Legends and folklore are full of this amazing yet thrilling creature that soars up above the oceans and in the skies. Fearless, fiery and striking terror by exhaling fire — dragons, they have been written about and feared for thousands of years.

Their strange and unique physical appearance and properties combine the attributes of several different animals in a larger-than-life body that is capable of huge destruction. They have been spoken about in so many different regions and cultures around the world that the topic seems interesting enough to be taken a little more seriously than fairytales.

There are some interesting accounts and beliefs around the world regarding this mythical beast. The most popular dragon is the Chinese dragon, which has been the basis of many oriental legends and even beliefs. The Japanese culture too has many legendary dragons. There are dragons on clothes, paintings, temples and carvings on many objects of daily use and artefacts.

In fact, according to a legend, it is believed by the Chinese that their emperors were descendants of dragons. Furthermore, dragons in many cultures are not just fearsome but are believed to be wise and magical creatures, capable of appearing in human or any other animal form. Perhaps the Sumerians (5000BCE) were the first to have legends about dragons.

But the European dragon is a reclusive creature, wreaking havoc when disturbed or provoked. Thus many famous stories of dragon slayers have been told for many centuries and landmarks have been named after the incidents. Researchers and theorists on the other hand argue that since there are no records of actual bones of dragons found; the people must have confused with dinosaurs that survived the Great Flood.

Herodotus, the famous Greek historian (in 5-century BCE) wrote, “There is a place in Arabia, situated very near the city of Buta, to which I went, on hearing of some winged serpents; and when I arrived there, I saw bones and spines of serpents, in such quantities as it would be impossible to describe. The form of the serpent is like that of a water snake; but he has wings without feathers, and like the wings of a bat”.

Then in 330BCE, Alexander brought back a story from India describing, a huge dragon that hissed and lived in a cave and was worshipped as a god by the people of the region.

In the epic poem about the legendary hero Beowulf, (495-583 CE), many instances of his bravery are described as killing many dangerous reptiles and losing his life while slaying a large flying reptile.

In an account regarding a place called Karajan, written by Marco Polo, “Here I found snakes and huge serpents, 10 paces in length and 10 spans in girth, (meaning 50 feet long and 100 inch in circumference). At the fore, part, near the head, they have two short legs, each with three claws, as well as eyes larger than a loaf and very glaring. The jaws are wide enough to swallow a man, the teeth are large and sharp, and their whole appearance is so formidable that neither man, nor any kind of animal can approach them without terror, others are of smaller size”.

According to Irish legends, the dragon is also the apocalyptic beast that will appear before the end of the world. Moreover, according to a Polish legend, a dragon is said to have lived in a cave in the early eighth century under Wawel Hill. The dragon ate many sheep and escaped many slayers, until it was poisoned by sulphur by a person named Krakus, who went on to become the ruler of the city which was also named after him. The area is now a popular tourist attraction.

There are many legends in Biblical stories too and famous saints known for the bravery for killing the menacing beast. In the present century too, there are many stories of dragon-like creatures seen in many places in Britain. Bill Cooper author of After The Flood has listed 81 locations in the British Isles alone where flying reptiles and sea-dragons have been reported as killed or sighted.

Scientists, however, argue that though large skeletons of dinosaurs have been found, the creature described as a ‘dragon’ has not been unearthed so far. They do state though that terrestrial creatures could have evolved to gain feathers, and breathing fire too could be a possibility. But then we are talking about bat-like wings, a camel- or horse-like head, horns of a cow, a serpentine scaly body and clawed feet on a creature of prehistoric times. But then evolution is much more capable of adaptation, mutation and variety of any species than we can imagine… So did dragons exist? The legend continues.