Close encounters of the dragon kind

What is it about dragons that fascinates people?

You may well be aware that stories and myths of dragons are common around the world, and that each culture has its own perspective on its looks, personality and significance. But every culture has dragons of some kind.

What does the dragon mean? Is it fear? "Look your dragon in the eyes", "slaying your dragon"; they do remind us of fear. But fear of what, exactly? Our inner phobias? Fear of the uncontrollable nature? The ultimate wild animal? The personification of whatever god, which has the power of life and death over you? The brutest strength, the deadliest killer?

Or is it knowledge? He who befriends or converses with a dragon gets to know a lot about - everything, really. The ways of the world. Magic. The wild. The sorcerer's stone? The elixer of life?

Or is it merely an artistic expression? A thing that looks cool and frightening; something to scare disobedient little children with? A clever combination of animal parts? A symbol in the legend of St George?

A counterpart to mankind's dominance?

A phallus symbol?

It pains me to say it, but I don't know the answer. To me, it is neither of the possiblities above, and yet all of them. Dragons are fear incarnated, knowledge to the ambitious, artistic icon, and just a story element. Everything and nothing.

Another blog with no real answers. Naught but questions remain, which is good. Questions are essential to life. "Where did I come from", "why are we all here anyway" and "why is that gorram lightsaber purple" are the engine of our thinking and surviving.

What does the dragon mean to you?