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Week 11 [1.06-7.06] The Origin of Dragons

Dragons are one of the most popular creatures in fantasy books and movies. They even appear in myths all around the world but what is a reason? This is a short movie about origin of dragons, how they look like in other cultures, what their meaning is and how and why probably they originate.


Questions
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?
2. What the most surprised you in the video?
3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?

Comments

I have a strange impression that this topic has already been before.
I think I even like dragons. My favorites are Charrizard from Pokemon and the black dragon from heroes III. In the film, I liked the story told the most in a fairy-tale form. In total, I think nothing in this film surprised me. It is obviously for everyone that dragons were scaring people. There seems to be something real about this theory about fear of snakes. In total, snakes are a bit like dragons, but without wings: D
Andrzej Kawiak said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Andrzej Kawiak said…
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?

The figure of a dragon as a bookshero is very large, Someone counted that the dragon is one of the mainbooks of more than 10 thousand books published in the 21st century. My favorite dragon is Shenron from the dragon ball. To summon him, collect the seven dragon balls and say the summoning slogan, "Come, dragon, and grant my wish". The dragonn ball was my favorite fairy tale. I grew up on the DB and have an unearthly sentiment for it, even though I haven't seen it for so long.

2. What the most surprised you in the video?

Nothing surprised me. I knew most things before.

3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?

In ancient China, the dragon symbolized wisdom, justice and endurance. In European symbolism, a dragon embodied evil, misfortune, horror and suffering. People have noticed a similarity between descriptions and images of dragons and found remains of prehistoric reptiles. I think this is the main reason why people were afraid.
Bartosz Warda said…
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?

My favourite dragon would be a cockatrice—a dinosaur-like reptile of the family Daemonidae. I actually think the latter is the best kind of dragon. It's definitely a creature of the dark, creepy, and unique. It's not one I would think could be just casually around.

2. What the most surprised you in the video?

That we are even talking about dragons. Never seen one and never actually believed that they exist.

3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?

These scare tactics work on a big group. What we call fear alone, a small group fears these three. I speculate the method could work on smaller groups where one person is dominant.
Olga Przytula said…
1. I don’t know why, but I find this question weird, maybe because it’s somehow hard to say that I like something that does not exist, but yeah, I guess I like dragons. My favorite would be of course the one from Witcher (version with Michał Żebrowski). It’s just so ugly and awfully designed it always cracks me up a little bit :D Oh! And I love Mushu from Mulan. We all know, he was a dragon, not a lizard, because he didn’t make a sound like this: “shhhhh”.

2 .I wouldn’t say there was anything surprising in this video, but it is somehow fascinating how many versions and concepts of the dragons were created throughout the years, especially when you realize, that these are creatures that never existed. And still somehow, people believed in them.

3. If you are asking about this fear of snakes “build in” our brains – I’ve heard about it before and I think it can be true. Nature is surprisingly clever when it comes to protecting our bodies and health, so I am able to believe that our brains developed some kind of fear of snakes, spiders and other venomous and poisonous creatures the same way, as we subconsciously know, that red food can turn out to be poisonous and shouldn’t be eaten if we don’t know what it is.
Bartosz Barnat said…
1. I love dragons and hearing stories about them. The best ones for me are from the movie called how to train your dragon and the one from mulan as it was really funny one when I was younger. Right now I'm reading Game of Thrones and I must say that I really like stories about dragons from this book.

2. That we have never seen a dragon and almost everyone living on earth has heard about it. It was surprising to me that we really fear snakes and have weird spooky feeling when we see one.

3. Yes! I cant stand snakes and I instantly get goosebumps when I see one. I had many situations where I saw one in the forest or someone was standing on the street with snake so people would pay for taking a picture with it but I was always going the other way as soon as I saw it.
Anastasiia Bida said…
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?
Yes, I like watching some fantastic films and series where dragons appear. For example, The Witcher, Game of Thrones, or Harry Potter. But when I am thinking about my favourite dragon, the first that comes to my mind is the dragon from a computer-animated fantasy film How to Train Your Dragon.

