EVER WONDER by Jacque Scott: Dragons

Dragons 

Christmas is gone now, but the memories of sugar plum fairies continue to dance in our heads.  We all like to think of the magical mysteries that surround us both present and past.  As my husband knows, I am not really into fantasy tales and science fiction, but stories about dragons have always interested me.

In 1902, a group of scientists and workmen dug up part of the wall on a 2,500 year old city.  There was a mystery on that wall of the ancient city of Babylon.  Babylon used to stand on the banks of the Euphrates River in what is now Iraq.  Babylon was the capital of the kingdom of Babylonia and one of the world’s greatest cities.  It was a huge square of houses, temples, and palaces, surrounded by a high wall made of shiny, colored bricks.  At several places in the wall there were huge gateways with huge gates made of bronze.

The scientists discovered and dug up part of the wall that held a gateway.  The gateway was decorated with sculptures of three kinds of animals, arranged in rows.  One animal was a lion, and one was a bull.  The third was a strange creature that scientists had never seen.

The creature had a scaly body with a long tail and a snake-like neck.  Sticking out of its mouth was a forked tongue like that of a snake.  There was a long horn that stuck up from its forehead.  The front legs and feet looked like those of a cat, but the back legs were scaly with clawed feet like a reptile or bird.

So the strange creature seemed to be made up of several different animals.  The ancient artists made the muscles, skin, and hair of the animal look real.  Professor Koldeway, the scientist who discovered the wall, said that if it weren’t for the differences in the front and back legs, such an animal might have existed.

Even though the scientists had never seen the creature on the wall, they all knew what it was supposed to be.  King Nebuchadnezzar was the Babylonian king who decorated the gate, and he left writings describing the decorations.  When the writings were translated, the scientists found out that King Nebuchadnezzar had called the creature a ‘sirrush’, which was the Babylonian word for ‘dragon’.

There is an ancient story that tells of a live ‘sirrush’ or dragon that lived in a temple in Babylon during the days of King Nebuchadnezzar.  The creature was worshipped as a god and according to the story, the Hebrew prophet Daniel proved it was not a god by feeding it poisoned food that killed it.

Because of that story and because the sculptures looked so real, the ‘sirrush’ on the wall of Babylon remain a mystery for many people. They wonder why the ‘sirrush’ is shown beside two known real animals.  Many say it must be real too.  Can it really be imaginary or a made-up creature when we have the story about the creature living in the temple of King Nebuchadnezzar?

Could there have been some kind of strange, dragon-like creature living in the Near East or some near-by African country 2,500 years ago?  However, it seems doubtful because no bones or any other trace of the creature were found.  But those of us who wish on the blown-out candles of birthday cakes, tug at the wishbones of turkeys, and make wishes on blue M and M’s, will always wonder.  Hmmmm, a ‘sirrush’.  Maybe… God bless you.