Dinosaur bones may have been the origin of the tales about dragons but it evolved with the help of imagination of the people to make the dragons what is depicted in fantasy's today. Or it may have simply been an old tale to scare the kids that became known far and wide. It's pure speculation now. But I'd say that dinosaurs are indeed probably the origin of the legends of dragons, because it makes the most sense to me.

Not in.

Interesting question. I'd guess probably not, although I'm not educated on the idea at all. My guess would be most dragons came from the religious/philosophical ideas of the time, similar to monsters concocted from mythology. Western dragons have a lot of ties to Biblical descriptions of great beasts, darts of flame, and the evil traits given to serpents. If the idea of dragons did come from dinosaur bones I would think there would be writing that survived, but I don't know if any have been found or not.

Actually, everything was said within first page. :D
blotunga said right. Dinosaurs not connect with Dragons. Dragons are myth. Perceptions in different cultures are different.
In with your permission.

Dragons couldn't have been inspired by dinosaurs because dragons still live in the deep bowels of volcanoes. Hoarding their precious metals and socks.


Not in though as I now own it.

Just a random answer, and End date is still not decided. Maybe the end of the week :P

Not to hijack the thread but as it is about kyrandia be sure to keep this one in mind...

http://www.gog.com/forum/general/gogstarter_the_legend_of_kyrandia_trilogy_fables_fiends/page11

Japanese dragons (日本の竜 Nihon no ryū) are diverse legendary creatures in Japanese mythology and folklore. Japanese dragon myths amalgamate native legends with imported stories about dragons from China, Korea and India. The style of the dragon was heavily influenced by the Chinese dragon. Like these other Asian dragons, most Japanese ones are water deities associated with rainfall and bodies of water, and are typically depicted as large, wingless, serpentine creatures with clawed feet. The modern Japanese language has numerous "dragon" words, including indigenous tatsu from Old Japanese ta-tu, Sino-Japanese ryū or ryō 竜 from Chinese lóng 龍, nāga ナーガ from Sanskrit nāga, and doragon ドラゴン from English "dragon".

edit: In for Azrael360.

Fossils where found in every epoch. There are even records, dating from the classical antiquity, explaining how to use them for creating drugs. So I think yes, they found some dinosaur stuff, that needed explanation. On the other hand, Asian dragons are much more similar to snakes and common reptiles, which in conjunction with the fact that early religions and mythology very often mix several animals into the appearance of one deity, these dragons could be simple religious projections, which are very common in the evolution of religions from animism to monotheism (Egypt, North and South-American Indians, etc.).

... and I'm in for The Legend of Kyrandia. A classic point-and-click, my favorite good old games!

Probably not, as in ancient times people (and educated people at that) believe that dragons are real and still alive in our world. For example the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder wrote about them:

IN Æthyopia there be as great dragons bred, as in India, namely, twentie cubites long. But I marvell much at this one thing, why king Iuba should thinke that they were crested. They are bred most in a countrey of Æthyopia, where the Asachæi inhabite. It is reported, that upon their coasts they are enwrapped foure or five of them together, one within another, like to a hurdle or lattise worke, and thus passe the seas, for to find better pasturage in Arabia, cutting the waves, and bearing up their heads aloft, which serve them in steed of sailes.

Pliny the Elder, Natural History, 8.XIII

Fossils are the correct answer :)
Count me in, and thanks.

Bumposaurus

Yes. People have dug up dinosaur bones for thousands of years and have considered them to be dragon bones, so it's very likely that is where the idea of a dragon sprang in the first place.

Not in, but +1 for the giveaway.

Strange, I thought what is described as Dinosaurs today are those Blackberry users... :-)

Thanks te_lanus!

Why do different cultures have different concepts of "dragon"? If the dragons of legend originated with dinosaur fossils, then it's possible that different cultures discovered different fossils. In the West, they may have found T-Rex, in the East, they might have found Titanoboa.

Not in. +1 te_lanus.