Trolls And Dragons
written by Katali Sorcer Gobblefirn
Book 1 of myth series
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
12
Reads
438
Sources of inspiration for dragon myths
Chapter 9
Draconic creatures appear in virtually all cultures around the globe.[7] Nonetheless, scholars dispute where the idea of a dragon originates from[8] and a wide variety of hypotheses have been proposed.
[8] In his book An Instinct for Dragons (2000), anthropologist David E. Jones suggests a hypothesis that humans, just like monkeys, have inherited instinctive reactions to snakes, large cats, and birds of prey.[9] He cites a study which found that approximately 39 people in a hundred are afraid of snakes[10] and notes that fear of snakes is especially prominent in children, even in areas where snakes are rare.[10] The earliest attested dragons all resemble snakes or bear snakelike attributes.[11] Jones therefore concludes that the reason why dragons appear in nearly all cultures is because of humans' innate fear of snakes and other animals that were major predators of humans' primate ancestors.[12] Dragons are usually said to reside in "dank caves, deep pools, wild mountain reaches, sea bottoms, haunted forests", all places which would have been fraught with danger for early human ancestors.[13]
In her book The First Fossil Hunters: Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in Greek and Roman Times (2000), Adrienne Mayor argues that some stories of dragons may have been inspired by ancient discoveries of fossils belonging to dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.[14] She argues that the dragon lore of northern India may have been inspired by "observations of oversized, extraordinary bones in the fossilbeds of the Siwalik Hills below the Himalayas"[15] and that ancient Greek artistic depictions of the Monster of Troy may have been influenced by fossils of Samotherium, an extinct species of giraffe whose fossils are common in the Mediterranean region.[15] In China, a region where fossils of large prehistoric animals are common, these remains are frequently identified as "dragon bones"[16] and are commonly used in Chinese traditional medicine.[16] Mayor, however, is careful to point out that not all stories of dragons and giants are inspired by fossils[16] and notes that Scandinavia has many stories of dragons and sea monsters, but has long "been considered barren of large fossils."[16] In one of her later books, she states that "Many dragon images around the world were based on folk knowledge or exaggerations of living reptiles, such as Komodo dragons, Gila monsters, iguanas, alligators, or, in California, alligator lizards."[17]
[8] In his book An Instinct for Dragons (2000), anthropologist David E. Jones suggests a hypothesis that humans, just like monkeys, have inherited instinctive reactions to snakes, large cats, and birds of prey.[9] He cites a study which found that approximately 39 people in a hundred are afraid of snakes[10] and notes that fear of snakes is especially prominent in children, even in areas where snakes are rare.[10] The earliest attested dragons all resemble snakes or bear snakelike attributes.[11] Jones therefore concludes that the reason why dragons appear in nearly all cultures is because of humans' innate fear of snakes and other animals that were major predators of humans' primate ancestors.[12] Dragons are usually said to reside in "dank caves, deep pools, wild mountain reaches, sea bottoms, haunted forests", all places which would have been fraught with danger for early human ancestors.[13]
In her book The First Fossil Hunters: Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in Greek and Roman Times (2000), Adrienne Mayor argues that some stories of dragons may have been inspired by ancient discoveries of fossils belonging to dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.[14] She argues that the dragon lore of northern India may have been inspired by "observations of oversized, extraordinary bones in the fossilbeds of the Siwalik Hills below the Himalayas"[15] and that ancient Greek artistic depictions of the Monster of Troy may have been influenced by fossils of Samotherium, an extinct species of giraffe whose fossils are common in the Mediterranean region.[15] In China, a region where fossils of large prehistoric animals are common, these remains are frequently identified as "dragon bones"[16] and are commonly used in Chinese traditional medicine.[16] Mayor, however, is careful to point out that not all stories of dragons and giants are inspired by fossils[16] and notes that Scandinavia has many stories of dragons and sea monsters, but has long "been considered barren of large fossils."[16] In one of her later books, she states that "Many dragon images around the world were based on folk knowledge or exaggerations of living reptiles, such as Komodo dragons, Gila monsters, iguanas, alligators, or, in California, alligator lizards."[17]
