龙真的存在吗？

陈佳

What exactly are dragons？

Stories of dragons have existed since the time stories were told. Dragons generally are said to have scales1 and claws and breathe fire. They are also thought to be majestic2 creatures of mystery and magic.

Different cultures have varying stories about dragons

The Greek called them serpents3 of the sea and the first mention of the Greek word is from the Iliad by Homer.

The Europeans early on thought of them as sea creatures and had maps depicting4 them waiting to eat sailors at the edge of the earth.

Generally， the dragons were thought of as bringers of destruction and terror， and the Westerners often depict them as hoarders5 of treasure or maidens or both.

At the other side of the planet， the Japanese， Koreans and Chinese respected them as mythical6 creatures who brought wisdom， prosperity and good luck.

Japanese ones are associated with rainfall and bodies of water and are typically depicted as large， wingless， serpentine7 creatures with clawed feet.

Chinese dragons traditionally symbolize strong and auspicious8 powers， particularly control over water， rainfall， typhoons， and floods. The dragon is also a symbol of power， strength， and good luck for people who are worthy of it. With this， the emperors of China usually used the dragon as a symbol of his imperial9 power and strength.

Has there been proof that dragons existed？

1. Well， ancient people may have discovered dinosaur fossils10 and considered them as the remains of dragons. A Stegosaurus11， was a giant beasts 30 feet in length and typically 14 feet tall and were covered in armored plates and spikes12 for defense.

2. Even in a small town of Austria they mistook the skeleton of the ancient rhino and called it dragon. A statue of a dragon still stands in the Middle of the town square.

3. Humans usually try to find meaning in things they cant explain.

4. The closest thing we can call to actual dragons is the Komodo dragon， not entirely a dragon but fearsome anyway.

5. So we know now that dragons are fictional13 but as they say， there is no smoke without fire.

龍到底是什么？

龙的故事自从有人讲故事起就一直存在。一般说来，龙有鳞片和爪子，还能喷出火焰。它们也被认为是神秘且有魔力的雄伟的生物。

不同文化中有关于龙的不同故事

希腊人称它们为海洋中的巨蛇，第一次提到其希腊语单词是在荷马史诗《伊利亚特》中。

早期欧洲人认为它们是海洋生物，并绘有它们在地球边缘等着吃掉航海者的地图。

一般来说，龙被认为会带来毁灭和恐惧，西方人经常把它们描绘成收集宝藏或少女的爱好者，或对两者都爱。

在地球的另一边，日本人、韩国人和中国人崇拜它们，认为它们是带来智慧、繁荣和好运的神话生物。

日本的龙与降雨和水域有关，通常被描绘成有爪子的大型无翼蛇形生物。

中国的龙传统上象征着强大和吉祥的力量，特别是能控制水、降雨、台风和洪水。龙对配得上它的人来说也是力量和好运的象征。因此，中国的皇帝们通常用龙作为皇权和实力的象征。

有证据表明龙是存在的吗？

1. 嗯，古人可能发现了恐龙化石，并认为那是龙的遗骸。剑龙是一种巨大的野兽，长30英尺（约9米），通常高14英尺（约4米），身上覆盖着用于防御的鳞甲和尖刺。

2. 甚至在奥地利的一个小镇上，人们把一副古代犀牛的骨架误认为是龙。一尊龙的雕像仍然矗立在小镇广场的中央。

3. 人类总是试图从无法解释的事物中寻找意义。

4. 最接近我们能称之为真正的龙的生物是科莫多龙，它不完全是龙，但至少很可怕。

5. 所以我们现在知道，龙是虚构出来的，但正如人们说的，无风不起浪，事出必有因。

（英语原文选自：mocomi.com）