Originally posted by black beetleHe's not asking why they fly without wings. I offered up a hypothesis that dragon legends came from dinosaur bones, and that flying dragons came from winged dinosaur fossils. He asked why, if the legends of flying dragons came from winged fossils, did the Chinese think dragons could fly without wings.
Because they were not physical creatures like, ie, the birds. The dragons could fly by means of their mental power alone.
On the other hand there are Chinese dragons unable to fly; you can understand if a dragon can fly if you check the shape of its head. The existence of a compact mass without a regular shape on their head is the indicator that they can fly😵
He's challenging my explanation, not asking how they flew without wings.
Originally posted by robbie carrobie😵
Lol, yes , she arose out of the water, shimmering and bellowing in a majestic phoenix like arch, the water making patterns of tiny seahorses that reared and whinnyed and fell cascading back into the depths, flew over to the shore and torched my sausages that were lying on the barbecue smoldering, ahhhh, best flame grilled id tasted for ages, then she ...[text shortened]... the Loch while fairy music played in the distance and the moon turned a fiery Halloween orange!
Originally posted by AThousandYoungOh my English stink big time😵
He's not asking why they fly without wings. I offered up a hypothesis that dragon legends came from dinosaur bones, and that flying dragons came from winged dinosaur fossils. He asked why, if the legends of flying dragons came from winged fossils, did the Chinese think dragons could fly without wings.
He's challenging my explanation, not asking how they flew without wings.
Originally posted by robbie carrobieThe seahorse patterns make this story brilliant. 🙂
Lol, yes , she arose out of the water, shimmering and bellowing in a majestic phoenix like arch, the water making patterns of tiny seahorses that reared and whinnyed and fell cascading back into the depths, flew over to the shore and torched my sausages that were lying on the barbecue smoldering, ahhhh, best flame grilled id tasted for ages, then she ...[text shortened]... the Loch while fairy music played in the distance and the moon turned a fiery Halloween orange!
Originally posted by twhiteheadHere is my list of continents and next to each one a link to a dragon myth for the specific continent.
Since its the science forum, how about backing up your claim.
Can you provide a reference to some kind of dragon creature from each continent in the world.
The Wikipedia article doesn't even come close to supporting your claim, in fact it contradicts it.
Did I miss any?
1. Africa - Ethiopia: http://sorrel.humboldt.edu/~geog309i/ideas/dragons/eth.html
2. Europe - Brittain: http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/english-white-dragon/default.aspx
2.1 Europe - Scandinavia: http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/mccaffrey/330/dragons/myth.html
3. India - Pakistan: http://sorrel.humboldt.edu/~geog309i/ideas/dragons/naga.html
4. Japan / China: http://www.starsandseas.com/SAS_Mythology/Dragonmythd.htm
5. Americas - http://www.polenth.com/myth/namerica.html
6. Australia - http://pictures.linkmesh.com/dragons/australian_dragons.php
Originally posted by PalynkaThat's true, but any number of therapods have been found with feathers. T-Rex is a therapod, and dinosaurs fairly closely related to T-Rex (Dilong genus of the Tyrannosauroidea superfamily) have been found with feathers.
Archaeopteryxes are not that big, are they?
The largest known feathered dinosaurs are over two meters, which makes for a respectable but not awe inspiring dragon.
Don't forget, there are also pterosaurs. Quetzalcoatlus was a pterosaur easily large enough to be a dragon. Look at the size comparison with a human in this Wiki article...it's wingspan is over ten meters!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatlus
Originally posted by AThousandYoungThe trouble I have with your idea is that you're applying your mindset to a story generated by mythology. It also fails to account for other mythical animals. Take Humbaba. '"When he looks at someone, it is the look of death.""Humbaba's roar is a flood, his mouth is death and his breath is fire! He can hear a hundred leagues away any (rustling?) in his forest! Who would go down into his forest!" In various examples, his face is scribed in a single coiling line like that of the coiled entrails of men and beasts, from which omens might be read.' A face liked coiled intestines?
