When many people think of the Paranormal their mind would often go to ghostly phenomena, demons and unnatural, extraordinary abilities. I myself like to blanket everything unexplained under the word paranormal and dragons can be one of those, all of the sightings and stories of them from old times long past and sometimes even now people still claim to see them although it is hard to imagine how they can still be hidden from us for this long.
Some believe that this phenomenon is altogether something beyond our comprehension, that things such as the many types of bigfoot, large flying birds and other cryptids are actually something of another dimension and that they are in fact far more intelligent than we are. Perhaps it is a link we have long since lost and that at one point we may have been connected to all of these strange beings. Maybe magic does exist and all what we see in our world is only one half of what really exists but that we have drilled ourselves into such a state that our minds just do not connect with this other realm anymore, a part from perhaps the occasional odd sighting triggered by the remnants of our old age instincts. It can be interesting to think about but entirely understandable that most people would simply disregard something so seemingly preposterous. We cannot comprehend it.
But it is an interesting thought that perhaps our world isn’t so ordinary after all and that magic and other oddities do exist, we still have much to discover and really, it’s still early days, we have far to go as a race.
Dragons – the large flying terrors of the skies that breath fire upon their enemies, the common trope of a fairytale or fantasy story dragon. So overwhelmingly powerful and terrifying creatures but often with a streak of abnormal intelligence for a creature and some that may even be able to talk our languages as intelligent as ourselves. There are many different interpretations of dragons and not all of them breath fire and not all of them even have wings. There are major differences between how different cultures see dragons, the split between the West and East’s own interpretation of a dragon are one of the most obvious.
It appears that originally the mythology of dragons originated from mythology of giant serpentine creatures in the East, such as huge terrifying scaled snakes and that over time they morphed into what they are now, the wingless long and winding dragons of the East that do not breath fire. From the East and to the Western cultures the myth of the dragon was picked up and evolved once again, but this time having wings and breathing fire, becoming more like the dragons we know in fairytales and fantasy, hoarding treasure, making their lairs in big caves and having heroes and saints slay them in numerous mythical and legendary stories from the ages. In the East dragons are viewed as more intelligent creatures who are looked up to as wise and of good fortune, while in the West they are terrifying beasts sought to be avoided and only taken on by the bravest.
Dragons have become a huge part of pop-culture from Movies and TV Shows to books and games. One of my favourite versions of a dragon-inspired entity or being is the Damonfeuer from the TV Show Grimm, it is a type of Wesen that is bipedal with scales all over and a serpent-like head that can spew fire from its mouth.
Let’s take a look at a number of serpentine creatures related to dragons or may even be considered a type of dragon out there from around the world…
Wyvern
Probably one of the most well-known serpentine creatures and commonly portrayed in story books, fairytales and fantasy-based games and also often considered a type of dragon in modern pop culture, although older folklore has it as its own creature, the difference being that it has two legs instead of four like a dragon would. The Wyvern is also rarely fire breathing in folklore and is again seen as a modern adaptation. It is common in heraldry, such as appearing as mascots or in works of art a part of important landmarks and other public places, on flags and also national emblems and coat of arms. The Wyvern was also believed to be the symbol of the medieval Kingdom of Wessex.
Wyverns can be found in Game of Thrones, Dark Souls and many more fantasy worlds.
Drake
The Drake is again a popular serpentine creature or dragon that many are likely to know about and they have 4 legs rather than just 2 which distinguishes them from Wyverns. They are another Western dragon and so they also fly and breath fire. Just like the Wyvern it is common in pop-culture such as games and fantasy movies, shows and books and is heavily featured in many western folklores. As well as that it also features a lot in heraldry and is a powerful symbol on flags, emblems, coat of arms among others. The dragon on the Welsh flag appears to be a Drake. Drakes are also in the popular MMO World of Warcraft.
Chinese/East-Asian Dragons
Different to the Dragons known in the West as said above, they have no wings and do not breath fire, they also have long-winding bodies similar to a snake, although they are sometimes depicted looking like other animals. They also often have beards and four legs. By its name you can tell that the Dragon has featured heavily in Chinese folklore and heraldry and also seen as a symbol of great power and wealth and a symbol of someone or something wise and intelligent. Some places in Asia even worship dragons for good fortune. A small country known as Bhutan has one of these dragons on their national flag and is a big part of their culture, their monarch is even known as a “Dragon-King”. Despite not breathing fire and not having wings some are believed to be able to fly without wings and many are also depicted with god-like powers over the environment such as being able to control weather, normally water. #
Mušḫuššu
A strange name that you likely cannot pronounce, neither can I, this here may be easier > Mushkhushshu (pronounced “Mush·khush·shu“) another one of its names. The name is often translated as “reddish snake” or “fierce snake”. It is a hybrid creature from Mesopotamian Mythology. It is described as having Eagle-talon like hind legs, fore legs of a feline, a long neck and tail, horned head and snake-like tongue. It is quite the jumbled creature but also not very popular, most would not know about it like they may the Wyvern or Drake above. Despite being a hybrid, it is still sometimes referred to as a dragon.
Leviathan
And now we move on to another that many likely know as it is fairly popular in the modern era. The creature is seen in both mythology and also seen in Jewish belief and parts of other religious beliefs and texts and is a giant serpentine monster of the sea, sometimes also referred to as a dragon. The name Leviathan may often also be used as a blanket term for sea monsters in the modern era as well or even any massive mythical creature. In Jewish and Christian belief, it is seen as an enemy or even as Satan himself. Other cultures also depict Gods defeating them in combat. Some religious texts also have it as a herald of the end times, where it will be slayed.
What about the Sightings of Dragons?
Although it may be very difficult to believe, dragon sightings do exist even to this very day, in many parts of the world from Europe, Asia and the US. There are many accounts that can be found online of people who have claimed to see the creatures either on the ground or flying distantly in the air. Again, I believe that these creatures would simply be too big and loud and just plain obvious if they did exist in a normalized fashion and so to really have “dragons” be realistic you have to think about it in a different way. In a way I mentioned earlier with other cryptids that we really should have discovered by now if they were always there.
We have to think of it in a light where they may phase in and out of our world and although it may sound mind-boggling, it is to me the only realistic way they could exist and they surely would have been found by now if they were ALWAYS HERE. I’m not saying all dragon sightings are real, I highly doubt that is the case, but the possibility of some being real in a mind-bending way also cannot be fully ruled out. I love to remain open minded on nearly everything.
Of course, though, if you don’t see something like this with your own eyes, then it is understandable that you would not believe it. It is the same for me. But it is still interesting to think of the strange ways that they could perhaps exist, realistically.
Next up will be E where I will talk about the Each-uisge, a type of water spirit from Scottish folklore.
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