I realize the dragons are different, but both types of dragons are essentially fire-breathing lizards, which seems like an incredible coincidence to me. Did one culture influence the other or did they both develop the concept of dragons independently?
hi! there's always room for more input, but FYI there's a relevant section in the FAQ*
*see the link on the sidebar or the wiki tab
There is 1 theory in anthropology that says Dragon mythology is common to pretty much all human cultures, because dragons are mythological culmination/combination of 3 types of animals that preyed upon early primates: Large Cats, large Serpents/lizards, and large predatory birds (eagles).
The theory is that because our primate ancestors were perpetually hunted by these 3 types of animals, our cultures developed to symbolize our instinctive fear of these animals in 1 imaginary creature, the Dragon, which takes on characteristics of all 3 types of animals.