Folklore, Urban Legends, Myths, etc.

Dragons

A dragon is a , typically scaled or fire-spewing and with , or traits, that features in the of many cultures around world. The two most well-known cultural traditions of dragon are

The , derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to and mythologies. Most are depicted as reptilian creatures with animal-level intelligence, and are uniquely six-limbed (four legs and a separate set of wings).The , with counterparts in Japan (namely the ), Korea and other and countries. Most are depicted as serpentine creatures with above-average intelligence, and are (four legs and wingless).

The two traditions may have evolved separately, but have influenced each other to a certain extent, particularly with the cross-cultural contact of recent centuries. The English word and Latin word derive from (drákōn), "dragon, serpent of huge size, water-snake".

Despite the verbal similarity, the term "" does not refer to Dragons, but to the Athenian law scribe .

EtymologyMetal Asian dragon

The word dragon entered the English language in the early 13th century from Old French dragon, which in turn comes from Latin draconem (nominative draco) meaning "huge serpent, dragon", from the Greek word δράκων, drakon (genitive drakontos, δράκοντος) "serpent, giant seafish". The Greek and Latin term referred to any great serpent, not necessarily mythological, and this usage was also current in English up to the 18th century.

Morphology

A dragon is a mythological representation of a reptile. In antiquity, dragons were mostly envisaged as serpents. Since the Middle Ages, however, it has become common to depict dragons with legs, resembling a lizard.

Dragons are usually shown in modern times with a body like a huge lizard, or a snake with two pairs of lizard-type legs, and able to emit fire from their mouths. The European dragon  has bat-like wings growing from its back. A dragon-like creature with wings but only a single pair of legs is known as a wyvern.

There is a modern tendency to depict dragons with back legs only and using their wings (walking on the carpal joints ) as front legs, as it is thought that pterosaurs did. An example is Smaug as depicted in the film version of The Hobbit by Tolkien.