Where did myths of dragons, mermaids, the phoenix, thunderbird, siren, satyr, and other animals and beasts originate?
How did myths of dragons and mermaids and one-eyed creatures and numerous other wild sounding tales come to be? Man has always liked to be able to put explanations behind anything they did not fully understand. In today's world, this often means groups of scientists studying one facet of some new discovery for months or even years. In past times, and in all truth, even today, when something can not be explained fully, a "˜myth' will often grow from the original item in discussion.
Before modern man was capable of viewing the sun and moon up close, or even through telescopes, myths created about these "˜heavenly' bodies grew in the hundreds. Some cultures believed that they were the "˜eyes' of gods or whatever supreme beings the particular culture believed in. Always one or the other keeping a close watch on us humans below. Others believed that they were holding grounds for the gods before their final descents to the earth. From here, they could both be close to the heavens from where they came, and earth, where they were needed to help keep order and rule over the lower humans. Greek mythology is home to some of the most well known myths of all time. From Apollo to the Minotaur, this early culture has left us with, and given a start, to some of our best-known myths and mythical creatures.
Some of the creatures that have been the subject of hundreds of years of discussion include dragons, mermaids, phoenix and thunderbirds, unicorns, siren, and the Minotaur. While these are only a handful, they are some of the best known. Where did they originate? The dragon and the mermaid both were first talked about from persons who had traveled the seas and oceans. The finding of huge bones and other remnants of dinosaurs also fed tales of dragons. The depths of the oceans held, and still hold animals and fish of very large sizes and never before seen contortions. Great sea otters and walruses have been mistaken for "˜women' with tails, or mermaids. In thick mist, a boat approaching a shore would scatter a group of these animals into the water, with all the men on board seeing nothing more than the "˜tail' before they slipped back into the water. Quickly, tales of women with bodies that were half fish spread from port to port. The legend of the mermaid was born. Giant squid and octopus were turned into stories of giant fire breathing serpents, or dragons.
The siren falls somewhere between a mermaid and a bird. Legend tells of a half bird, half women, who would sit on the edge of rocky shores, singing sweetly to sailors, calling them into their deaths against the rocks. Wind whipping against the rocks and in and out of seaside caves can cause many strange sounds. To sailors, who knew nothing of this, they were sure they were listening to a sweetheart singing to them, and only someone with wings could escape the rocks that fast. From this, the legend of the siren grew.
The Minotaur was supposedly half man, half bull. The legs and lower torso of a human man topped with a bull's head and upper legs, would indeed be a mighty creature. Worse, he was portrayed as a man-eater! This, along with many of the other ancient Greek myths, can only leave us in wonder of how they came to be portrayed. The satyr, also part man, the upper half human, the lower part of his body that of a goat, portrayed a milder mix of man and beast, as not a man-eater, just a womanizer.
The phoenix and thunderbird are both mighty myths symbolized by the form of a bird. The phoenix originates from ancient Egypt, and is such a strong symbol, that it exists as a symbol representing long life in today's modern world. Only one of these mighty birds was believed to be able to exist at one time, with a life span of hundreds of years, and went hand in hand with the worship of the sun. As a great bird that ascended from the sun, and would return the same way, they were believed to bring with them eternal life. The thunderbird grew as a myth out of the Native American culture. A Great Spirit in bird form believed to bring many of lives necessities to those on earth, including water, by being a carrier of storms, bringing forth rain, lightening, and thunder.
The unicorn, a favorite mythical creature of many, portrayed today in cartoons and comic books, to clothing and figurines. Lost through the years though is part of the true image of the unicorn, as it is mostly portrayed as just a horse with a horn. A "˜real' unicorn is part horse, always white, with legs of an antelope, and with a spiral horn emanating from the center of the forehead. Unicorns possibly were "˜traveled' description of a rhinoceros, or perhaps a variety of antelope. As an ancient tale was carried from tribe to tribe of beasts and animals that were sighted in a land not seen by the listener, descriptions of a real animal would become distorted. New animals grew through the years from these altered descriptions.
If something can not be explained, or part of the description is lost in telling, something new added, an important part taken out, any and all of these can lead to something that can almost seem to be real. A myth has begun.
