I recently saw a post of fantasy snobbery which tried to imply that the great wyrm is the only ‘real dragon’, and that others (specifically the wyvern) aren’t. In truth, the dragon is so pervasive across all the world’s cultures and mythologies, that there is no such thing as ‘A dragon’. Trying to say that a great wyrm is a dragon and a wyvern isn’t, is like trying to say that a gret dane is a dog while a chihuahua isn’t.
The great wyrm, while perhaps the most popular western dragon, is no more a ‘real’ dragon than any other. All of these are dragons in their own culture.
However, it should be noted that these are just guidelines, taken from the most well known types. For example, the wyvern specifically is old English, but similar looking dragons also exist in French, Greek and Slavic cultures. Also, Indian, Korean and Japanese dragons look similar to the Chinese ‘loong’, but have subtle differences and go by different names.
In summary, your ‘real dragon’ is no more legit than that of a dragon from another culture. If you’re going to get snobby about your ‘real dragon’, then refer to it by its ‘real name’.