2. What the most surprised you in the video?
I think that the theory about the similarity of dinosaurs`and dragons` bones surprised me, cause I haven`t heard about this fact before. And also some facts about politics.

3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?
In my opinion, this theory about snakes is not worse or better than other theories. Dragons are reptiles and they are really very similar to snakes so it can be the truth.
I don't remember if in out term was similar topic, but my friend said that in previous one it was. In this series are two videos about dragons - first one is about the most likely type of dragon to live and the second is about their origin. In previous term was the first video, so maybe you saw it or something. Unfortunately, a lot of topic in both terms are repeated or just similar.
Yubin said…
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?
Yes, dragons are important in my country China, they are symbolizing a spirit, is a national totem, and the significance is extraordinary. It can be said that it is the collective name of a nation, and it has a long-lasting sense of inheritance.

2. What the most surprised you in the video?
In fact, we have never seen a dragon, and we know that a dragon may not exist, but on the spiritual level, we are still willing to believe in its existence and symbolize it.

3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?
Yes, I totally agree. When I was undergraduate, once I went back to the dorm from classroom, I saw a snake on the side of the road, everyone called the school security guard to catch it. Still, the security guard was still very scared. XD
Aneta Artych said…
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?
I don't like it unfortunately..
2. What the most surprised you in the video?
I am curious if children even though they really fear snakes and are afraid when we see one, they like to watch fairytales? What do you think?
3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?
Yes, it is possible. For sure.
Roman Burlaka said…
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?

I like them. Maybe my favorites are dragons from Song of Ice and Fire and Smaug from the Hobbit. I'm really sad that there are only a few of the first ones that are still alive and the Smaug was I think the last of his kind.

2. What the most surprised you in the video?

In fact, nothing, I have known all the information but the style of the video is very good, I liked it.

3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?

I think the truth is somewhere in combining all that stuff about fear of snakes, prehistorical bones and passion to tell cool stories around the campfire.
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?
I like dragons. There are available in many anime series, films, and games. There are powerful and majestic. My favorite dragon is blue eyes white dragon from anime Yo-Gi-Oh!. In this anime people play card game and summon powerful creatures. Blue eyes is Seto Kaiba favorite card monster. Thanks to this card he won many battles.

2. What the most surprised you in the video?
In most I was surprised that a whale could be a water dragon. I didn't know that many dragons could be created by our imaginary. This is amazing. I know that in many countries exists legends about dragons. Some of them are evil and some of them are good.

3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?
It’s difficult to answer this question. I have no opinion about this topic. I know that fear of something could be a flash point to create such powerful creatures. It’s possible that dragons mother is snake.
Kyrylo said…
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?
Quetzalcoatl probably -- the feathered mexican giant snake. Just imagine what it may have looked like!
2. What the most surprised you in the video?
Actually, nothing that would make a breakthrough in the video. These concepts about fear of snakes and so on are very old, as the dragon tales themselves.
3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?
Probably, though where did all the stories about dragons as a treasure hoarders and guardians came from?
This comment has been removed by the author.
1 / Yes, I suppose that I am quite impressed by anyway. Probably a dragon from Mulan.
2 / I did not know that dragons really have a story of their possible existence in civilizations.
3 / Maybe ... I love animals, including snakes.
Kgajewska said…
1. Yes, I like the concept of dragons, and I think it would be awesome to have one... if this could be possible of course. To be honest I truly can't decide which one is my fav, but I'll go with the Mushu from Mulan

2. To be quite fair, the thing that suprised me the most, was this strange and awkward feeling that I've read some similiar post before... Even the graphic style of the video was similar...

