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Most of weird European and Middle Eastern legends and fairy tales originate from drugs or encountering real artifacts or phenomenons which they couldn't explain. Look up how cyclops appeared in mythology.


In case you're wondering like me, I think parent is referring to elephant skulls being mistaken for one-eyed, giant creatures.


Ancient Greeks were finding skulls of dwarf elephants during masonry works and quarrying in Sicily.


I assume the global mythology around dragons comes from finding dinosaur bones


Well, eastern dragons always reminded me more of a giant oarfish. And some central europe dragons weren't that far off, being described as flying snakes.

I think "every culture has a dragon" is kinda misleading.

"Every culture has a creature that got translated as a dragon" seems closer to the truth. The creatures themselves have a great variety between them.


Seems like many bones would do. Whales would be a lot more common i imagine.


Wasn't that later debunked though?


You mean about there being no Cyclopes? They got to you too, huh?


which could imply that gnome outfits and elf garb originated from people seeing them and then drawing it




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