Were there dragons? The real existence of dragons has already been proven by scientists.

AT modern world Basically, all people are skeptics. Perhaps this is due to fantasy stories, which we grew up with and then found that life in real life is more prosaic. The monsters in the movies are not real. Magic is fiction. Baba Yaga does not exist, as well as the brownie.

But if we put skepticism aside for a moment and look differently at some things that are considered mythical, although they had an equivalent in our world, it will be safe to say that dragons actually existed.

Did dragons really exist?

Not a single ancient scripture was complete without dragons. All the peoples of the world who lived in different parts the globe. Moreover, all the legends are quite similar to each other, and this leads to the idea that dragons actually existed before. Otherwise, as people living on different continents, not having the opportunity to communicate with each other, could leave behind the same letters.

For example, in the legend of Herodotus it was written that a monster lived 20 meters long near the Crimean coast. A huge dark body with a long tail, and powerful clawed paws, with a crest on the head and burning red eyes. And, besides, this monster had a terrible mouth with long teeth in several rows, running fast and emitting a loud piercing roar.

And the Hyperboreans, who lived completely in opposite side described as follows: "a huge lizard with large wings, powerful jaws and long claws on large scaly paws, screaming loudly and spewing fire.

Do dragons exist now?

Even in the modern world, dragons exist. One encyclopedic edition says: “dragons are a detachment of lizards, a genus of reptiles, reaching a length of more than 30 cm, they have a long tail and narrow flattened body. These individuals, thanks to skin folds, have the ability to glide up to 20 m. Now about 14 species of dragons live on our planet.”

On the island of Komodo today live huge lizards - dragons. They are outwardly very similar to the creatures described by our ancestors, only they do not spew fire and do not fly.

A lot of controversy among scientists causes the existence of the Ladoga lizard and the Loch Ness monster. AT recent times there is more and more proven evidence proving that nevertheless these creatures are not a myth, but a reality.

Serpents and dragons in the epic different peoples often confused, calling one by the name of the other. It is possible that these reptiles are relatives, although not close ones. Maybe snakes are older, because in myths the World Serpent, who lived at the beginning of time, is much more often mentioned, and heroes, knights and even blacksmiths fight dragons. A peculiar answer to these doubts may be the story of the Korean snake Imugi. This is a huge creature that should lie motionless for many years on seabed and only then, having undergone a transformation, can it become a dragon. Having received a precious pearl, this dragon is able to ascend to heaven. In Korea, Imoogi is considered a spirit that brings happiness.

For some reason, dragons left the most noticeable mark in the culture of the East. Here they are considered kind to people, and not a fiend, as in Europe. One of the most famous dragons is called Longwang, which literally means "king of dragons" in Chinese. According to ancient texts, he stood out among his brethren with an extraordinary length (about half a kilometer) and power: all natural elements obey him. He has the gift of shapeshifting and can take the form of a gray-bearded old man. As befits dragons, Longwan lives in an underwater palace and is the custodian of untold riches.

The cult of this dragon, which was popularly called simply Lung, was extremely widespread in ancient China. Temples dedicated to him were in many cities, villages, they were built near rivers, lakes, crossings and wells. His intercession was requested by sailors, fishermen, farmers, as well as water carriers, who were convinced that underwater sources were controlled by the Lun and connected to the sea. During a drought, a statue of a dragon or an old man with a club crowned with a dragon's head was taken out of the temple and placed in the sun to prove the size of the disaster to the Moon and thereby reassure him. If this did not help, then the statue was simply drowned in water. The Chinese emperors treated the dragon statue as if it were a living creature: they asked for advice, they could assign a rank or send it into exile for some misdeeds.

The Vietnamese dragon Tao Kuen is very similar to his Chinese counterpart, who could also turn into a gray-haired old man. But, unlike Longwang, Tao was simpler and more accessible and did not live in sea ​​depths ah, but next to people, in the same house with them. And because the Vietnamese were sure that their good spirit sees everything and always comes to the rescue. All year he worked tirelessly, and only before the new year lunar calendar took a vacation: he went to heaven for seven days to appear before the supreme deity Nguak Hoangu and stay with him. People in those days were strictly forbidden to touch the ground not only with a plow or a harrow, but also with a hoe. At that time, long-suffering, she rested, waking up for new things only on the first day of the new year.