3. I don't understand the basic about fear of snakes, like, I don't think they have feelings/emotions as we so they won't bite or attack just because they're mean or they want to. So why fear them? But I do believe that we have some "builld-in pre-fear" for things/animals that can hurt us. It's better to avoid anything that could be dangerous if we don't know the reasons behind it's actions.
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?
Well, neither like or dislike
I remember watching the cartoon about Jackie Chan and dragon amulets when I was a child. This is probably the biggest association with dragons I have
2. What the most surprised you in the video?
Actually, nothing that would make a breakthrough in the video. These concepts about fear of snakes and so on are very old, as the dragon tales themselves.
3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?
It’s difficult to answer this question. I have no opinion about this topic. I know that fear of something could be a flash point to create such powerful creatures. It’s possible that dragons mother is snake.
I didn't know about that dragons are presented in more than 10 000 books published in 21st century, it seems to be very interesting. Unfortunately, I have never watched Dragon Ball.
And yes, in Europe dragon used to be associated with evil. It became even worse because of Christian religion and belief that dragon is a symbol of Satan. It was used in art also, for example Saint George fighting with a dragon.
"a cockatrice—a dinosaur-like reptile of the family Daemonidae" Unfortunately, I don't know this type of reptile and I tried to find this family, but I found nothing. Do you mean any living creature or just mythological cockatrice but with dinosaur-like desing in art? In our world are reptiles from family Corytophanidae and Genus Basiliscus, they usually have names with "basilisk" because of Basilisk from myths. In polish both cockatrice and basilisk have the same name "bazyliszek" but they are different being.
"it is somehow fascinating how many versions and concepts of the dragons were created throughout the years, especially when you realize, that these are creatures that never existed. And still somehow, people believed in them."

This is not the first thing that is present and similar in very different cultures around the world, for example the Great Flood myth. This myth appears in Christian, Greek, Norse and also in Chinese mythology and usually it is as a symbol of punishment from deities.
lukaszK said…
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?
2. What the most surprised you in the video?
3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?

1. My favorite dragons are those from Heroes of Might and Magic III.
It is a turn-based strategic game produced by New World Computing and released in 1999 by The 3DO Company. Is the third part of the Heroes of Might and Magic series.
The game involves strategic exploration of the world map and tactical combat in the turn-based system. As in other games of the series, the player controls a number of heroes who function as generals commanding armies consisting of various types of creatures, drawn from myths and legends.
The player's cities perform many functions, but above all they enable the recruitment of creatures to form an army. "Dragons are one of those creatures." One of the strongest dragons can be recruited in Dungeon fraction,
The black dragon is one of the strongest creatures in the game.

2. Nothing surprised me in this video.

3. Who knows? Dragons remind me more of dinosaurs.
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?
2. What the most surprised you in the video?
3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?
1.Yes, or at least I think so because dragons as characters in different movies and books can vary greatly. And when I liked the concept of dragons in such a Game of Thrones for example, and it appealed to me as much as possible, for example, Smaug of Hobbit less. (Generally the book was great, but unfortunately the film and even all 3 parts were simply more than weak.) I understand that I'm debating something that's fully contrived, but yet a big talking lizard with an obsession with gold and precious stones is an irrational vision for me.
2. I think that the most surprising comparisons between dragons and dinosaurs were even more surprising as people imagined them from the skeletons they found.
3.It may be partly true, but I don't think it's 100% true, even though some people have never had such a reflex. I personally know somebody who bred snakes because it is more like a hobby and his children treat them completely like other domestic animals (apart from a dozen or so snakes he normally has dogs and a cat) probably because since childhood they are taught what they are and how to handle them but I still don't think that everyone is born with a built-in fear - more so we buy it from the very beginning without being aware of it at all.
I love dragons! When I was younger, I collected books about dragons and dragon statues. I was always very excited about them and loved every story, game or move with them in it. I think that my favorite dragon is Deathwing from World of Warcraft. I even had a posted with him on a wall in my room. I don’t know what surprised me the most, I know a lot about dragons because of my childhood fantasy. Surprising thing is that even though dragons doesn’t exist, their concept is so common that almost everyone around the world has heard about them. I don’t really fear snakes, I mean probably when I would see some deadly, super venomous snake I probably wouldn’t like such encounter but for me spiders are way worse than snakes.
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?

