CONTENTS Just Myths 4 Dragons in Europe 6 Dragon Slayers 10 Dragons in the East 14 Dragons in North America 20 Real-Life Dragons 22 Dragons of Fiction 26 What Do You Believe 28 Glossary 30 Index 31 Words in the glossary appear in bold type the first time they are used in the text
JUST MYTHS Tales about dragons are told all over the world Some stories describe dragons as murderous and cruel Others show them as protectors of humankind Some dragons breathe fire Others grant wishes and give gifts Cultures around the world include dragon myths and legends as part of their recorded history bringing together fact and fiction Some of the earliest stories about dragons came from Babylon and Egypt Ancient Egyptians for example believed that the sun god Re defeated a dragon-like beast called Apopis each night This book will introduce you to more dragons of myth and lore They range in size ability color and temperament So many stories from so many peoples exist that you have to wonder Are dragons real DRAGONS OF BABYLON In Babylonian stories Tiamat was a dragon goddess of salt water She gave birth to all the Babylonian gods Another creature of Babylonian myth was mušhuššu It had a scaly dragon’s body the legs of a lion a long neck and tail and an eagle’s talons It was a symbol of the god Marduk and was featured on the Ishtar Gate which was built during the time of King Nebuchadnezzar II around 575 BCE
FACT A IT'S The Ishtar Gate of ancient Babylon was decorated with images of dragons This reconstruction is in Berlin Germany An illustration of the city and gate is below Babylon was a famous ancient city It was the capital of southern Mesopotamia an area of southwestern Asia between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