The Korean dragon Yeonvan was surrounded with special honor and respect. Even the translation of his name is fascinating, as it means neither more nor less - "Worlds". All water elements are subject to him: oceans, seas, rivers, ponds. The kings of the dragons of the four seas: eastern, western, southern and northern, together with their wives, daughters and governors, make up his retinue. The owners of all five multi-colored underwater kingdoms obey him: green dragon, red, yellow, white. And even the black dragon is the guardian of the North and Winter.

Yongwang in his chariot moves freely in the water and takes off into the sky, which leads to a change in the ruling dynasty among people. The Sun and the Moon find shelter in his palace, mere mortals can also be invited here. This majestic dragon is even dedicated to the whole poem "Ode to Dragons Flying in the Sky", written in 1447.

The cult of Yeonwan and his subjects was especially developed in Korea during the period of the Three States (I century BC - VII century AD). Many dynastic founders were proud of their kinship with dragons. The mother of the founder of the state, Silla, assured that she was born from the left side of the dragon. The mother of another ruler, Paekche Uwana (7th century), was sure that she gave birth to a son from a relationship with a dragon. And it was considered a great honor.

According to legend, on this day the dragon descended from the sky in order to lay an egg in the well. It was believed that if you scoop up water from the well before others and cook porridge in it, then the year will be prosperous. If you wash your head on this day, then the hair will grow lush and long, like a dragon.

In the East, dragons were believed to bring happiness.

In Europe it was different. Zeus defeated the dragon Typhon by cunning and deceit. Apollo, the god of arts, dealt with Python. Hercules defeated the Lernaean Hydra. Serpent-footed giants, as you know, were doomed to torment: chained to rocks, they must forever remain in the depths of the earth. The Scandinavian-German snake fighters fought in the sweat of their faces: Sigurd, Ragnar, Frodi, Lodbrok and Wolfdietrich. The Slavs did not lag behind them either: Ilya Muromets and Dobrynya Nikitich, the Danube and the Potok Blacksmith Kosmodemyan, slashed the dragon with swords, harnessed it to a plow and plowed the huge Serpentine ramparts around the city of Kyiv, which have survived to this day. When the dragon completed the work established by agreement, Kosmodemyan killed him.

The tribe of snakes was destroyed everywhere and constantly, each knight considered it his duty to slaughter at least one of them. At the same time, the dragon should not have been at all guilty of stealing maidens or wives. In the hymns dedicated to the Sumerian hero-god Ningirasu, it is emphasized that he defeated the "good dragon".

The feathered dragon-serpent Quetzalcoatl, leaving the Toltec Indians who revered him, promised to return in a few hundred years. He kept his promise.

However, when he returned, he did not recognize America: motorists pointed fingers at him, laughed, and considered him an unsuccessful publicity stunt. Screaming in pain and shame, Quetzalcoatl darted away - away, across the Atlantic, to the east. Where the sun rises. That's why I took it for bright

a Scandinavian lighthouse shone, colliding with which, crashed to death. Later, the frightened lighthouse keeper said that his nightly visitor and suicide resembled a super-huge butterfly ... However, who would believe the stories of the lighthouse keeper?

Maybe the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl was the last of the tribe of intelligent snakes... People won.

According to the Vedic teachings and the Sumerian chronicles, it is believed that dragons are not just mythical characters. We are talking about a whole race that lived at the same time as people. Depending on the hierarchy, the reptilian life form was divided into four subspecies: reptilians, dagons, argons and dragons. If you've noticed, dragons are at the top of the hierarchy.

Despite the fact that water is described as their habitat in many legends and tales, the Dagons lived there. Reptilians inhabited the desert area. Both Dagons and Reptilians are inherently conquerors - these are the very “bad” dragons from fairy tales and songs.

The Argons are a civilization that has evolved. From the Dagons, seeking to conquer resources, they turned into a kind of assistants. Argons are the keepers of knowledge related to technology. However, they can hardly be called defenders. At the same time, dragons are the true fighters for justice. Since they were the highest form development in reptiles, their duty was to protect knowledge. Therefore, in the legends of various nationalities, the dragon is often described as a protector of treasures. And the true wealth for a person has always been not gold and precious stones, but knowledge.

