History Main / OurDragonsAreDifferent

Rivaling the wyvern is the '''Hydra''' from GreekMythology, which is often depicted as a flightless dragon-like water or swamp beast with one or more heads; [[HydraProblem for each head you cut off, two rapidly grow to replace it.]] If they have a BreathWeapon, it's often a different one for each head. The original sprayed poison and had poison for blood.

Western dragons' physical variability has created a number of named sub-species. The most popular variation recently has been the '''wyvern''', a dragon with a somewhat birdlike configuration: the forelimbs are bat-like wings and the rear limbs are their two legs. In some settings, ''all'' dragons are wyverns. In other settings, wyverns are not considered "true" dragons at all, but a related, usually less powerful and intelligent species. Wyverns, when they are treated separately from dragons, often lack a breath weapon, but they often have [[BewareMyStingerTail a poisonous stinger in their tails]] and viper-like fangs. The term "wyvern" is less likely to be used if the creature in question walks quadrupedally (using the wings as forelimbs, like a bat or a pterodactyl).

Very old (Greek and Roman, and some medieval) dragons are presented as more serpentine than the more recent ones -- if winged, the wings are usually their only limbs; and some were totally limbless, just ''very enormous'' serpents. This type of dragon may be referred to as a '''wyrm''' (pronounced just like "worm"). Some do have legs as well as wings, and walk similar to a bat, hunched over and using the wings as arms. Smaug from ''Film/TheHobbit'', Vermithrax Pejorative from ''Film/{{Dragonslayer}}'' and the dragons from ''Film/ReignOfFire'' are examples of wyrm dragons.

||Sometimes have poisonous blood, breath, saliva, or some such. Often, [[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu this will kill you after you kill it]]. If their blood isn't poisonous, it grants special powers such as invincibility.||Since they live and breath essence of life itself, they are the exact opposite of being poisonous.||

->''"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup."''

You'd think regular old dragons were boring or something!

%%[[caption-width-right:233:[[http://www.paulkidby.com/ And these are just the ones dredged out of the local swamp.]]]]

[[caption-width-right:233:[[http://www.paulkidby.com/ And these are just the ones dredged out of the local swamp.]]]]

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A quick rundown of the Western and Eastern schools of dragon is as follows:

||Live for a very long time, if not actually immortal, but typically may be killed.||May be an out and out PhysicalGod.

||Are usually [[KillAllHumans antagonistic towards humans]].||Are benign, [[BewareTheNiceOnes but capable of destructive force when provoked]].||

Western dragons' physical variability has created a number of named sub-species. The most popular variation recently has been the '''wyvern''', a dragon with a somewhat birdlike configuration: the forelimbs are bat-like wings and the rear limbs are their two legs. In some settings, ''all'' dragons are wyverns (some writers evidently prefer ''realistic'' flying, fire-breathing Uber-serpents). In other settings, wyverns are not considered "true" dragons at all, but a related, usually less powerful and intelligent species. Wyverns, when they are treated separately from dragons, often lack a breath weapon, but they often have [[BewareMyStingerTail a poisonous stinger in their tails]] and viper-like fangs. The term "wyvern" is less likely to be used if the creature in question walks quadrupedally (using the wings as forelimbs, like a bat or a pterodactyl).

Very old (Greek and Roman, and some medieval) dragons are presented as more serpentine than the more recent ones -- if winged, the wings are usually their only limbs; and some were totally limbless, just ''very enormous'' serpents. This type of dragon may be referred to as a '''wyrm''' (pronounced just like "worm"). Some do have legs as well as wings, and walk similar to a bat, hunched over and using the wings as arms. Smaug from ''Film/TheHobbitTrilogy'', Vermithrax Pejorative from ''Film/{{Dragonslayer}}'' and the dragons from ''Film/ReignOfFire'' are examples of wyrm dragons.

Western dragons' physical variability has created a number of named sub-species. The most popular variation recently has been the '''wyvern''', a dragon with a somewhat birdlike configuration: the forelimbs are bat-like wings and the rear limbs are their two legs. In some settings, ''all'' dragons are wyverns (some writers evidently prefer ''realistic'' flying, fire-breathing Uber-serpents). In other settings, wyverns are not considered "true" dragons at all, but a related, usually less powerful and intelligent species. Wyverns, when they are treated separately from dragons, often lack a breath weapon, but they often have [[BewareMyStingerTail a poisonous stinger in their tails]] and viper-like fangs.

* OurDragonsAreDifferent/ProfessionalWrestling

Very old (Greek and Roman, and some medieval) dragons are presented as more serpentine than the more recent ones -- if winged, the wings are usually their only limbs; and some were totally limbless, just ''very enormous'' serpents. This type of dragon may be referred to as a '''wyrm''' (pronounced just like "worm"). Some do have legs as well as wings, and walk similar to a bat, hunched over and using the wings as arms. Smaug from ''Film/TheHobbit'', Vermithrax Pejorative from ''Film/{{Dragonslayer}}'' and the dragons from ''ReignOfFire'' are examples of wyrm dragons.

Very old (Greek and Roman, and some medieval) dragons are presented as more serpentine than the more recent ones -- if winged, the wings are usually their only limbs; and some were totally limbless, just ''very enormous'' serpents. This type of dragon may be referred to as a '''wyrm''' (pronounced just like "worm"). Some do have legs as well as wings, and walk similar to a bat, hunched over and using the wings as arms. Vermithrax Pejorative from ''Film/{{Dragonslayer}}'' and the dragons from ''ReignOfFire'' are examples of wyrm dragons.

Very old (Greek and Roman, and some medieval) dragons are presented as more serpentine than the more recent ones -- if winged, the wings are usually their only limbs; and some were totally limbless, just *very enormous* serpents. This type of dragon may be referred to as a '''wyrm''' (pronounced just like "worm"). Some do have legs as well as wings, and walk similar to a bat, hunched over and using the wings as arms. Vermithrax Pejorative from ''Film/{{Dragonslayer}}'' and the dragons from ''ReignOfFire'' are examples of wyrm dragons.

||Have varying levels of intelligence. Prior to [[TropeMakers Tolkien]], they rarely spoke. After Tolkien, they are often portrayed as at least as clever as humans, and frequently [[MagnificentBastard (much) more]].||Not only they are intelligent, they are usually TheObiWan.||

And most importantly, ''do they think we taste good with ketchup?!?''

||Have around the same size range as houses.||Can be as small as a locust or large enough to fill the space between heaven and earth.||

[[/index]]

Compare GiantFlyer, and other DragonTropes.

||Kidnap [[DamselInDistress damsels]] ([[DragonsPreferPrincesses preferably princesses]]) and/or [[DragonHoard hoard treasure]]. Often greedy and/or insatiable, especially in the latter regard.|| Instead of hoarding magical treasures, they ''make'' them. The other thing they hoard is wisdom, which they rarely share with mortals.||

||Sometimes have poisonous blood, breath, saliva, or some such. Often, [[TheBrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu this will kill you after you kill it]]. If their blood isn't poisonous, it grants special powers such as invincibility.||Since they live and breath essence of life itself, they are the exact opposite of being poisonous.||

||Sometimes have poisonous blood, breath, saliva, or some such. Often, this will kill you after you kill it. If their blood isn't poisonous, it grants special powers such as invincibility.||Since they live and breath essence of life itself, they are the exact opposite of being poisonous.||