Saint George is the patron saint of England. Widely celebrated across Europe, he is recognised as a religious martyr who vanquished the dragon in medieval times.
We all know the basis surrounding this legend. However, there are multiple different versions, as you would expect from a story as old as this one. In our latest blog, we explore the story of St George slaying the Dragon.
Saint George is believed to have been born in Cappadocia, which is known today as Turkey. The narrative was first recorded in the 11th century. The legend begins with an enchantress called Kalyb, who lived in an enchanted forest and would kidnap and murder newborn babies. The Earl of Coventry’s infant son, George, was her next victim, but Kalyb found that she couldn’t put him to death, as on his breast there was a living image of a dragon, on his right hand there was a blood-red cross, and on his left leg there was the golden garter.
Kalyb let the child live, and as his father was absent and his mother had died during childbirth, she doted on him and brought him up as her own. When George was a young man, he wanted to leave the forest and embark on incredible adventures. However, Kalyb was not happy about this, and tried to bribe him to stay. She offered him armour, a horse, and a magic sword that would give him power over anything and anyone in the world. Using this sword, George opened a giant rock that exposed all of the newborn babies’ bodies that Kalyb had slaughtered. He locked Kalyb in this rock and fled the forest, taking the gifts with him.
George travelled to Northern Africa. In Libya, a dragon was casting fear and misery upon the villagers. Once they had ran out of livestock and trinkets for the dragon, he demanded human sacrifices or he would send a terrible plague through the land. Therefore, the dragon started devouring maidens, which was acceptable to the villagers until Princess Sabia, the last maiden alive, was the dragon’s next offering. The King announced that should there be a brave knight who would slay this monster, he would offer his daughter in marriage. George learned about this fearsome dragon and headed to vanquish the beast.
While riding into the Valley of the Dragon and confronting the huge, ferocious beast, George met Sabia, who he believed was the most beautiful damsel he had ever seen. George struck the dragon with his spear, but it’s scales were so hard that the spear shattered into pieces, and he fell from his horse and landed under an orange tree. Fortunately, the tree was poisonous to the dragon, and so this enabled George to recover and gain the strength to slay this beast. George prayed to God to lend him the courage he needed, and then leaped out from under the orange tree and struck the dragon under one of it’s wings, piercing it’s heart. George cut off the dragon’s head and hung it on a truncheon, signalling his triumph to the villagers. George was hailed a hero throughout the land, and was invested by the King with the golden spurs of knighthood. George fell in love with Princess Sabia, and they were married as promised by the King for slaying the dragon.
That’s the story of St George slaying the Dragon, or at least one of the versions. In 1344, King Edward III created the Order of the Garter; his own chivalrous knightly order, and named St George as their patron saint. Today, it remains the most prestigious British order of chivalry.
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