Practically all the peoples that inhabit our world describe dragons in their traditions, myths and legends. At the same time, regardless of the habitat of a particular people, all these legends are very similar to each other. Scientists explain this similarity by the fact that people invented dragons in order to show their fear of snakes, because they are found everywhere, and everywhere people are afraid of them. However, it is impossible to say that such an explanation is plausible, since for the most part the descriptions of dragons are more reminiscent of crocodiles that are covered with scales than snakes. Therefore, scientists have put forward another hypothesis, according to which dragons are descendants of dinosaurs who survived until the moment of the appearance of mankind. I must say that this hypothesis is also supported by the church. But, at the same time, we note that the dating of the fossil remains of dragons does not coincide in time with the "religious" moment of the creation of the world. But after all, something appeared from somewhere on Komodo Island, which outwardly very much resembles a dragon, only it does not spit fire and does not fly. There are also testimonies of sailors and travelers who have repeatedly seen living pangolins in the seas and oceans.

Of course, you might think that all this is fiction. But then the question arises: why do people, and even in large groups, invent such things?

It is known that in ancient mythology dragons were directly involved in the creation of the world, and then controlled the elements. The Chinese, Japanese, Koreans depict big dragon. It is noteworthy that according to European beliefs, the dragon is evil, and according to the eastern ones it is good.

The first reports about dragons appeared a very long time ago, long before the beginning of our era, with the advent of the first written sources. So, Herodotus wrote about the existence of dragons. According to him, a dragon lived on the Crimean coast, the length of which was 20 meters. He had a large body of dark color, a crest was located on top of the head, there was a long tail, clawed paws, red burning eyes, and a terrible mouth with several rows of sharp long teeth. The animal moved very quickly and at the same time made piercing sounds.

In addition, there are many records that indicate that in ancient times, mysterious creatures resembling lizards densely populated our planet, living next to people. They were called differently, but the most famous of these names is the "dragon" given by the Europeans.

Interestingly, for the most part, the descriptions of dragons almost completely coincide with the descriptions of dinosaurs. Therefore, scientists who study dragons tend to think that we are talking about the same creatures. Probably, people found the remains of ancient reptiles and invented legends about scary mysterious monsters. Dragons were very often depicted in rock art, and legends about winged serpents that descended from heaven are present among many peoples. Scientists are sure that dragons existed, because ancient people could only judge what they saw in reality, what they encountered.

Perhaps people would have continued to identify dragons with dinosaurs, if not for one sensational discovery that was made in 1972. Not far from the ancient Aztec settlement, the remains of a creature that closely resembled a dragon were discovered. During further excavations, it was found that the remains belonged to the largest flying animals in the history of the Earth, the wingspan of which was 15 meters. Outwardly, this animal resembled bat gigantic sizes. After the remains were examined, scientists concluded that they were pterosaurs. Based on these studies, scientists hypothesized that these creatures were the progenitors of dragons. But it remained unclear why the descriptions of dinosaurs almost completely coincided among various peoples who had never intersected in their lives. Therefore, scientists have suggested that people initially took the dinosaurs that lived next to them for dragons.

So who were the dragons and dinosaurs?

In ancient times, they were called Megalania - huge lizards that lived on Earth many thousands of years ago. Them average length was about seven meters, and the weight reached 400 kilograms. They attacked animals, they could even cope with a rhinoceros. However, it is unbelievable, but the fact is the last giant lizard killed a man. According to scientists, this species became extinct almost immediately after the Australian continent was settled by people. Some scientists are sure that Megalania are dragons. As evidence, they cite legends about fire-breathing creatures. Despite the fact that Megalania were not capable of throwing flames, some of them had a strong poison that left wounds similar to burns on the body of the victims. According to scientists, in addition to the lungs and sinuses, dragons had sacs in which hydrocarbon accumulated. During the eruption, it combined with oxygen, resulting in a flame.

There is also evidence of encounters with a sea serpent. So, in 1893, off the coast of Scotland, the London doctor F. Matheson met with sea ​​devil. According to him, that day a wonderful weather, when suddenly, right in front of the boat, something incomprehensible grew out of the water: a creature large sizes, with a long neck, which resembled a large lizard. The creature was Brown and had a black stripe under the head.

