Dragons - a legend or fact?

Each of us knows stories about these mysterious creatures, appearing in mass culture since the beginning of time. Dragons, because we are talking about them, have permanently enrolled in the consciousness of almost every human in the world. We know how they looked, we know how dangerous they were and we know that they did not exist ... Is it really just a myth?

With tales, fairy tales and legends about dragons you can meet in the writings of many nations of Europe and Asia from the earliest times - Sumerians, Assyrians, Persians and Indians told about them. They occur in the myths of the creation of the world, appear in the history of ancient Slavs and Germans. In European symbolism, the dragon embodied evil, unhappiness, horror and suffering. It was also presented in East Asia in a different way - the dragon is still considered a symbol of happiness, justice and harvest. The origin of dragons as mythical creatures still covers the mystery. It's amazing the similarity between the descriptions and images of dragons and the found remains of prehistoric reptiles. However, there is no relationship between them - the first people since the last dinosaurs separate after millions of years. Their origin, therefore, must be sought elsewhere - but surely only in human imagination and fantasy ...?

SMOKE, WHERE YOU KNOW?
Their presence in the applications, myths and iconography of almost all nations of Europe and Asia for many centuries forces us to ask ourselves one question: where did the dragons come from? After all, it is impossible to believe that ancient or medieval people, finding in the caves bones and skulls of cave bears, in their primitive minds have dressed these bones in the body and obtained an almost identical image in Germany, in Transylvania or in China. Contacts between the continents in those days, although there was a small scale. However, the presence in the legends of great travelers is recorded to a much lesser extent than the presence of dragons ...

Ancient and medieval bestiaries, or illustrated books containing descriptions of animals known at that time, are extremely rich in examples of various "fantastic" creatures, often discussed in great detail, and the diligence and seriousness with which they were presented today arouse great astonishment. These books are not taken seriously by modern science, but the existence of many of the creatures described in them has been reflected, among others, in archaeological finds. Certainly, their existence can be indisputably proven, if only on the basis of fossils. There are also such creatures as giant reptiles, sea monsters, gigantic snakes, flying lizards, unicorns and of course dragons.

The first mentions of the mysterious creatures described as "flying snakes" originate from Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, from about the 3rd millennium BC, where they were worshiped as divine animals and symbols of wisdom. Archaeological research proves that the winged snake was not only a frequent artistic motif in Ancient Egypt, but was also treated as a well-known animal occurring in that region. In Egypt and Israel, several seals were found depicting hunting scenes of winged snakes on cattle.

The image of the winged dragon was then a bit different than we imagine today. The descriptions from that period speak about an animal with a clearly serpent silhouette, with membranous wings and one pair of claw-like legs. Other features that appear equally often are the horns or ears located at the back of the head and the flattened diamond-shaped panel at the tip of the tail. !

Egyptian seal with the image of Ibis defending the man (on the right) in front of the cobra (on the left) and the winged snake (top) - Egypt XII-XIII in. P.n.e

The popular dragon silhouette with additional front limbs appeared, according to Sir Grafton Elliot Smith in "The Evolution of the Dragon" from 1919, only around the 16th century. However, in the ancient Egyptian scriptures describing the Egyptian expedition against the Nubians led by Moses, we can find a quote from the Jewish historian Józef Flavius:
"Meanwhile, Moses, before the enemies learned of his expedition, he led the army into battle, taking the road, not through the river, but through the land, during this crossing he showed his prudence, for the road was exceedingly difficult because of the multitude of snakes that swarm it. places where there are snakes that you can not find anywhere else, extraordinary strength, malice and strange appearance, some of them even have wings, so that they can attack people emerging from hiding in the ground, or unexpectedly falling on them from the sky In order to carry out the army safely and without harm, Moses invented such a highly thoughtful way: he ordered the cribs to be made of papyrus baskets and carried with ibises, this bird is a great enemy of snakes. then the ibis grabs him like a deer and swallows. "

In the 5th century BC The Greek historian Herodot describes the flying snakes in Saudi Arabia and Egypt as animals of small size, often surrounding the entire herds of the incense tree. Aristotle, Ammianus Marcellinus, Cicero, Pomponius Mela, Solinus and Claudius Aelianus also describe these creatures, in addition most of them mention that they were poisonous.

