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Originally Posted by Pyritie
Humans only viewed them as evil because they ate their sheep and other livestock. But the dragons only ate those sheep because the humans had been killing the other wildlife the dragon would normally would feed on, such as wild boars. And the sheep were easy pickings, just standing there in a wide open field.
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And as for them being seen as pure good in the East...?
I'm pretty sure that, even before humans took over, there wouldn't be enough prey for a large flying reptile anyway. Because it's flying, it would favor open fields, and Europe is sure known for its forests, which favor creatures like the bears and wolves, who could either scavenge for food, or track potential prey down by working together. Heck, all the bigger species of feline in Europe were long since extinct by this time, and the environment there is generally too cold to really suit reptiles, especially large apex predator ones
Dragons have leathery wings, and leathery wings and forests do not get along well with each other. There's a reason birds are the dominant flying lifeforms these days
There just isn't, and hasn't been, a niche for dragons, yet alone creatures that have evolved anywhere near their capabilities or descriptions
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You know how storytellers are. What once was a flying lizard became a multi-headed giant fire-breathing demon after being passed around.
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But there are no flying lizards around, so it might have started from things as humble as crocodiles or snakes. Heck, the humble salamander was viewed as an elemental born from flame, despite its complete and utter lack of any fire based abilities
Pterosaurs. You've got the smaller long-tailed species, such as Pterodactylus, Sordes, Dimorphodon or Ramphorynchus, and the larger species, such as Pteranodon and Quetlzcoatlas
FUN FACT
Unicorns are based off a giant northern rhino that was very horse-like and was pretty much extinct when all their myths were being talked about