History Main / OurDragonsAreDifferent

* Very old (Greco-Roman, and a few medieval cultures such as [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_dragon Germanic-Nordic]]) 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 ''enormous'' serpents. This type of dragon may be referred to as a '''wyrm''' (pronounced "worm"). Sometimes, however, "wyrm" will simply be a synonym for dragons in general.

As mentioned above, a recent trend has been to try and make dragons that could actually exist in the real world. Naturally, these tend to either use ScienceFiction concepts or be very different from traditional dragons. Also common in later works is a tendency for dragons to [[BondCreatures form a life-long]] bond with any human or humanoid who is [[ABoyAndHisX present when they hatch]] (probably inspired by the 'imprinting' which occurs with most birds in RealLife, which is why birds raised in captivity with the intent to be released must be cared for by puppets). This gives writers a way to give dragons unique psychology without having to come up with unique motivations for them. It also explains why humanoid {{Dragon Rider}}s can boss them around. Yet another trend appearing here and there is for dragons to be depicted as looking similar to ''dinosaurs'', usually the bigger theropods (like ''Tyrannosaurus rex''), but occasionally sauropods (such as ''Brachiosaurus'') as well. [[DinosaursAreDragons The two are often outright confused with each other]]. Another common trend in modern fantasy is the [[ShoulderSizedDragon miniature pet dragon]], suitable for [[ParrotPetPosition perching on one's shoulder]].

* OurDragonsAreDifferent/WebAnimation

* A '''drake''' is usually a creature related to dragons but smaller and less intelligent, equivalent to the relationship between humans and chimpanzees. [[UndergroundMonkey More likely than dragons to come in multiple varieties adapted to different environments]] (e.g. the drakes that live around volcanos may be the only ones able to breathe fire). In terms of appearance, they are most commonly depicted as largely similar to "common" dragons but with small or nonexistent wings; on other occasions, they may have two wings and two legs in the same manner as wyverns. Sometimes they're simply young or adolescent dragons rather than a separate species. In other cases "drake" is interchangeable with "dragon", or is a term for male dragons in particular.

* {{Subverted}} in ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls''. The word "dragon" is mentioned twice in the original version of the story -- a quote from Beasley saying how he "could have spent less on a blasted dragon" rather than some [[{{Mooks}} guards]] to kill [[OneManArmy the Hunter]], and Grace's narration on how Kyril isn't a fairy tale hero who "slays the evil dragon". In addition, dragons are a common ingredient in a StandardFantasySetting, like the ''Kuroinu'' 'verse in this fanfic. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect dragons or any DragonTropes to appear, and yet, they don't.

* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'':
** Monster X is a two-headed ArtificialHybrid Titan (human and Ghidorah) with leathery skin and bony protrusions, created by San [[TwoBeingsOneBody transforming and essentially merging with]] Vivienne Graham. Viv and San have no wings and are mainly quadrupedal like eastern dragons. They have Ghidorah's bio-electricity, but their specific powers differ somewhat and they generate orange-tinted lightning. They're also essentially the "offspring" of a SatanicArchetype DraconicAbomination, but they're highly benevolent and highly fierce.
** Manda is the last survivor of an ancient, draconic Titan species which lived around Yonaguni and resemble eastern dragons quite closely in appearance and behavior. Manda (and his kind) have a very snake-like body shape with green or blue scales, crystalline-looking spines, horns and antlers, and cerata appendages vaguely resembling wings.

* ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/4413/the-ambassadors-son The Ambassador's Son]]'': Dragons are ancient, long-lived, magical reptilian sapients. They're omnivores that eat both meat and minerals, and will happily consume things that would kill other beings -- one drink is described as "a nice healthy mix of sulfur and arsenic". Their society is divided into a number of clans, and their ethical system often veers into BlueAndOrangeMorality -- they're far more accustomed to violence than other societies, for instance, and a long-running issue between them and Equestria is that the highly dominance-focused draconic society still practices slavery.
* ''Fanfic/AndWeCanWatchTheStarsOnTheWater'': The dragons in ''Flights of Fancy'' aren't quite gone into detail, but they're happy to have bonded humans fly on their backs, they've apparently got enough of a language that they can use sarcasm (even if they can't speak human languages), and can [[spoiler:interbreed with humans]].
* ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/492840/approaching-disaster Approaching Disaster]]'': Draco is a living constellation in the shape of a dragon, resembling a colossal Chinese serpent larger than any flesh-and-blood dragon, composed of a translucent red mass of stars, with two red giants for eyes and flying without any need for wings. Because constellations are essentially living stories and are compelled to act according to their narrative roles when they physically manifest, he is also the living embodiment of the narrative concept of dragonhood, and performs the traditional behaviors of dragons in stories -- [[DragonHoard hoarding treasure]], razing towns, [[DragonsPreferPrincesses kidnapping princesses]] -- because that's his role in the story of the world.
-->''"I am not merely a dragon, I am Dragon, trope and archetype. I terrorize villages because that's what dragons do. I hoard treasure because that's what dragons do."''
* ''Fanfic/{{Austraeoh}}'': The dragons are rare, powerful and supremely unfriendly creatures, and are ruled by dragon matriarchs [[spoiler:older than the alicorns]].

