Dragons

This ACEO print from one of my original paintings can be purchased on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/252654660660?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Who doesn't love a good dragon story? I think Dragonheart is my all time favorite dragon movie but I want to write about what's behind all this folklore. I truly believe the expression "where there's smoke there's fire" applies with all myths and legends. If we dig deep enough, there's an ancient truth waiting to reveal itself.
This is definitely the case when it comes to all the legends and folklore about dragons. We have stories all over the world involving dragons. The ancient Americas, the Roman empire and the ancient east all share stories about dragons. We associate medieval tales with dragons and knights in the western world but how did that come to be. In medieval times, everyone knew what a dragon looked like. We even have historic records of someone named George slaying a dragon in an ancient Roman village. There must have been some kind of species - some big lizard that was quite common in the earliest parts of our history. Perhaps we caused this species to go extinct?
Now think again about these fairy tales but see the symbols of the dragon as a metaphor for an animal's characteristics. According to legends, dragons breath fire. Most of your big lizards today have poisonous saliva. Fiery breath is a perfect symbol for a dangerous mouth. Remember how Beowulf died? He died when the dragon he slayed drooled on his body.
Some believe the Allosaurus fossil was the inspiration for all the dragon myths. This prehistoric dinosaur was among the first fossils to be discovered. It was also the most common of all your big lizards in prehistory. Could some of those reptiles survive and have been alive during ancient and early medieval times?
Considering we have so many legends from cultures who did not communicate as far as we know, there might be a possibility that a strange ferocious lizard existed at times when people were too vulnerable or scared to understand this species. Nonetheless, we revere this animal enough to reserve a spot for this creature in our imaginations forever.