Skąd się wzięły smoki?
- annaklis
- Jul 25, 2014
- 3 min read
Where did dragons come from?
Chiński Smok
Artykuł - źródło: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/
Tłumaczenie słówek na końcu artykułu.
In honor of the Year of the Dragon, we take a look at some potential
inspirations for the dragon myth.
Around the world, people are celebrating the Chinese New Year and the start
to the Year of the Dragon. This got us wondering: Where did the myth of
the dragon come from in the first place? Scholars say that belief in dragons
probably evolved independently in both Europe and China, and perhaps in
the Americas and Australia as well. How could this happen? Many have
speculated about which real-life animals inspired the first legends. Here’s our
run-down of the likeliest suspects.
Dinosaurs.
Ancient people may have discovered dinosaur fossils and understandably
misinterpreted them as the remains of dragons. Chang Qu, a Chinese historian
from the 4th century B.C., mislabeled such a fossil in what is now Sichuan
Province. Take a look at a fossilized stegosaurus, for example, and you might
see why: The giant beasts averaged 30 feet in length, were typically 14 feet tall
and were covered in armored plates and spikes for defense.
The Nile Crocodile.
Native to sub-Saharan Africa, Nile crocodiles may have had a more extensive
range in ancient times, perhaps inspiring European dragon legends by swimming
across the Mediterranean to Italy or Greece. They are among the largest of all
crocodile species, with mature individuals reaching up to 18 feet in length—and
unlike most others, they are capable of a movement called the “high walk,” in
which the trunk is elevated off the ground. A giant, lumbering croc? Might be easy
to mistake for a dragon.
The Goanna.
Australia is home to a number of species of monitor lizards, also referred to
as Goannas. The large, predatory animals have razor-sharp teeth and claws,
and they are important figures in traditional Aboriginal folklore. Recent studies
even indicate that Goannas may produce venom that causes bite victims’ wounds
to develop infections after an attack. At least in Australia, these creatures may
be responsible for the dragon myth.
How to Train Your Dragon movie still (2010)
Whales.
Others argue that the discovery of megafauna such as whales prompted
stories of dragons. Ancient humans encountering whale bones would have
no way of knowing that the animals were sea-based, and the idea of such
gargantuan creatures might well have led people to assume that whales
were predatory. Because live whales spend up to 90 percent of their time
underwater, they were poorly understood for most of human history.
The Human Brain.
The most fascinating explanation involves an unexpected animal: the human.
In his book An Instinct for Dragons, anthropologist David E. Jones argues that
belief in dragons is so widespread among ancient cultures because evolution
embedded an innate fear of predators in the human mind. Just as monkeys
have been shown to exhibit a fear of snakes and large cats, Jones hypothesizes
that the trait of fearing large predators—such as pythons, birds of prey and
elephants—has been selected for in hominids. In more recent times, he argues,
these universal fears have been frequently combined in folklore and created the
myth of the dragon.
By Joseph Stromberg
Falkor - smok z filmu Niekończąca się opowieść (1984)
Vocabulary:
scholar - uczony a run-down - tu: analiza, przegląd fossil - skamielina mislabel - źle oznaczyć, sklasyfikować to average - średnio wynosić armored plate - opancerzone płytki spike - kolec extensive - rozległy trunk - tułów elevate - unosić lumbering - człapiący predatory - drapiezny razor - brzytwa claws - szpony indicate - wskazywać venom - jad bite - ugryźć wound - rana to prompt - wywołać, pobudzać gargantuan - gigantyczny embed - osadzać innate - wrodzony trait - ślad birds of prey - ptaki drapieżne hominids - małpoludy
Piękny utwór z filmu Spirited Away, H. Miyazakiego pt. Dragon Boy skomponowany
przez Joe Hisaishi – wybitnego japońskiego pianistę i kompozytora.
Całość 'na żywo': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9sVKtnH58E&list=LLw9pG2AXtqe
Posąg smoka w Parku Yongdusan, Korea.
Zdjęcia - źródła:
1. http://www.tapeciarnia.pl/124858_chinski_czarny_smok_napis.html 2. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w8K_aq4YEZ0/U1EGmGiv--I/AAAAAAAAFvI/FDozDalmO8U/s1600/Voyage-Basilisk_Lockwood_Brennan.jpg 3. http://cdn.blu-raydefinition.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/BDDefinition-TrainYourDragon-9-1080.jpg?4a563e 4. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aVJiYJMZ5ws/TpRWO-Kpi1I/AAAAAAAAAXs/g-0zwx28DQQ/s16005 5. http://travel.pomosa.com/Korea2007/korea_weblog_2.htm
Comments