* ''Fanfic/CatalystVerse'': Dragons are stand-ins for the artificial superintelligences of canon translated into the story's fantasy world. They are few in number but ancient and powerful; even their ashes can be used to fuel magic.

* ''Fanfic/DragonsUnite'': There's a couple hundred million of them living in the alternate Earth the story's set in, who are as intelligent as people, have opposable thumbs, stand about two meters tall and four long, live for hundreds of years, have wings (except for the Asian variety) and [[ElementalPowers magical elements]] (again, except for the Asian variety), a varying amount of non-elemental magic, and make up the bulk of the character count in the average story.
* ''Fanfic/EarthAndSky'': Due to dragons being magic creatures, their physical forms change based on their desires. For instance, a dragon that lived by himself in the middle of nowhere grew a second head just so he'd have someone to [[TalkingToThemself talk to]]. This is also apparently why Spike has wings now when he didn't during his [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E10SecretOfMyExcess greed-induced growth spurt]]; he didn't want them back then, but has since learned to enjoy the concept of personal flight.

* ''Fanfic/HalfPastAdventure'': The disturbances in the forest are revealed to be due to the Grass Dragon, a creature resembling a large clump of vegetation in draconic shape and possessing an {{acid|Attack}} BreathWeapon capable of destroying plants.
* ''Fanfic/HopeForTheHeartless'': According to [[WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron the Horned King]], despite resembling them, gwythaints such as the two he kept aren't dragons. He did once encounter a true dragon, which was built like a gwythaint but had four legs and bronze-colored scales, and was as large as two peasant houses put together. It didn't breathe fire (but he has heard tales from people who have actually seen firebreathers), but spat lava instead, something some dragon types can do by eating rocks and digesting them into a lava-like substance.
* ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/325714/it-doesnt-work-that-way It Doesn't Work That Way]]'': Dragon reproduction is rather odd. Once mature, they lay eggs automatically every few months, which are essentially just rocks; they only become viable eggs if they're fertilized by another dragon "quickening" them by infusing them with magic by breathing fire over them. All dragons can lay eggs, but most need another dragon to fertilize them -- girl dragons, which are few, are the only ones able to fertilize their own eggs. Because Spike's egg was fertilized and hatched by Twilight's magic surge, he's technically half-dragon and half-pony.
* ''Fanfic/ItsADangerousBusinessGoingOutYourDoor'':
** Dragons come from the nation of Carcosa and have their own language, Draketongue, a tonal tongue (meaning that tone and pitch are as important as, if not more important than, the actual sound of words in conveying meaning) noted to be highly melodic and sung more than spoken.
** The komagas, large reptilian creatures that rampage across Gildedale for a month every year, destroying anything in their way (they only do this in one direction and return the next year from the same way as before; no one knows where they go the rest of the time), were, according to Gildedale tradition, dragons who long ago committed some unknown sin and were punished by their gods with the loss of their wings and fire and being cursed to eternally roam the earth, and who over the aeons have degraded into mindless beasts.
** Longs are also mentioned, and apparently live in the nation of Salamar. They are not true dragons, however, and apparently dislike being mistaken for such.
** In addition, ''Fanfic/BesidesTheWillOfEvil'' also introduces various dragon-like creatures among the monsters created by [[BigBad Reiziger]] during the Deer War, which become part of his forces again when he returns:
*** Wyverns resemble cobras with dragon wings and blue fire burning in their mouths, eyes, and a slit along their backs.
*** [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Fell beasts]] are bigger, almost the size of a small dragon. They have only four limbs -- wings and taloned legs -- and their long necks and tails give them an almost wormlike appearance. [[BrownNote Their shrieks cause supernatural terror]].
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9736464/1/In-the-Dragon-s-Den In the Dragon's Den]]'': Dragons are actually shape-shifters that resemble Men or Elves -- the reason people think they're large, scaly beasts is because that's the form they take on when they're in public.
%%* ''Fanfic/JadeDragon: Due to Jade being a demon dragon.