I like the concept. My favourite one would be the one presented in Cracow :)

2. What the most surprised you in the video?

Probably anything, I haven't watch any video about dragons so the whole thing is supprising to me :)

3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?

Well it is interesting but I have no opinion about it - it is so abstractive
Oskar Kacprzak said…
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?
Design of medieval dragon maybe or the one presented in fantasy e.g. Eragon books.
2. What the most surprised you in the video?
Unfortunately I wasn't suprised by anything in this video.
3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?
Not every dragon have appearence of snake, also in cultures having dragon in their mythology there are possibly other snake creatures.
Maciek Olko said…
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?
I think my favorite is Toothless from How to train your dragon movie. I suppose thats because this dragon is pretty much similar to a cat.
2. What the most surprised you in the video?
Hypothesis that dragons were dinosaurs. It seems likely to me.
3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?
Yes, it seems likely. Dragons can be a personification of human biggest fears, and are similar to snakes not without a reason.
Roman Dubovyi said…
1. I don't like dragons. I may like dragon's personality though. Dragon called Smog from Hobbit really felt like a selfish gold-loving creature. So probably he is my favorite.

2. Literally nothing. The fact that dragon legends may have came from dinosaur fossil wasn't new for me. It's pretty obvious that such finding would've raised some really crazy ideas in ancient people's minds.

3. Maybe. If you study nordic or slavic folklore and mythical creatures - you will be surprised of how many things troubled common folk back then.
Mushu from Mulan is really great and funny. And have you ever heard that Toothless from How To Train Youe Dragon was based on cats and their behaviour? It's really incredible how similar they are.
That's true nobody has never seen any real dragon, but some people on the Earth saw "dragons". They were spotted in natural phenomena like storm on the sea or clouds during thunderstorm. It was even pictured in traditional chinese or japanese paintings (for example some Katsushika Hokusai's artworks).
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?
yes, I like dragons, especially those in the European style, talking, with wings and fire-breathing most popular in fantasy novel and games.
2. What the most surprised you in the video?
What surprised me the most is that he considers every snake in mythology to be a dragon, maybe because of the appearance of Asian dragons. Sometimes a snake is just a snake...
3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?
Yes, I agree partially. I think we learn fear from experience and from others. If you have never seen or heard about a snake, you will not be afraid of it you will be probably wary or curious of them because this is something new and this also may end badly because of this, but if you are with them every day you stop being afraid of them you start to respect them and learn how deal with them.
1. I was waiting for this question ever science I grew up. When we are young, people often asked us questions like: what is your favourite dinosaur or a dragon in this example, but when you grow up they tend to ask "what detergent do you use for your laundry"?... So thank you for making me feel like a kid again! To answer your question, I like all fictional creatures. I think I will go with Smaug from Tolkien's universe. He is a scary, European dragon, that can destroy a village instantly. This perception of a dragon is my favourite. However, I also adored the golden dragon from Sapokowski's books. Borch Trzy Kawki appeared mostly as a human but, at will, he could transform to his true self which was a magnificent golden dragon.

2. I actually thought about it before. I did come up with the argument that dinosaurs bones could have started myths about dragons. However, I wasn't sure if that was the case. I appreciate the confirmation.

