I've always been a dragon type of guy. I don't think the way we think of dragons ever existed, but somebody saw something somewhere down the line that got the whole idea started. Same for every mythical creature. Like the cyclops for instance, the concept came about because of elephant skulls. When you see an elephants skull it's got one big hole in the center. People in ancient times saw that and thought the creature only had one eye(not really sure where the tusks fit in). And we all know how quickly ideas can become fantastical.