* ''Fanfic/TheLastDraconequus'': According to Discord's inner monologue, eastern dragons exist alongside the western kind:
** Eastern dragons are capable of interbreeding with ponies to create a chimeric species called the long-ma. The draconequi were long-ma who migrated west. The original long-ma followed a different evolutionary path and are still around today, and deny being draconequui at all, but Discord still considers them basically the same species.
** Western dragons are an inherently chaotic species and as such, like the draconequi, can produce an Avatar of Chaos.
* ''Fanfic/LetTheGalaxyBurn'': Dragons can fly through space, and are colossal -- Balerion the Black Dread is said to have been bigger than a ship of the line, making it several kilometers in length. An ice dragon is also encountered.

* ''Art/RealisticPokemon'': Charizard is portrayed as a winged lizard, Dragonite as a giant salamander (since Dragonair and Dratini look like tadpoles), Reshiram as a feathered dinosaur, and Garchomp as an [[http://arvalis.deviantart.com/art/Garchomp-323480377 unholy shark/dragon hybrid]].
* ''FanFic/TheRoboutianHeresy'': The Salamanders are themed after them, being proud, loot-obsessed conquerors who pillage and dominate largely to prove they can. Their Daemon Primarch, Vulkan, has taken the form of a great black dragon after his ascension, and the Dragon Warriors take similar forms.
* ''Fanfic/{{SAPR}}'': Just like in canon ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' the Wyvern makes an appearance during the Vytal Festival. Unlike in canon this gigantic Grimm is never called by its name and is just called a dragon, and [[spoiler:is able to shoot a powerful energy beam from its mouth along with producing [[SupernaturalFearInducer a fear response]] whenever it roars]].
* ''Fanfic/StillWatersSeries'': Dragons are separated into two main types: Common Dragons and True Dragons. Common Dragons (further subdivided into Greater and Lesser Dragons) are the sort found everywhere in Mundus Magicus and are not sapient, while True Dragons are extremely rare, highly intelligent, and capable of great magic. The ancient dragon riders are thought to have ridden True Dragons, although the modern ones ride purpose-bred dragons that are a pale imitation of the real things.

* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/27736435 Zero Context: Taking Out the Trash]]'', the sheep-girl Bahija's true form is that of a giant Western-style dragon. She is described as being as tall as a sports stadium and as long as an entire town, capable of spitting volleys of magic missiles at targets with pinpoint accuracy, is layered with transformative magic, and self-identifies as an ex-warlord. While in that form, she is also capable of assuming a human-like appearance--albeit one with massive clawed feet, tremendous physical power, and an array of fur, feathers and scales--whenever she wants to walk the streets of Muffinville. Four years before the story's events, those seemingly limited defenses allowed her to survive a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown that culminated in a blast from a planet-destroying KillSat, if barely.

||Normally associated with fire, which they often breathe as an attack. In Greco-Roman and Germanic myths, they're more likely to be heavily associated with water instead, and to live in lakes, swamps or wells.||Normally associated with water (and the sky, [[TheSkyIsAnOcean which was considered an ocean in classical Chinese thought]]), and are often considered bringers of rain. Furthermore, [[TheFourGods the Azure Dragon and the Yellow Dragon]] are associated with Wood and Earth, respectively. In some works, some Chinese dragons are capable of breathing fire. In some legends, they are capable of this after being punished.||

||Have a variable number of heads and legs, though one head and six limbs (four legs, and a pair of wings) and a tail is the most common configuration. More divergent types (no legs, multiple heads, etc) seem more likely to be brainless bestial monsters than the "basic" form.||Most often have one head and four legs. The [[StealthPun long]]er a dragon, the more pairs of legs he has.||
||Either [[GiantFlyer fly with bat-like or very rarely bird-like wings]], or they lack wings and don't fly.||Can fly via magic even if they lack wings, which they usually do. When they do have wings, they are often [[FeatheredDragons birdlike]].||
||Have varying levels of intelligence. Prior to [[TropeMakers Tolkien]], they rarely spoke. After [[Creator/JRRTolkien Tolkien]], they are often portrayed as at least as clever as humans, and frequently [[MagnificentBastard (much) more]]. More traditionally bestial examples still usually have a predatory cunning.||Not only are they intelligent, they are usually a MentorArchetype.||