Lots of testimonies about sea ​​lizards exists in Russia. So, one of the most famous waterfowl lizards that is found in Russia is a creature that lives in Ladoga. This phenomenon has been described famous writer and ethnographer Alexei Popov. In his book there is evidence of meetings with an unknown monster: in the summer of 1973 he was fishing on Ladoga. It was a windless sunny day. Suddenly, on the smooth surface of the lake, an object appeared that glittered in the sun. At first, the fishermen thought it was an overturned boat, but later noticed that the object was alive. The creature slowly swam along the shore, gradually approaching the boat. The fishermen hurried to the shore in fear, from where they continued their observation. People saw that the animal has a length of about 10 meters, a massive body, dark gray skin. The head of the animal was large and rested on a long neck. The eyes were wide apart, and the look was angry and ferocious. Then abruptly the animal dived under the water and was no longer shown.

The fact that the Ladoga lizard really exists is evidenced by local traditions and legends that are associated with the Valaam Monastery. In these ancient sources, one can often find references to unknown animals of gigantic size, which repeatedly devastated the traps set by the monks, while never getting caught in them.

There are many legends about the existence of water dragons. So, if you carefully study the myths of different peoples who lived on the banks of northern seas, you can see that each of these peoples has its own terrible monster that lives in the water. So, for example, in Iceland there are still rumors that a mysterious animal lives in one of the lakes, which the locals called Skrimsl. In the Swedish press, notes repeatedly appeared about the existence of a rhinestone in six reservoirs of mysterious animals, and in Ireland, in 1945, unknown animals were seen simultaneously in four lakes. In Canada, almost everyone has heard of the Ogopogo living in Lake Okanagan at least once in their life. According to eyewitnesses, outwardly it resembles a log, its length reaches six meters, and its thickness is 60 centimeters. The head of the animal resembles the head of a horse. The first mention of the appearance of Ogopogo dates back to 1872.

Another very popular water lizard, which mythozoologists have been trying to track down for a long period of time, is the well-known Loch Ness monster, or Nessie, as he is affectionately called. According to legend, carry is a sea serpent that lives in Scotland, 40 kilometers from Inverness in Loch Ness (hence, in fact, its name). Despite the fact that scientists are haunted by failures, the local population assures that meetings with Ness have taken place regularly since the middle of the eighteenth century. In addition, biologists "for certain" know that snakes of huge sizes are found in the sea. Previously, it is believed that they lived in the forests, but later they moved to the sea and bays.

Nowadays, almost every lake in Norway has its own legend about a big snake. True, they are seen very, very rarely. But in the Middle Ages they met much more often. So, in Bollarvatn lived a sea serpent, which was not inferior in thickness to a calf. And there was also a case when a huge snake crawled onto a rock, but got stuck between the stones. The animal looked intimidating: its eyes were the size of the bottom of a barrel, and a mane hung from its neck. The snake was killed with several bow shots in the eye, the ground around it was completely saturated with green blood. And the corpse emitted such an unpleasant smell that the local population burned it.

Even in Walter Scott's novel "The Pirate" there is a description of a sea serpent rising from the depths of the sea, pulling long neck covered with a mane and leading with large sparkling eyes in search of a victim.

Most detailed description monsters living in Norwegian sea ​​waters, by Erik Iontopidian. He claims that the so-called dragons live deep under water and only in warm, calm weather rise to the surface. In one of his books, a description of a snake is given: a head that resembles a horse, a black snout, the rest of the body is gray, very large and black eyes, a long white mane. The body is very thick and long.

Oddly enough, dragons also exist in the modern world. Don't believe? Here is the definition given in one of the encyclopedias: a dragon is a genus of reptiles from the order of lizards, which reach a length of 30 centimeters, have a long tail, a narrow and flattened body. They have the ability to glide up to 20 meters with the help of skin folds located along the edges of the body. 14 species of dragons are known, all of them have a bright motley color, live on trees, feed on larvae and insects.

If we talk about creatures that are more like ancient dragons, then they exist. True, they are called a little differently. So, on the island of Komodo (which was mentioned above), living dragons were found, that is, monitor lizards up to three meters long. In addition, the researchers found that there used to be monitor lizards of much larger sizes - up to 10 meters. They lived in Australia. And in New Guinea, according to the testimony of the local population, lives a terrible monster of enormous size. However, when we managed to photograph it, it turned out that the "monster" does not reach even three meters in length ...