The famous medieval naturalist, Prosper Alpin, in 1580 describing the history of Egypt in the "Histoire Naturelle de l'Egypte" mentioned the species of "flying snakes" that lived there. In his work he wrote that this species has a certain type of mane (a small piece of skin on the head), a long tail with a finger thickness, topped with a patch of skin similar to a leaf, and the total length of one individual measures as much as the palm branch.

ABOUT SAINT WHAT THE DRAGON HAD DONE ...

At the beginning of the eleventh century there is a legend about St. Jerzy, Roman tribune, soldier and member of the guard of the Emperor Diocletian himself in the third century. George allegedly killed a dragon terrorizing the inhabitants of Silene in Libya (modern historians say it is a city of Cyrene located on the north coast of Africa), saving the life of the local ruler's daughter. He stood on the way of the dragon, the beast helped God with his help, and as a reward, as always in legends, he received his hand, as well as the rest of the rescued woman. Escaping from the threat (I do not know what he was running from, maybe against the revenge of dragons or maybe in front of the bride's family?) He came to England and became the patron of this country. The real story of George (Georgius) is quite different ... Well, in 303, Diocletian issued an edict allowing persecution of Christians in the Empire. Jerzy was forced to participate in the persecution, despite the fact that he was a Christian himself. When he publicly dared to criticize the decision of the emperor, enraged Diocletian ordered to torture him and kill him. On April 23, 303, after many tortures, Jerzy was beheaded under the city walls of Nikomedia (today's Izmir in Turkey). His body returned to Lyddi, where he was buried. Shortly thereafter, Christians began to pray to him as a martyr. As you can see, the legend passes the truth completely but still Saint. Jerzy is known today mainly for his duel with the reptile, he also became a symbol of the fight against all sin and evil. The oldest illustrations depicting the dragon from Silene agree almost entirely with both ancient and medieval descriptions of the "winged snakes" occurring in those areas.

DRUGS FROM DRAGON PHARMACIES
Not only brave knights were dealing with dragons. Ordinary people also had contact with these beasts in everyday life. And the demand for products from fire-breathing creatures was enormous. Pharmacy sold "sanguis draconis" - dragon's blood. It was a resinous, red-brown substance, odorless and tasteless, ground to a powder. It was obtained from the shells of fruits of the East Indian palms Calamus Draco, or from the cut trunks of the plant Dracaena Draco L., which grew in the Canary Islands. St. Hildegard, prioress of the Benedictine monastery in Disibodenberg (1098-1179), advised the sick who suffered from urolithiasis to drink dragon blood. The blood had to be stored in a moist place, so that it would soak up with moisture. Then he threw himself into the water, which was hot from the blood. It was necessary to drink it on an empty stomach for 9 days and then eat something. St. Hildegard, however, warned against the use of pure dragon blood, because it threatened a sudden and painful death. An interesting legend is associated with the founding of a Benedictine monastery in Wilten, in the suburb of Innsbruck. Heymo had to set him up, shortly after he killed the cruel dragon guarding the city. In the place where the dragon was killed, a black, hideous smelling "dragon's blood" began to leak from the ground, which people successfully used to treat various joint and skin diseases. Today, it is known that this "dragon's blood" is natural oil (so-called ichthyol), which contains Triassic oil shale. It was also believed that there was a "dragon stone" in the dragon's brain, which, as an irreplaceable agent against all poisons, was highly valued. If he was taken out of the dragon's head during his lifetime, the one who owned it did not have to be afraid of poisoning.
High prices were achieved by the magical powder from the dragon's teeth, supposedly rejuvenating. The healing properties of dragon remains were examined and described by a doctor from Prešov (today's Slovakia), Johann Paterson Hain (1615-1675). Dragon bones from local caves were acquired by local citizens or searched for them themselves. He published the results of the study in the journal "Miscellanea medico-physica Academiae Naturae Curiosorum sive Ephemeridum medico-physicarum Germanicarum curiosarum" published by the German society of natural sciences. In one of the numbers he mentioned the Velvet Cave near Haligowiec, which was considered a dragon shrine, because there were a lot of "dragon" bones in it:
"The bones found in a very deep and very long cave near the Carthusian monastery near the Dunajec ... In the mountains of the Carpathians there is a cave almost filled with bones, as the summer shepherds say, also say that these beasts die on top of each other when they are overpowered by illness and disease they seek relief, tread on lying bones, and when the wind blows through the pits and clefts, the animal will rest so that it will die there and increase the pile of other carrion. that some Italian came to this cave, he drew magic from the dragon, sat on it and flew away. "