He's not asking why they fly without wings. I offered up a hypothesis that dragon legends came from dinosaur bones, and that flying dragons came from winged dinosaur fossils. He asked why, if the legends of flying dragons came from winged fossils, did the Chinese think dragons could fly without wings.
He's challenging my explanation, not asking how they flew without wings.
Then you have your gryphon, hippogriff, and other biologically implausible creatures. Maybe there was a chicken bone lying next to fossil. Maybe not.
The root meaning of 'dragon' or 'wyrm' is 'snake'. Snakes are scary. Add wings and fire and they're scarier still. Look up lindworms. Apparently Fafnir was a lindworm, a wingless dragon or, if you prefer, an enormous scary talking snake.
Dragons are also related to the earth element. Guardians of caves and what-not. Hanging out with black elves, dwarves, kobolds and all the rest. Care to supply a naturalistic explanation for that crowd too? Other than 'imagination', which would be true but unhelpful.
Originally posted by AThousandYoungFeathers or bits of decomposed skin?
That's true, but any number of therapods have been found with feathers.
http://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/studien/bericht-50215.html
How would somebody from those times know to reconstruct a quetzalcoatlus from some finger bones?
Here's a mildly interesting account of how people regarded fossils in the Middle Ages. One fellow thought he had found the bones of a man from before the flood, although in fact the bones were not even human ...
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/medieval.html
Fossilised shark teeth were used as amulets against poisoning ... Where did people think the teeth came from?
"In those days when the organic nature of fossil sharks teeth was not even dreamed of, their origin was deeply steeped in mystery. Some attributed to them a celestial origin, [3] but others, including the father of Maltese History, Commendatore Gian Francesco Abela (1647), [4] the Maltese writer Francesco Buonamico (1668), [5] the local historian Count Giovannantonio Ciantar (1738-1772) [6] and many other learned men throughout Europe, were convinced that Glossopetra were spontaneously generated from rocks, [7] particularly those of Malta. The local people believed that these objects were somehow associated with St. Paul’s shipwreck on their Island in A.D. 60, [8] for it is said that the [p.394] Saint, after being bitten by the viper, blessed the land that saved his life, but cursed the Island’s snakes. His spell is said to have rendered the local reptiles perpetually harmless creatures. Some even believed that Glossapetra in Maltese rocks represented the tongues of those unfortunate snakes that happened to be in existence at the time of the shipwreck. [9] Malta’s fossil sharks’ teeth were consequently thought to possess not only supernatural powers against poison but also many other wonderful virtues. They were, in fact, greatly esteemed also for their powerful deodorant properties and were considered excellent amulets against the evil eye, particularly when the shape of the fossil tooth resembled that of a single horn. [10]" http://www.geocities.com/melitahistoricab/19755.html
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Originally posted by Bosse de NageJust because we only know of the queztalcoatlus from finger bones does not mean that a complete fossil was never found by prehistoric people.
Feathers or bits of decomposed skin?
http://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/studien/bericht-50215.html
How would somebody from those times know to reconstruct a quetzalcoatlus from some finger bones?
Here's a mildly interesting account of how people regarded fossils in the Middle Ages. One fellow thought he had found the bones of a man ...[text shortened]... h in fact the bones were not even human ...
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/medieval.html
Interesting article. It's my understanding that the bones had little bumps that in birds are used to anchor feathers. What was the purpose of those nubs if not for feathers or protofeathers?
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12666-bumpy-bones-suggest-velociraptor-had-feathers.html
Originally posted by ysterbaardAs far as I can tell you have missed out South America, the North American one looks made up and the ones listed for Australia seem more like snakes.
Here is my list of continents and next to each one a link to a dragon myth for the specific continent.
Did I miss any?
1. Africa - Ethiopia: http://sorrel.humboldt.edu/~geog309i/ideas/dragons/eth.html
2. Europe - Brittain: http://www.englandandenglishhistory.com/english-white-dragon/default.aspx
2.1 Europe - Scandinavia: http://www.fortuneci ...[text shortened]... myth/namerica.html
6. Australia - http://pictures.linkmesh.com/dragons/australian_dragons.php