-->-- '''Hiccup''' (flipping through the Dragon Manual), ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon''

* ''Art/RealisticPokemon'': Charizard is portrayed as a winged lizard, Dragonite as a giant salamander (since Dragonair and Dratini look like tadpoles), Reshiram as a feathered dinosaur, and Garchomp as on [[http://arvalis.deviantart.com/art/Garchomp-323480377 unholy shark/dragon hybrid]].

* ''Fanfic/{{Adjacency}}'': Inherited from its source work, Spike the dragon is an intelligent and magical, scaly being who consumes jewels.

* ''Fanfic/ThePalaververse'': The dragons used to rule most of the world in the past, but their power began to slip as civilization grew, and was lost in a series of disastrous wars against the Diamond Dogs, the Capric Empire and Equestria, forcing most of them out of Ungula and to the archipelago of the Burning Mountains. They also have their own unique but poorly understood form of magic, hoard treasure as both a way to store food and as a mating display of sorts, and though mostly loners they have a loose society, ruled by the Fire Queen through Dragon Lords acting as intermediaries and viceroys.

Even within these traditions, however, there is much variability. This has increased in modern times, as Western and Eastern authors have blurred the traditions by mixing and matching attributes from both (benign Western dragons are quite popular these days, for instance). Some authors invent completely new attributes to [[OurMonstersAreDifferent set their dragons apart]] from the crowd [[MythologyUpgrade or just make them]] [[RuleOfCool cooler]]. And some authors [[GarnishingTheStory put dragons in their stories just for the sole reason of making a story look cool]].

* "Literature/PrinceLindworm": The Lindworm is a talking, giant serpent that sheds its skin like a snake.

* OurDragonsAreDifferent/{{Webcomics}}

[[folder:Real life]]
** The most accepted explanation for the dragon myths is the discovery of dinosaur fossils in a time there was no paleontology.
** An example that dismiss introduction is the komodo dragon, it may not fly or breath fire, but its status as the biggest lizard species and its poisonous bite are enough to consider it a real dragon.
** Another lizard that can be called a dragon is the genus Draco, that is able to glide using its winglike lateral extensions of skin called patagia.
[[/folder]]

[[noreallife]]

Given that dragons are by definition fictional, Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease

* ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'' presents a notable {{aversion}} for a DarkFantasy story like this one, because they are supposed to be a common ingredient in {{fantasy}}. Aside from one single quote from Beasley saying how he "could have spent less on a blasted dragon" rather than some [[{{Mooks}} guards]] to kill [[OneManArmy the Hunter]], dragons or any DragonTropes are outright non-existent.

||Are scaly and reptilian (outwardly, anyway), and usually serpentine.||Are MixAndMatchCritters, though the exact components vary (generally, they can best be described as "lion-snakes"). They sometimes evolve out of {{Seahorses|AreDragons}} or LegendaryCarp.||

* ''Fanfic/HalfPastAdventure'': The disturbances in TheLostWoods are revealed to be due to the Grass Dragon, a creature resembling a large clump of vegetation in draconic shape and possessing an {{acid|Attack}} BreathWeapon capable of destroying plants.

Western dragons or European dragons are derived from Greek and Roman mythology (the word "dragon" itself is rooted in the Greek word ''drákōn'') and may have been influenced by the cultures of the Ancient Near East; though there are older myths with serpentine entities which would be, called dragons by later generations. Eastern dragons or more specifically Chinese dragons, derive from ancient Chinese mythology dating back [[OlderThanDirt 7000 years ago]] and these depictions spread throughout Eastern Asia. The reason for [[DragonsAreDivine Chinese dragon worship]] is likely because the region of Northern China where Chinese civilization first began was filled with dinosaur fossils which led to the development of dragon myths. Northern China is still considered a huge "dinosaur hot spot" in palaeontology today. There are many other dragons in the East such as Makara deriving from Indian mythology but the Chinese dragon and its variants spreading from Japan to Bhutan is by far the most well-known.