I'll give you a minute to think about it. Personally, I believe it is a possibility. Let's start off with the facts.
What exactly are dinosaurs?
-first reptiles to live on earth (that we know of)
-plenty of dinosaurs that haven't been discovered yet
-lived 150 million years ago (is that a lot? yes it is)
Let's compare that to dragons.
-many different types of dragons
-reptiles
-have been around throughout history
As you can see they are pretty similar. I bet you're thinking, "different types of dragons? I don't get it!". Different cultures have different 'views' on dragons- the most popular being the 4 legged winged one of the Western world and the 2 legged one of the Eastern world.
Western:
Eastern:
As you can see just from these two, the differences are vast. The same can be said about dinosaurs.
Just think of a Stegosaurus
compared to a Pterodactyl
In these ways, it's obvious to see how the two are similar.
Going to this website, the author (unknown) has compiled a huge list of pictures/depictions of various mythological creatures (including dragons) and dinosaurs throughout the years. Most of them are from the pre-1800's. This goes to show that these beliefs have been around for a long time.
One example is from 1829 by the artist George Howman. The picture is as follows:
The picture is loosely based off of a pterodactyl portrayed as a dragon. As you can see, even artists had an interpretation that dragons and dinosaurs were similar/of the same.
It's stated that these creatures "look a bit like dragons".
Moving on...
It's said that dragons are said to be "based off of dinosaurs". What's to say, because of that, they WERE dinosaurs? Quoted from Ken Ham,
"Globally, there are many ancient descriptions and images of dragons. Interestingly, many of these descriptions and images are similar to drawings and depictions of how scientists believe dinosaurs would have looked."
Are they the same? Let's let you decide. Why or why not? There's no way to know for sure since we don't know for sure what dragons looked like... nor do we know for sure what dinosaurs truly look like. But if we look at the drawings people have of both, it's clear to see that they are similar.
Some links if you'd like to read more about these topics (links in order):
What are dinosaurs: http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/dinosaurbasics/a/dinosaur-facts.htm
More about dragons: http://www.livescience.com/25559-dragons.html
Pictures and descriptions of different depictions of dragons and dinosaurs: http://www.strangescience.net/stdino2.htm
Comparing the two: http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/au/were-dinosaurs-dragons
As always, comments and questions are welcome!!!
Thanks for reading!!!
Noelle B.
there is a set of videos done by animal planet that talks about how dragons may have evolved, and even become extinct. I really liked your analysis of the dragon mythos though. really good job.
ReplyDeleteThanks- I'll have to check that out- I've never heard of those videos! I'm sure they're interesting and have great info!
DeleteI've always thought of Dinasours and Dragons as somewhat related/relatives. Since I have three young sons, the study of both surfaces on and off, pending on who is interested at the time in my home.
ReplyDeleteMy youngest, age four, recently asked me - "Are dragons real?" And I replied with a firm "yes, we see them at the zoo, remember?" And he pauses, shakes his head "no."
I remind of the komodo dragon. He reminds me that this guy, the "dragon" at the zoo looks like a big lizard (which is true).
I'll have to share your links with my sons, they will love this site. Thanks for sharing.
No problem! And komodo dragons are interesting in both the reptile sense and thinking about them relating to both dinosaurs and dragons (or even neither).
DeleteThis was brilliant! My brother has always loved dinosaurs and dragons pretty much all his life, and so I've known a bit of both for a long time. I've always considered them to be similar but this opened my eyes a bit to the other similarities there are! Lately I've been finding myself more interested in dragons (I'm a huge fan of "The Hobbit" and I guess you can say I'm excited for the new movie!)
ReplyDeleteVery well done! I'm very impressed of all the thought and research you put into this!
Thanks! I've been trying to relate the two of them, and this just gave me an excuse to research this further. When you sit back and look at it, it's a high possibility that if dragons existed (minus the komodo dragon of course) they probably would be in the same category as dinosaurs based purely off the fact they're so similar. :>
DeleteFirst, let me just say that I really enjoyed this. I feel like my blog was very...educational and school-like and yours seems like it could be for anyone. It was engaging and very funny.
ReplyDeleteAs far as dragons and dinosaurs being the same, I'm not going to lie, I have always thought that they could be the same. I mean, dragons should be just as easy to believe in as dinosaurs. Now, do I believe that they can breathe fire? No. But I definitely do think that what cultures have identified as dragons in their myths, could definitely be based off of dinosaurs.
Great job on your blog!
Thanks- I tried not to make it boring and fact after fact because personally I don't like those kind of blogs.
DeleteIt's true that while the dragons of our modern day interpretation might not fly and breathe fire, they're based on something bigger- most likely dinosaurs of some sort.
I agree with Savvy, you made this fun. I tried to do the same, and think I succeeded, but you really hit a home-run here. I have always thought that dragons and dinosaurs were probably relatives, or that dragons were just another species of dinosaur. Good insight and use of links. I enjoyed it a bunch.
ReplyDeleteThanks- I figured this was a light and fun topic and making it dry and fact after fact would just ruin what I researched. It's definitely interesting to think that they're so similar that they could be in the same genus as dinosaurs. :>
DeleteHi Noelle,
ReplyDeleteAll of the pictures on your blog provide lots of visual interest. The color scheme helps the images to pop. You're right - there are similarities between dragons and dinosaurs that make them interesting to compare. It would have been nice to have a list of the kinds of mythologies that feature dragons. One in particular could be helpful to your question: in the Bible dragons are referred to as inhabiting ruined cities, but the footnotes mention that the translation of the word "dragon" in this context actually means "big lizard." :)