Mad Mondays: 25 Facts About Dragons!

All right, our very first Mad Monday! I deliver, per request, 25 "facts" about dragons! Granted, they aren't actual facts because dragons have not been proven to exist (yet!), but still, it's a fun list.


1. Dragons are real.
2. Dragons have long been recognized as coming from two main types: Western and Eastern.
3. Western dragons have been traditionally portrayed as malicious beasts, with wings on their backs and the ability to breathe fire or spit poison.
4. Eastern dragons are traditionally portrayed as benign beings willing good toward humans, controlling rain, protectors of knowledge who used elemental pearls to the benefit of others.
5. The Chinese were said to have been given their form of writing as a gift from a dragon.
6. Dragons are one of the twelve Chinese zodiac signs.
7. I am not a dragon according to the Chinese zodiac. I am a rabbit. I was one year off. So close, but oh so far.
8. The dragon is used as a symbol for just about everything, if you look at all the different interpretations of this iconic mythological beast: on the one hand representing rain and the fertility of the land, in Europe it has often represented fire and disaster.
9. Different types of Eastern dragons can be distinguished by the number of toes they possess.
10. Dragons' scales are impenetrable.
11. According to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, dragons have a soft spot on their underbelly where no scales grow, so they lie on top of their hoards until the gems and jewels crust over and protect their vulnerability.
12. Smaug is defeated because of his "soft spot." Sorry about spoilers, but if you haven't read The Hobbit yet, I will eat you. No pressure.
13. Dragons in Western mythology are often depicted as hoarding the treasures of the kingdoms they conquer.
14. Western dragons in particular are similar to birds in many ways, but in the end they are very reptilian and most often classified as reptiles.
15. Western dragons' bat wings are made up of a thin but tough leathery membrane called the toughificus wingicus maximus.
16. I made up the scientific name in #15.
17. Dragons are often used in literature metaphorically to illustrate a certain concept with which they are often associated.
18. According to Christian legend, St. George slew a dragon that was terrorizing the populace of a city in Libya.
19. ***BEOWULF SPOILER ALERT***
Beowulf slew a dragon in the final act of the epic poem, but he died of his wounds shortly after.
***END BEOWULF SPOILER***
20. Humans constantly interact with dragons in myth and literature.
21. Dragons are said in some stories to be able to communicate with humans via their minds.
22. Dragons' eggs are extremely tough to crack; the shell is probably one of the toughest organic substances in the world.
23. Dragon hatchlings are extremely cute.
24. Young dragons are extremely troublesome. Handle with care.
25. ADORABLE!!!!

So there you go! Mad Mondays with 25 facts! What should I do next week? Comment below with your suggestions. Tomorrow is poetry Tuesday, so check in!