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Selected Works of Edward Waters
Article
Here be dragons
Nature (2015)
  • Andrew Hamilton, The University of Melbourne
  • Robert May, University of Oxford
  • Edward Waters, The University of Notre Dame Australia
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Abstract
Long considered to be the stuff of legend,
dragons cross cultures and continents.
Until recently, however, scant attention
had been paid to the fact that the commonality
in cultural representations of such creatures
indicates something more sinister. From
depictions in Ancient Greek literature and
Slavic myth, to the dragons of the East or allusions
in Zoroastrian scripture, the descriptions
resonate. What if these legends were rooted in
truth? The differences in appearance — some
lack wings, some have multiple heads and
some seem not to breathe fire — once thought
to reflect local traditions, can also readily be
explained by speciation.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2015
DOI
10.1038/520042a
Citation Information
Hamilton, A., May, R., and Waters, E.K. (2015). Here be dragons. Nature, 520(7545), 42-43. DOI: 10.1038/520042a