Perhaps this is more of a GQ, but considering that literature and film play a large part in the question, I’m going to try it in this forum.
Hubby reads a lot of sci-fi/fantasy, and the other day, we started discussing dragons, and the various ways they’re portrayed in novels and movies, as well as in historical legend. He pointed out that several cultures have ancient stories and legends of dragons.
What is the root? The portrayals seem somewhat uniform. What’s the earliest mention of dragons in written legend, and what in the world could have inspired it?