Thus, the possibility of the existence of an entire civilization of lizards, which are periodically shown to people, cannot be ruled out. It remains only to wait for the right moment to photograph at least one of them and prove that dragons really exist.

No related links found

Legendary monsters that can fly and incinerate all living things with fire, keepers of huge treasures and owners sharp mind- this is how dragons appear in legends and fairy tales. There is not a single people in whose mythology stories about these giant monsters would not be found. Many still believe that dragons still exist or lived before. The description of these creatures is almost the same among the peoples living on different continents. And this fact suggests that once our ancestors saw dragons live, and the impressions of these meetings were forever preserved in myths, legends and fairy tales. Did dragons exist on Earth? Let's try to figure it out.

Who are they?

With exact definition these creatures have difficulty. Dragon is the collective name. Each country has individual ideas about this mythical animal. The most widespread image of the dragon was in mythology and folklore, horoscopes and fantasy.

Except for some differences, the appearance of a giant monster looks something like this: the torso of a reptile with parts of the bodies of other animals. Often the dragon is winged, can fly, and belches deadly flames.

dragon and serpent

There is confusion between these two mythical animals. A small part of the researchers believe that the dragon and the serpent are different creatures. The image of a serpent is found in Slavic texts from the 9th century, in the Bible and in folklore. To XIX century the word "dragon" became common. Now it is believed that these two concepts denote the same being.

Favorite character of myths and fairy tales

Did dragons exist in the distant past? At the sight of their diversity in the cultures of different peoples, such an idea involuntarily arises.

The dragon is an indispensable element of the mythology of any country. He can be an evil and insidious monster, sowing death and destruction, or appear in the form of a wise being. The myth about the dragon as the keeper of fabulous treasures and the kidnapper of beautiful girls is very common.

Serpent Gorynych is one of the brightest characters in Slavic fairy tales and mythology. Here his image is devoid of even a hint of attractiveness or wisdom. He is the most important evil of Slavic myths.

How it all started

Dragon myths have been around for a very long time. It is believed that for the first time this image appeared among the Sumerians more than five thousand years ago. Then it spread to Egypt, Greece and other countries of Europe and the East. How was this image formed? And did dragons really exist? There is a version that creeping out of the ground in the spring after hibernation snakes led to the appearance among ancient people of the first myth about unusual creatures.

According to another version, these creatures are ancient dinosaurs, the memory of which was preserved in such a fabulous way. Opponents of this theory point out that the first people appeared much later than the time when dinosaurs lived.

There is also an assumption that dragons were once a separate species of animals, but became extinct due to the small number of their population.

Dragon Varieties

Did dragons really exist? Judging by the abundance of their species, described in various myths and folklore of many countries, it seems that sometime in the past, people really encountered these creatures. It is extremely difficult to classify them. In general, everything related to this is extremely confusing. Each country has its own description. In addition, sometimes it is not entirely clear which of the mythical animals can be attributed to dragons. They are conditionally divided into the following types:

1. Lindworm- a winged serpent with two legs and poisonous saliva. This species includes Farfnir, the famous monster from Scandinavian sagas. He crawled on his belly. There is confusion with this variety of dragons, since in some legends the lindworms are wingless and may have not two, but four paws.

2. Givre. It has no paws and wings. The head is massive, horned.

3. Classical or heraldic dragon. It has four legs and wings.

4. wyvern. It has two legs, wings and a spiked tail. Fire cannot breathe.

5. Amphipter- A winged dragon with vestigial limbs that are not used.

6. dragons Eastern countries - Chinese, Japanese, Korean.

Conventionally, monsters from ancient Greek mythology can be attributed to dragons - the snake Python and

Who studies them?

Periodically, there are reports that in different parts of the planet they saw or even caught mysterious creatures. The science of cryptozoology is engaged in the search and study of animals that are considered fictional or long extinct. It is not included in the number of academic disciplines, and official zoology considers it a pseudoscience. For cryptozoologists, the answer to the question of whether dragons existed is simple and straightforward. They believe that if not today, then in the past, a person really lived next to dragons, the memory of which has come down to us in fairy tales.

Night fury - fiction or reality?

