The origin of dragons?

Discussion in 'History' started by Bowser, Jan 22, 2017.

  1. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    I've done that. I didn't dream anything mythological.
     
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  3. wellwisher Banned Banned

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    You have never had a dream of flying like a bird? Humans are not physically designed to so this, therefore this would be mythological even if it used a well know family member. A talking animal in a dream is also not found in nature. The symbolic character does not have to be a unique looking entity. In American Indian lure, helpful spirits of ancestors may appear as animals. They may not even talk, but may only show a way or direction.

    Back to dragons. In middle ages ,the alchemists used dragon symbolism, such as the mercurial dragon. The element mercury was symbolized as a dragon. The alchemist were typically doctors and priests, who were also mystical philosophers. Instead of just randomly mixing chemicals A and B, they came up with a logical approach based on mythological associations, that had been assigned historically, to the various elements and atoms.

    Mythological symbolism, was projected into chemical reactions, with the chemicals personified, The interaction of the chemicals was anticipated and explained via the interaction of its mythological character. For example, mercury was symbolized as the mercurial serpent. Due to the sinister nature of the dragon and his fire breathing output, the mercurial dragon was often attributed to Satan. Since Satan was from hell, based on mystical tradition, and hell smelled like fire, brimstone and sulfur, they expected mercury/satan to associate/react with sulfur. It turns out that mercury sulfide is one of the most insoluble compounds in nature.

    Turning lead into gold, was not just a get rich quick scheme. This also stemmed and was anticipated via their symbolic logic. The goal was a procedure that could transform something perceived as worthless, into something of great value. In dreams and unconscious visions, that which may seem senseless to the untrained eye, if subjected to the process of symbolic interpretation, could lead to things of great use.

    At that time, what the alchemists were doing; mystical philosophy, was highly taboo, relative to the church, because it made use of the arcane sciences, which was prohibited. The church favored conscious mind development; learn from outside via the church, making the unconscious sciences, taboo. However, the lab work, with the mystical philosophy on hush, was looked at, with a more favorable light. They were doctors trying to improve the standards of health care. They had to do the mystical analysis hidden away from sight, hiding their writings.

    As mystical philosophers, their experiments were sort of like self therapy, with themselves changing in the process. They were way ahead of their time and did a good job plotting out the human psyche, through its unconscious projections. In a modern sense, their experiments and mythological logic were sort of like modern psycho-drama, having an impact on the unconscious. The dragon was a projections of unconscious content, that was taboo and trying to become conscious, with the alchemists making these contents conscious, through the chemical interaction in the test tubes and stills.

    When I was a young development engineer, I was often the go-to-guy, assigned emergency projects, since I was the young creative chemistry guru. One project that was given to me was connected to a water main break in a facility that once used mercury as a part of process. Before the water was diverted, millions of gallons of water had been contaminated and flooded the subbasement. The EPA had set standards for discharge that were now very low, and there was nothing you could buy, off the shelf, to solve the problem. The water needed to be drained and discharged, while obeying all the new laws and regulations.

    My job was to invent and develop the new technology; ASAP. I had very little experience with mercury. I did not consider this a problem, since this also meant I was not biased by traditions, that did not work. After doing a literature search and not finding anytime off shelf, I decided to use the symbolism approach of the alchemists. I had been interested in alchemy and learned about their approach. I published my analysis in a quarterly report. It raised eyebrows, but I got away with it, because I also invented the new BET (best available technology), which could clean the water down to parts per trillion. After that the emergency as resolved, in record time, they jokingly called me the mercury man. Not only because of my speed (it took me three weeks); quicksilver, but because of my unusual alchemy approach.

    I often do the same in science forums, but since there are no emergencies, forward thinking solutions are often misunderstood. In non emergency situations, clever solutions, that deviate from the status quo are not allowed. Often most people, don't even see the problems, never mind the need for a new solution. In these forums, I am not allowed to write in the chemist sections, even though I am the best chemist in the forums in terms of invention. Innovation can look dumb, if there is no perception of need. Perception of need require an obvious accident or someone who can see things at a much deeper level.
     
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  5. Michael 345 New year. PRESENT is 72 years oldl Valued Senior Member

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    Who thought up Sponge Bob Square Pants and will he become mythical in the future?
     
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  7. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Nonsense.

    To follow your logic is to say that anything and everything a person might imagine - an angry-coloured pencil, a watermelon Tuesday, driving my car into a river, sailing a boat with my winter jacket on, winning the lottery, - are all mythologically sourced.

    It is tantamount to saying imagination and mythology are synonymous.
     
  8. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    Birds are not mythological.
     
  9. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Wellwisher is putting the cart before the horse.

    It's not mythology that directs the content of dreams.
    It's dreams that directed the content of mythology.
     
  10. StrangerInAStrangeLand SubQuantum Mechanic Valued Senior Member

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    .

    Someone should put that in a movie.

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  11. pjdude1219 The biscuit has risen Valued Senior Member

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    actually there is evidence that some species of snakes are social creatures. read in article from national geographic on the timber rattlesnake to this effect.
     
  12. Dinosaur Rational Skeptic Valued Senior Member

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    From WellWisher Post 3
    The above seems like woo-thought, although there seems to be a lot of believers in a phenomenon called collective unconscious aka other names.

    From DaveC426913 Post 7
    The above is the best explanation I have ever seen for belief in dragon mythology.
     

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