Page 108 - Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained Vol. 3

88 Mysterious Creatures

Lynne Cherry‘s survived into the Age of Man. Pick up any
illustration from The book on dinosaurs and it is apparent that a
Dragon and the Unicorn. Tyrannosaurus Rex would have made a terrific
(HARCOURT, INC.) dragon in anyone’s legend. Such a huge reptile
thudding about the countryside of early
Europe or Asia could certainly fit even the
most dramatic descriptions of a dragon.
No theorist favoring the surviving
dinosaur solution to dragons claims that the
great reptiles existed in anything approaching
abundance. But even a handful of such
ancient monsters existing in isolated lakes and
forested valleys would not have gone unno-
ticed, even in the sparsely populated Europe of
the Dark Ages. The discovery of even just a
few of these great reptiles would have given
rise to a far-reaching legend.
A more palatable theory is that the
ancient historians were actually describing
huge snakes such as the python, which often
writings of the day. Edward Topsell, writing in reaches a length of more than 30 feet. A num-
his Historie of Serpents (1608), commented ber of dragon stories from the Middle Ages tell
that among all the kinds of serpents, there is how the dragon wound itself about its prey
none comparable to the Dragon, or that and slowly crushed it.
afforded and yielded “so much plentiful matter
in history for the ample discovery of the The giant snake theory does not account
nature thereof.” for descriptions of the dragon’s feet or its abili-
ty to walk on all fours, but some species of
giant lizard, such as the Komodo dragon,
attains a length of 10–12 feet. The Komodo
presently resides in the East Indies, but in
A few scientists hold the theory that a number of ancient times, it is possible that St. George
dinosaurs might have survived into the Age of Man. and his fellow dragon-killers might have
fought some unknown species of monster
lizard in Europe and Asia.
A third, more believable theory has an
While examining the “true accounts” of
adventurer of the Middle Ages coming upon a
dragons in the folklore and records of several
cave filled with the bones of a giant cave bear
cultures, one cannot help wondering if there
and mistaking them for the skeletal remains of
really were dragonlike monsters prowling the
a dragon. Workmen excavating earth for a
earth, devouring hapless villagers, receiving
cathedral might even have unearthed the fossil
periodic sacrifices of young maidens, spreading
remains of a dinosaur. It was not until the
terror into the hearts of all, and being thwart-
nineteenth century that scientists realized that
ed only by courageous knights. For years, chil-
the age of fossil bones often ran into millions
dren have been read tales, seen motion pic-
of years. Previously, the skeletons were consid-
tures, and heard songs of reluctant dragons,
ered to have been the remains of some giant
kindly dragons, affectionate dragons, magic
creature only recently dead. If, at the time the
dragons, and timid dragons.
dragon legend was flourishing in Europe, a dis-
Behind every myth smolders some spark of covery of fossil remains was unearthed or sight-
truth and reality. A few scientists hold the ed in a cave, the find would seem to offer con-
theory that a number of dinosaurs might have clusive proof for the existence of dragons. It is
The Gale Enc y clopedia of the Unusu al and Unexplained