Did you know today is Appreciate a Dragon Day? Yes, there is an entire day devoted to appreciation of one of the coolest mythological beasts of all time. I mean, who doesn’t appreciate dragons? That should be a daily event! To celebrate this awesome holiday, I’ve gathered up some fun trivia for you, because I’m all about helping you become the next Jeopardy champion…or at least give you an edge in Trivial Pursuit. So check out some fun dragon trivia, and let me know if I missed anything important in the comments!
Basic Dragon Trivia
- The word “dragon” comes from the Greek word “drakon,” which translates to a serpent of huge size, or a water snake.
- Both Western Europe (namely Greece) and Asian cultures were pivotal in creating the dragon mythology. In fact, in many Asian cultures, it’s still a very important symbol.
- Dragons didn’t really get legs until around the Middle Ages. Before that, they were depicted as resembling giant snakes.
- In Greece, dragons first appeared in The Iliad, the classic tale by Homer.
- While many possible animals could have inspired the creation of dragon mythology, some theorize that a chance discovery of dinosaur bones were the underlying inspiration.
The top 10 coolest dragons in movies and literature (according to me).
- Puff the Magic Dragon, made famous by the song by Peter, Paul and Mary. Actually, though, the inspiration for the song came from a poem written by 19-year-pld Leonard Lipton. His poem was based on yet another poem called “Custard the Dragon,” written by Ogden Nash.
- Elliot, aka Pete’s Dragon, from the Disney Movie. I wish I had an imaginary dragon friend!
- Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback from Harry Potter.
- Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon
- Falkor the Luck Dragon from The Neverending Story
- Draco in Dragonheart
- Kilgharrah, the Great Dragon in Merlin (the BBC show).
- Mushu from Disney’s Milan
- The dragon that plays Donkey’s girlfriend in Shrek.
- The Jabberwocky from Through the Looking Glass.
Real-life Dragons
- Australian Water Dragon– These cute little omnivores live close to the water’s edge in Australia. They love basking in the trees, especially since they can just hop down into the water to escape nasty predators.
- Bearded Dragon- A common household pet now, the Bearded Dragon is also indigenous to Australia. It prefers the dessert-like regions. While insects are their preferred meals, it’s also recommended to keep non-toxic plants in their tank, as they use that as a source of hydration.
- Chinese Water Dragon– These gorgeous green lizards require a lot of care when it comes to setting up the tank. They need a hiding box to get away from it all, some branches to hang out on, water to swim in, and sand throughout the tank. When they get huge, they enjoy eating mice, so your cat may have some competition as the resident mouser!
- Mountain Horned Dragon- These cuties come from the rainforest in Southeast Asia, and they prefer their environment to be really moist. They love climbing, and only grow to about a foot long. If you plan to keep one as a pet, it is recommended that you spritz them constantly with a water bottle.
- Komodo Dragon- My favorite of all the lizards, the Komodo Dragon is way too big to keep in a tank. They live in Komodo, and in a few other areas of Indonesia. These giants can grow to be 10 feet long, making them the closest thing on the planet to a mythological dragon.
So there you have it, a bit of dragon trivia to celebrate Appreciate a Dragon day. How will you show your love for dragons? I definitely don’t suggest hugging a Komodo! Although, honestly, I would love to do that!
Photo Credit:Dragon Heart by Derek Comach
Very neat! I love Pete’s Dragon, but haven’t watched it in a while.
Thank you for the information and explaining the different types of dragons.
Okay, my little man actually brought home a book about dragons YESTERDAY!!! Love it
Puff the Magic Dragon making a comeback….cool!
How interesting! I love learning unique facts and reading about things like this. Makes fun trivia for family dinner! 🙂
My favorite dragon is Smaug from The Hobbit!
So cool! Falkor is my favorite movie dragon, and Toothless is my daughter’s favorite. (I always wanted a Komodo as a pet, I remember when one of my mom’s eyebrows shot to the ceiling in shock when I asked her if we could have one!)
I’ve been browsing online more than three hours today, yet I
never found any interesting article like yours.
It’s pretty worth enough for me. In my view,
if all site owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the internet will be
much more useful than ever before.
I read this article fully concerning the difference of latest and earlier technologies, it’s amazing article.
Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you
knew of any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates.
I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have some experience with something
like this. Please let me know if you run into anything.
I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.
Ahaa, its pleasant discussion concerning this paragraph here at this web site, I have read
all that, so now me also commenting at this place.
Hello there! This post could not be written any better!
Reading through this post reminds me of my previous room mate!
He always kept talking about this. I will forward this page to him.
Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!
Have a look at my webpage; Deer Hunter 2014 Hack Android
My partner and I absolutely love your blog and find most of your post’s to be just what I’m looking for.
can you offer guest writers to write content to suit your needs?
I wouldn’t mind publishing a post or elaborating on some of the subjects
you write regarding here. Again, awesome web site!
The web has truly changed the way we communicate
and made it far easier to stay informed about the lives
of our loved ones. , it is best to go for affiliate marketing being an initial step into the world of
generating impartial income from home. Make certain that
the payment gateway you are making use of, permits similar languages as the remaining of
the web pages so that they can match well together.