Re: Dragons

[NEIL CLARK <NCLARK@museum.gla.ac.uk>]

>  I'm more inclined to think these stories
> were invented to explain the discovery of dinosaur and perhaps 
Neanderthal
> fossils from time to time.  Does anyone have any relevant 
thoughts?
>
Merritt?  You didn't sign this one, but I assume that you are the only 
one using this mail-sign.

Yes, I think that the discovery of dinosaur fossils by pre-age of 
enlightenment people probably did give rise to fanciful interpretations 
of what the remains may represent.  It is interesting that the Chinese 
are known to have interpreted dinosaur remains as dragon remains 
and that htese too breathed fire.  I think that it came from a belief that 
dragons came from the sky (because they were large and no-one had 
seen one alive on Earth) and that the sun was also in the sky.  When 
you put the two together you get fire breathing dragons!  It may be a 
bit simplistic to put it in such terms, maybe someone else has a 
better interpretation.

Neil


Neil Clark
Curator of Palaeontology
Hunterian Museum
University of Glasgow
email: NCLARK@museum.gla.ac.uk

Mountains are found in erogenous zones.
(Geological Howlers - ed. WDI Rolfe)