3. Have you ever seen a video of a cat vs a cucumber? Humans probably had the same fear especially when there was no antidote for a snake bite. The fear would escalate, become a warning and a myth. So the theory seems legitimate.
"I am curious if children even though they really fear snakes and are afraid when we see one, they like to watch fairytales? What do you think?"
I think it depends on which type of dragons they see in fairy tales. Dragons from most of cartoons are not similar to snakes (for example almost all of dragons from How To Train Your Dragon) but in movies with some CGI they look more realistic and children can be afraid of them, especially ones from movies like D-War (2007) look like snakes.
Very interesting movie, I always liked stories related to these fantastic dragons. It is interesting that dragons are very similar to dinosaurs and I wonder why people present them in this way.
As for the movie, it's hard to say what interested me because the whole movie was very interesting for me. As for the theory question, I think there is a lot of truth in it and the snakes are a bit like dragons but also lizards and a total of reptiles
I think the meaning and value of dragons in your country and other from the Far East is unexpectedly interesting.
Probably that snake was more scared than all of you, so don't be afraid. Not every type of snake is dangerous and venomous, for example in Poland there are Grass Snakes. They are small and really cute. When I was in the forest last time, I saw one of them.
1. It's hard to say whether I like it or not. I like watching movies or fantasy series. Dragons are quite common in them. One of my favorite series is "Game of Thrones", dragons were a very important element of this series. I also like Smaug from the Hobbit, this is an example of the intelligence of this creature.
2. Nothing surprised me in this material, because it seems to me that I have already seen it.
3. It is difficult to answer this question. It is quite possible. Everyone, even the strongest man, has his weak side, something he is afraid of, such an Achilles heel. Maybe in the case of dragons they are snakes. Who knows :).
Zygmunt Z said…
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?

I liked dragons as a kid, I really liked this book series called Eragon about young boy and his dragon. But right now, I can’t say that I have my favourite one.

2. What the most surprised you in the video?

I can’t say that something surprised me. I don’t want to sound harsh but the topic itself is a bit surprising, but it’s always fun to get back to your childhood memories.

3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?

No, I don’t think so. I was never afraid of snakes, I even had one or two on my shoulders. It was a nice experience and I was surprised with their skin’s feeling. I imagined it completely different. I really recommend this to everybody.
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?
I love dragons! They are ones of the greatest creatures imagined by humans. My love to dragons has began after reading "Eragon" by Christopher Paolini, when I was a child I wanted to have a dragon such as Saphira from this book. Of course, dragons theme is very popular now, and we have a lot of stories about dragons. My favorite is Toothless, he is an adorable combination of cat and dragon :3
2. What the most surprised you in the video?
As I was very interested on dragons, there wasn't any new information for me.
3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?
Totally not, it is a stupid theory. First of all, in many east cultures snake is a symbol of good luck. Moreover, dragons there symbolize wisdom, success and power. So, in my opinion, dragons in these cultures are similar to snakes because of these positive associations, not because of fear. In addition, dragons in European mythology have nothing to do with snakes, except for scales.
Rafał Halama said…
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?
I love dragons with passion, I think they are the most amazing fantastic beast that was ever created. They look so majestic, beautiful and can make a human that rides them very strong. I don't have one favourite, but if I could say few of them it would be: Sapphire from Eragon, Smaug from Hobbit and the dragons from Game of Thrones.

2. What the most surprised you in the video?
I wasn't really surprised by anything, I watched the video few times to find something, but those were rather a facts that I knew about before.

3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?
It's hard to say, but the theory sounds plausible. Dragons are mainly imagined as very large creatures, so maybe as Elephants are considered being scared of mouses, dragons feel fear too when they see this small creature beneath them.
"It's hard to say, but the theory sounds plausible. Dragons are mainly imagined as very large creatures, so maybe as Elephants are considered being scared of mouses, dragons feel fear too when they see this small creature beneath them."

Well, the theory about fear of snakes I'm asking about is the theory from the video above. In the video it is said that people could create dragons because of their fear of snakes. So in this question dragons are not afraid of snakes, people are.
1. Do you like dragons? Which one is your favourite?
Dont like them, Prefer lizzards. My favourite dragon is "Drogan" from "Game of Thrones".
2. What the most surprised you in the video?
Whole video surprised me. I never was interested in dragons or anime.
3. Do you agree with the theory about fear of snakes?
Dont agree. I know that snakes are very smart and prefer not to attack anybody just for fun. They attack only in one case - selfdefence.

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