O r i o n C e n t e r
Lake of the Ozarks Not-For-Profit Organization
Dragons and Dinosaurs
There are two views about dragons. One idea about dragon stories around the world is that primitive people commonly make up stories about monsters. I guess that's possible, but there are also reasons not to believe that. After all, primitive people lived in proximity to so many real dangers, it hardly seems they would resort to made-up monsters to frighten themselves. There is also the question of why they would pick giant reptiles as their monster of choice unless they were inspired by real creatures. Modern reptiles just aren't big enough to inspire giant reptile legends. Finally, there is the question of why these dragon stories are so pervasive, appearing in many cultures around the world. The most credible explanation is that dragons are based on real experience.Saedracan to Plesiosaur
Among the dragons were creatures that were known to the Saxons and Danes as giant saedracan (sea-drakes or sea-dragons). They were lying in the sun when Beowulf's men first saw them, but at the sound of the battle-horn they scurried back to the water and slithered beneath the waves. The saedracans immediately bring to mind the monster of Loch Ness in Scotland. Their counterpart in the dinosaur kingdom is something like the plesiosaurs,
