Dragons and Sea Serpents
The Medieval Dinosaur
The European dragon is an animal deeply ingrained in legend and tradition. It is a terrifying beast that breaths fire and locks fair maidens away in towers. It is the nemesis of the knight in shinning armor and hoards it's treasures in a caves. There would seem to be no basis for the European dragon that threatens medieval kingdoms. However, if you look at the theology of the time and what were considered concrete sources, it is easy to see where the dinosaur/dragon comes from.
The bible was the scientific reference book of the time. Whatever accounts it listed of dragons, monsters or other large creatures the people wholeheartedly belived. It often mentions monsters that look like bizarre animal composites, serpents and dragons. Most of the time they are associated with impending terror in apocalyptic visions or with Satan. However, apart from all of the visions of destruction and chaos, there are some "dinosaur" accounts. Most of these are found in the book of Job. God reminds Job that he is almighty by offering two examples of his handiwork: the Behemoth and the Leviathan. The Behemoth is comparable to what we know today as the Brontosaurus. It has a tail that "sways like a cedar" and bones that are like "tubes of bronze" (Job 40:17,18). It lives by the riverside peacefully with all the animals. The Leviathan, on the other hand, is a fierce animal of the river and sea. It is described like a crocodile, which breaths "steam from it's mouth, sparks of fire shoot out" (Job 41:19). People believed that dinosaurs and dragons existed because the bible said so, but as of that time they had very little scientific evidence. Their seven day creationist view point would not let them believe that dinosaurs might have lived millions of years before them.
The rationalism and skepticism of the enlightenment caused the downfall of the dragon (Mitchell 87). When fossils of ancient shellfish, and of other mysterious sea monsters began to show up, scientists sought to classify and analyze these discoveries. The mythology of medieval legends and the sketchy accounts of dinosaurs in the Bible would not be enough to satisfy the minds of curious explorers like Sir Richard Owen or William Hutchedson who first brought the dinosaur to the British public.
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