Did Dragons Ever Exist?

In the folklore and legends of countries all over the world, there are tales of great and horrible dragons. They were pictured as huge monsters frightful to behold. They had bulging eyes, their nostrils spouted flames, and their roar was so great they caused the earth the tremble. One of the most famous of the ancient dragons was the Hydra, which had nine heads! It devoured many beautiful young girls before it was slain by Hercules. Another famous dragon of the Chimera, a fire breathing monster that met its death at the hands of a young warrior, Bellerophon, who was helped by his winged steed, Pegasus.

Many dragons were supposed to be guarding great treasures. The Golden Fleece was guarded by a dragon with a hundred eyes! Great Heroes always fought battles with dragons. The early warriors painted fierce dragons on their shields to frighten their enemies.

People at one time actually did believe that dragons existed. For example, before the time of Columbus, sailors used to be afraid to venture into unknown seas because they believed huge dragons would swallow up the ships and men. Of course, dragons never existed except in legends, myths, and fairy tales. Why did the belief in them arise? In prehistoric times, all kind of huge reptiles roamed the earth. The most terrifying of them, the dinasour , lived long before man appeared on the earth. But it is possible that during the time of the cavement some reptiles of great size still survived, and from this came the legends of dragons.