After the release of the cartoon "How to Train Your Dragon", many became interested in the question of whether the Night Fury dragon really exists? Unfortunately, this character is pure fiction of the filmmakers. It has memorable features: a dark, almost black color, eight shoots on its head that play the role of ears (therefore, these creatures have very delicate hearing), and the ability to exhale not just fire, but a clot of blue flame. The Night Fury is unique among mythical dragons.

Do dragons really exist? And where can you see them?

The question of whether dragons now exist can be answered with full confidence in the affirmative. Of course, in doing so, we will keep in mind modern animals that have received this honorary title. Closest from modern representatives fauna to the mythical dragons is located or Komodo. A predator weighing 150 kilograms and a body length of about 3 meters looks very much like the legendary monsters.

Flying dragons are another representatives of the agama lizards that wear this famous name. On the sides they have leather folds, with which they can glide in the air. For this feature, the lizards got their name.

Sea dragon - view predatory fish. It has poisonous glands on the spikes, the injection of which can be fatal to humans.

Once in a diary that belonged to Jerome Garcey, an agent of one of trading companies England, an interesting record was discovered. In 1589, he was heading to Russia and, passing through Poland, he saw a very strange phenomenon. According to him, he left Warsaw in the evening and crossed the river, on the banks of which he noticed a crocodile.

He was dead, and the belly of the beast was all torn by spears. A terrible stench emanated from the insides of the crocodile, and as it turned out later, it was poisonous. Jerome Garcey was not lucky, and with poisoning he had to lie for some time in the nearest village. Fortunately, he quickly returned to his previous state. Are these prehistoric lizards that could survive? Or do dragons exist?

Vasily Shtykov, Zemsky Commissar left a paper that was found in the archives of Arzamas, which tells about absolutely incredible things. On June 4, 1719, a severe storm arose abruptly, hail began to fall, due to which many domestic animals died. And at that moment descended from the sky huge snake which exuded a terrible stench. People grabbed this creature and closed it in a barrel of strong wine.

Sigismund Herberstein, the Austrian ambassador who was in Russia in 1517 and 1526, also observed strange things that left him with memories. He talked about how he saw people who keep an unusual pet. These snake-like creatures have four short legs, and are very similar to lizards, only they are much larger in size. Their body is quite full and black. They do not fit, but crawl to the left food. People are afraid, and perceive them as some kind of idol that needs to be worshiped and idolized. All this impressed the Ambassador of Austria very much.

Dragons of Komodo Island

In the Java Sea, on the island of Komodo in 1912, there was a plane crash. Fortunately, the pilot of the plane survived, but when he arrived home, he began to tell absolutely unthinkable stories to everyone. He talked about the fact that monsters unknown to science live on the island, ready to swallow all life. But, no one believed him. Only a few years later, in 1926, an expedition set off to this island, which included zoologists. They managed to testify to the fact that the pilot was right.

On the island, indeed, lived scary monsters, which they called the dragons of Komodo Island. It is known that the length of these terrifying animals reaches about 3.5 m, and the weight is as much as 150 kg. They are famous for their great aggressiveness and bloodthirstiness, they feed on sheep and antelopes. Their number reaches about a thousand individuals.

One German hunter, who was famous for killing many dangerous and predatory animals, such as tigers and lions, died under mysterious circumstances on the island of Komodo. He disappeared after he went after a flock of monitor lizards. Later, only his broken camera and shoes were found near the swamp. It is likely that he became a victim prehistoric lizards, and was able to personally verify their existence.

Recycled dragon

It is possible that terrible creatures once lived in Russian forests. This idea arises if you look at the coat of arms of Moscow. It depicts St. George the Victorious, who with his spear pierces big snake. And suddenly, this snake is not a fiction, and he really once lived in the forests of Russia?

Once a resident of England, David Hard was lucky to find an amazing thing in his garage. He discovered a cylindrical container, inside of which was an eighty-centimeter intoxicated dragon. David photographed the find and sent the photos to the media. As it turned out later, the dragon turned out to be just a dummy, the only thing that aroused interest was the documents that were with him.

The letter was to German and written in the 19th century. It was during this very period that there was fierce competition between British and German scientists. From the letter it became clear that the dragon exhibit was sent for disposal by the English Museum. It turned out that once upon a time David's grandfather worked at the station as a porter, and this dragon fell into his hands. He wanted to keep the exhibit, so he hid it in the garage. Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that there are many facts confirming that dragons exist.