[nvader]

I recently finished reading "An Instinct for Dragons" by David E Jones, which goes the route of arguing that the composite image we have of the dragon is created by unifying the three main predators of early humans: serpents, big cats and raptors.

This is used to explain common characteristics of the dragon, such as the scales and serpentine nature, the fangs, claws and cat-eyes, and the wings and talons. You can even see incomplete composites in other mythological beasts, such as gryffins, feathered serpents, harpies, sphinxes and manticores.

The dragon image is then used to tell stories about our ideal relationships to predators, the unknown and to power.

It was a fascinating book, and I'd heartily recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the concept of the dragon.

[superhuzza]

What birds were a genuine threat to early humans? As far as I know, birds have mostly been more of a nuisance (carrion birds) or prey.

[ahje]

Havent read that book, but there has been several species of very large birds living during our time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_birds#Largest_...

I can imagine a 2m tall bird of prey would be a frightening thing to an early human.