Dragons

Dragons are arguably the world’s most universal cryptids, appearing in the folklore of nearly every culture across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Typically depicted as massive serpentine or reptilian beasts with formidable claws and fiery breath, dragons have served countless symbolic roles—guardians of treasure, embodiments of chaos, or regal avatars of natural forces. Ancient fossils of large dinosaurs or whales may have seeded early dragon myths, with enormous bones interpreted as proof of terrible creatures once ruling the earth. Even today, dragons endure in everything from national emblems to fantasy epics, embodying both our primal fears of predators and our awe of the unknown. They remain the quintessential cryptid, bridging myth, art, and psychology, a timeless canvas upon which every society projects its deepest anxieties and aspirations.