ORIGINS

It is not clear where the myth of dragons was first born, however, the first descriptions of these creatures appeared in the age of Ancient Greek and Sumerians (the word “dragon” comes from an Ancient Greek word “draconta,” meaning “to watch”). During that time, they were more animalistic and were either hostile or friendly.
When Christianity began to spread, the dragon was given an evil atmosphere, considering the creature to be Satanic. Some during medieval times believed that dragons did indeed exist, mistaking the dug up bones of dinosaurs to be that of dragons. Because Christianity claimed these creatures to be of the Devil, legends were created of bold and righteous saints battling Satan in the guise of a dragon. One example of these legends is a knight known as St. George the Dragonslayer, who slew the dragon and rescued the fair maiden that was held captive by the evil creature. This story caused many people to convert to Christianity.
Today, we use the mythological creature in many fantasy stories. Some use the dragon as a source of a quest to bring back their home; some use them as majestic creatures willing to aid a chosen rider bring peace to a world; some are added as a majestic yet dangerous beast that is strictly hidden from the non-magical world; and others create them to be heroes in their own world.