In 1672 Hain wrote:
"The villager who visits the dragon holes, he reported to the countess, Count Władysław Rakoczy, the whole skeleton of the young dragon bones. These ground bones were sold against epilepsy. "
The "dragon bones" in the cave near Haligowiec were written by the Polish geographer Stanisław Duńczewski around 1760, citing Matt Bel. The bones and teeth found in the caves belonged, of course, to extinct animals, and their seekers obtained good prices for their finds, which is why many bones that could have been the subject of paleontological research, it was irretrievably lost, and dragons played a huge role in Chinese folk medicine. In all pharmacies you could buy "dragon" bones and teeth - for heart, kidney and circulation diseases, as well as for vaginal discharge, fever and consumption The most expensive was the dragon tooth powder, which was the favorite rejuvenating agent, but in reality it was the bones and teeth of long-dead animals, Chinese apothecaries bought bones from seekers who had a good income from it, so the finds hid and prevented palaeontologists from accessing them.

TANGES IN WORKS
The existence of dragons was believed not only by simple and uneducated people, but also by serious scholars. After the invention of printing, popular herbariums, bestiaries and natural publications began to be published on a larger scale, copying old manuscripts. Today, we would call it a wide distribution. In this way, the notes of Saint Hildegarda, which describes the dragon as follows:
"(...) he has dry skin and unusual temperature, his meat is not fiery in the interior, but his breath is so hot that it burns in the air like a spark made of stone, he hates a man and he has a devilish nature. breathes the venomous breath, shakes the air, meat and bones from it are not suitable for medicine, fat only, how the dragon will give his last breath, his blood dries and does not flow, but if he holds his breath in, his blood will flow and not you can use it for medicinal purposes. "
The French monk Fulko of Chartres died in 1127, he wrote about dragons:
"Dragons are characterized by long, repulsive mouths, sharp teeth and fiery tongue, ears are similar to horns, the neck is long and the body is lizard." The two legs are similar to the eagle claws and the wings are like bats. Dragons live in India and Ethiopia, where it's summer all the time, they're the biggest animals in the world. "
The canon Conradus Megenbergensis, better known as Konrad of Megenberg (1309-1374) in his book "Book of Nature" from 1349, placed such a description:
"The dragon is one of the largest animals in the world." The animal has no venom. "The throat is narrow, and when walking, it stretches its tongue." The mouth opens wide and makes whining noises, but it does not matter, but its slight bite is harmful. from teeth, but from the fact that it consumes poisonous things, the dragon stays the most in the cave rocks, especially in tight places between the rock walls, because of the excess heat of his body. In the lands where he is alive, he is also very hot immediately after sunrise. "With a voice and shout, he scare people, people can not stand his gaze and immediately die ... One kind of dragons has no legs and crawls on his belly and another type, less often, has legs. "

Interesting mentions of dragons were also given by the famous German medic, theologian and Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (1602 - 1680) in his natural work "Mundus Subterraneus" ("Underground World"). He admits that he believes in the existence of dragons, referring to the Holy Scriptures, Aristotle, ship captains and many famous scholars. He described dragons whose existence supported many memories and descriptions of allegedly stuffed dragons from various collections of important people. He mentions a four-legged, winged dragon, whom the religious knight Deodatus of Gozon, killed on the island of Rhodes. The two-legged dragon - a great lizard without wings, according to Kircher, belonged to the collections of naturalist Aldrovandi, a winged dragon with two legs and two-legged and double-winged, which proudly decorated the collection of Cardinal Baberini. The dragon was to be killed near Rome in 1660, when a Lanio, a citizen of the city, came out to catch birds and saw a dragon the size of a vulture. Thinking that he was a bird, he threw his net at him, which hurt the beast in the wing. He made the dragon maddened mercilessly, and he jumped at the man in the blink of an eye. However, Lanio managed to slaughter the beast, but he died the same night. Undoubtedly one of the reasons for the death of the wretch, according to Kircher, was that:

"the dragon splashed green venomous saliva, or he got a blood infection when he was sprayed with the blood of a dead dragon or poisoned by the venomous breath of a monster."

Soon after this incident, a dead dragon was found in the place of the skirmish successfully, and then stuffed with wool was taken to the cardinal museum.
The same Athanasius Kircher in 1678 in the second volume of his "Mundus Subterraneus" described the story of a husband named Winkelried who allegedly killed a dragon during the construction of his settlement in Switzerland. Posted in the book by Kircher, his own drawing of this dragon proved to be so convincing that even the famous German paleontologist Peter Wellnhofer published it in his book "The Great Pterosaur Encyclopedia" of 1993 (p. 20), as a picture consistent with discovered fossilized debris pterosaur from the period of Mesozoic.

The note from December 1691 also deserves our attention. Well, as in the book "The Book of the Dragon" by Judy Allen and Jeanne Griffith, one of the caves near Rome lived a monster referred to as the "winged dragon," which supposedly terrorized the local residents. In possession of a certain Ingegniero Cornelio Meyer, the only sketch he made at that time, showing the skeleton of this creature, was preserved. In 1998, John Goertzen identified them as a species known under the name "Scaphognathus Crassirostris", meaning the pterosaur from the Rhamphorhynchoide family. The characteristic features of the sketch are, according to Goertzen:

"- a smooth top of the head decorated only with a double flap of the skin that grows at the rear,

• five fingers clearly visible on each paw of a similar length, except for one shorter sprouting in the opposite direction to the rest (characteristic of the Scapognathus species)
• claw marks on the wings,
• membranous wings are clearly closer to the head than rear legs and border with circles consistent with the modern Scapognathus fossils found today,
• femoral bone is correctly drawn as a single, sagittal and tibial bones are also visible.
  The exact description of the skin of the above animal, the shape of the lobes on the head, ears and the exact shape of the membrane on the wings proves that we are not dealing with a drawing of fossils, but real body remnants of the creature living at that time. "

Sketch of the dragon skeleton according to Ingeniero Cornelio Meyer from 1691.

MODERN DUMPS
In 1923, naturalist Frank Melland in his book on the beliefs and customs of the Kaonde tribe from today's Zambia described the very dangerous animals identified by the natives as "Kongamato" (boat crushers). According to him, flying creatures without feathers, with smooth, black or red skin, with wings measuring up to 7 feet, had a long beak full of sharp teeth. In addition, by behaving extremely aggressively, they were to attack and even destroy fishermen's boats in the Mwinilunga district in western Zambia. There were also attacks on people as soon as they dared to look at them. The leaders of the Kaonde tribe, who were presented with a book with illustrations of pterosaurs, identified Kongamato as the representative of the extinct Pterodactylus species that once lived in Europe and Africa (according to contemporary paleontologists) during the late Jury.

A drawing showing the Kongamato attack on Kaonde fishermen.

In 1932-33, an expedition to West Africa took place, sent by the British Museum, which was commanded by Ivan Sanderson, a well-known writer and zoologist. In the journey's diary, he recorded a meeting with a mysterious, unusually interesting creature:
"(...) attacked me in the evening while hunting on the river. (...) the animal was extremely aggressive, had large, black, Dracula-like wings, issuing the sound of 'shss-shssing', and (...) a large mouth bristling with sharp teeth ... "
Similar accounts describing encounters with animals resembling pterosaurs to this day are very many, the most of which comes from indigenous African tribes from around Zambia, Kenya, Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Tanzania and Congo - both from forest areas and desert.

DARWIN WAS FALSE?

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