Dragons, or The Reality of Myth

I have long taught my students that myth always has a strong basis in reality. The more widespread the myth the stronger the basis must be. A myth, such as dragons, that is virtually universal across time and societies is indicative of a strong foundation. That basis is generally lost in antiquity — such is the nature of myths. If it were not lost, then it would likely not be a myth, but just be an anomaly of history.

Science and, thus, society may not comprehend the foundations of the myth until a “discovery” is made to remind us of its ancient foundations. Without this understanding, we can dismiss myths as part of an unenlightened cosmology of ancient people. This not only denigrates our forbears, it also deprives us of a richness in our understanding of Creation. Our inability to understand the basis of something does not make it less true…. And, when we ridicule myths, or their followers, we are really revealing our own pious ignorance.

Occasionally, science identifies some of these foundations. This happened recently with the discovery of a fossil of a strange dinosaur. It was named Dracorex hogwartsia in honor of the popular Harry Potter books. The name means basically “Dragon King of Hogwarts”. It has much of the appearance of mythical dragons.

I do not believe that this is the full explanation of the dragon myths, but it does give insights into its possible origins that are acceptable to society and science. The full explanation will go much deeper, and cover terrain that most are not prepared to cross. This story does serve the purpose, though, of reminding us that all myths have a basis in reality.

Knowing the basis of a myth yields understanding about the myth; understanding leverages power. So, the important question for today is:

What is the basis of your personal and cultural mythology?