh well. Verse 12 speaks of its prodigious size, verses 15-17 say it has air-tight scales, verses 18-21 leave no doubt that it breathes fire, numerous verses including 25-29 express its ability to withstand human warfare, and verses 30-32 tell of it dwelling deep within the sea. However, nowhere is it said to be capable of flight.

Here are 2 other interesting references in the Bible to this dragon, or leviathan:

Psalms 104:25 So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. 26 There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.
27 These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat [food] in due season.

Isaiah 27:1 In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.

I think dragons, or leviathans, are simply a reptile species capable of creating fire or something very similar. If Bombardier Beetles have a way of doing something so similar, I figure another, larger animal species could as well. After all, it would be a lot easier for the much larger dragons to contain the fire-making apparatus needed than those small little beetles, but the beetles can do it.

And just as there are varieties of dogs, or cats, or beetles according to micro-evolution, I would guess there are different varieties of dragons. I think the different kinds of plesiosaurs are just dragon species that lived alongside man from the beginning. Some may have now died off or been hunted down, but some still exist deep in the sea. I think that explains a lot of the dino species.

And of the giant land dinosaurs, many would fit the behemoth mentioned in Job ch. 40, just one chapter earlier, that speaks of a gigantic animal which attempts to "drink up rivers", has a tail like a cedar tree (no land animal today comes close to that, but it would fit perfectly the ancient brachiosaurs), is an herbivore, and is said to have its strength concentrated in its belly.

Job 40:15 Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox. 16 Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly.
17 He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.
18 His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron.
19 He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.
20 Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play.
21 He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens.
22 The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.
23 Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.
24 He taketh it with his eyes: his nose pierceth through snares.

I believe the Bible refers to many species by their type, rather than coming up with names for all the minor variations. In other words, rather than speaking of certain kinds of rabbits, it just uses rabbits to refer to them all for the most part. Rather than speaking of all kinds of dogs, it just uses one term for the most part to refer to them all. Likewise, with the dinosaurs it makes sense to use just a few terms to refer to the overall species, many of which would fit under those two names of behemoth and leviathan. One for the huge land-dwelling sauropods with long necks and huge bellies, and the other for the finned, water-dwelling reptiles. Furthermore, as for size variations, isn't it possible others could've simply been younger versions of the same species?

I think such a view explains why so many different cultures have legends of creatures very similar to the dinosaurs, with only a few exceptions. The dragons tend to be scaled and breathe fire. I am interested in seeing what kind of water dinosaurs might have been scaled, and in keeping an eye out for proof of that in the coming years.

There is one more interesting reference to dragons in the Bible I'd like to share:

Psalms 74:12 For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. 13 Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.
14 Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
15 Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers.
16 The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.
17 Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.

It is interesting that the Bible speaks of a mass destruction of these dragons or dinosaurs. Apparently it involved making them food for people in a wilderness (perhaps the Israelites under Moses?) and may have involved drying up rivers. (v. 15)

[Dagoth Nereviar 0]

First of all, I would like to clarify specifically what you mean when you say "dragon". If you are referring to a huge fire breathing lizard with enormous wings that flies through the sky and does other cool stuff. Then I believe the answer is no. My interpretation of the whole incident is that there were a very large amount of enormous lizards all across the earth not long ago. These could have been seen by travellers and men being the people that they are, will have over exaggerated all of the beasts features to make themselves sound much more manly. I doubt that any animal has ever or would ever have the ability to breathe fire. That is just silly. Flying lizards however are pretty possible. Considering that both the west and the east have reasonably similar depictions of the beasts (by similar I mean as similar as two breeds of dog from opposite sides of the world look) I think it's very possible that there was a species that was what we think of as a dragon.