I’m going to start off by saying that I love dragons, and that there’s probably going to be an excessive amount of dragon pictures on this post. If dragons count as an animal, they’re definitely my favorite. (Fun fact: if dragons don’t count, my favorite animal is the koala). But anyway, a dragon post was probably inevitable, right? They’re one of the most popular mythological beasts, and they’re abundant in literature and movies. Since everyone is already so familiar with dragons, I’ve decided to focus on their lesser known ancestors: the Wyverns. These creatures are the descendants of dragons, and many people do not understand that they are very different creatures.
A dragon, as shown below, has four legs. (This characteristic will be important later on.) Dragons have been the most powerful beasts since the beginning of time, and they can live for thousands and thousands of years (as long as they aren’t killed, which is hard enough as it is). Their scales are impenetrable, and they have wings that can carry them over great distances at amazing speeds. When it comes down to it, dragons are everything you would expect them to be. They are all powerful, they have control over many of the elements, and they aren’t a creature one should mess with. However, after many centuries, the bloodline of the dragons began to dilute. This was due to the passage of time and the dwindling population of dragons. The most powerful dragons were killed by humans, so natural selection took its course. Today, it is believed that there are only a few of the ancient, or traditional, dragons left. Most of the remaining population is a new breed of dragons called the Wyvern. They are still powerful, but they are a very different creature.
Shown below are a few pictures of Wyvern as compared to dragons. The first difference you’ll notice is the legs; dragons have four legs, while Wyvern only have two. The front legs of the Wyvern are fused to its wings, very much like arms. This makes the Wyvern easier to attack, since it cannot move its wings away when it wants to use its front talons to attack back. One hit to the arm doubles as a hit to the wing. Wyverns have limited powers, and they are much smaller than ancient dragons. However, don’t be fooled; a Wyvern is dangerous in its own way.
The Wyvern is swift, due to its smaller size. It is not held down by four legs, which make the ancient dragons more cumbersome and therefore slower to move. It is similar to the comparison between a T-Rex and a velociraptor. At the end of the day, a T-Rex is significantly more powerful and harder to kill. But, velociraptors are faster, and they can kill more efficiently. Imagine Jurassic Park, where the T-Rex could charge, but the velociraptors could run around the buildings.
Wyverns are not as powerful as ancient dragons, but I still think they’re pretty cool. They’re fast, and I feel like that would make them fun to ride. Well, maybe not… knowing my luck, I would probably fall right off.
Laura Cook says
I had a couple of faux-encyclopedia “Dragonology” books when I was younger, and I pored over those things like they were the Word of God. I also think it’s interesting how differently various cultures view dragons–they seem to occupy a different place in some Asian cultures than they do in Europe.
Danielle Astrid Ruffe says
I have always been fascinated by mythical creatures. I have always wanted to know there origins like how they come to be in legends or what element of reality they are based off of. On another unrelated note, I love the tv show Merlin and that’s where I got my basic knowledge of mythical creatures, well that show and Harry Potter. I think you’d enjoy it if you haven’t seen it. Keep up the great blogging. Nice post.