A question about the word Dragon in WoT

[Everybody Loves Hypnotoad]

I'm only about halfway through the series right now, but I was wondering, is it ever explained why Lews Therin came to be called the Dragon or what the word meant in the WoT universe before it was applied to Lews Therin? In other words, I'm wondering if "Dragon" in the Age of Legends meant dragons as we know them, or whether there's yet another layer of separation between their mythology and ours.

[UncleButcher1980]

There is this quote from Robert Jordan

 

Netherlands tour, Dromen and Demonen chat - 6 April 2001

Lowlander: Are there any dragons (like real dragons (=animals)) in Rand's world? If not where did they get the idea of dragons?

 

RJ: There are no animal dragons of any kind in this world. the people speak of a man called the Dragon. They know that the banner that has a certain creature on it was the banner of this man and they have taken to calling this creature the dragon. To them it is a simple association with the name of this man.

 

 

As to whether it's revealed in the books, I'll say RAFO (because I can't remember).

[mb]

The books do not specifically tell why Lews Therin was called the Dragon.

 

"dragons as we know them" is vague. Different literature describes them somewhat differently; though physical structure is somewhat similar in all literature.

[Superhal]

It's just a fictional character, it doesn't need to be real. The wondergirls had a clear idea of what a unicorn was.

[rand4747]

Its just mythg like it is here, there are no dragons or unicorns here and so it can be the same there.

[ravenfier]

Probably stems from the way he fought the shadow, some one stating that he was dragon like and he just ran with it, seeing how the AOL is our future then we might assume that they still have stories told of dragons then...

[WhiskyJack]

Probably taken from that great serpent...