George: No fairy tale hero

By Tony Staley
Compass Editor

	St. George When: died c. 303 Where: Palestine What: Martyr Feast: April 23 Patron: England

There's probably not a young boy who hasn't admired St. George of dragon slayer fame.

Then comes the day they learn that there were no dragons and St. George is filed away as just another fairy tale hero. Well, here's some good news: St. George did exist; the dragon - at least as a literal creature - did not.

We don't know much about St. George. He was martyred at Diospolis or Lydda in Palestine, probably early in the 4th century, shortly before Constantine. George, who may have been an imperial army soldier, has been venerated as a saint for centuries.

That brings us to the 12th century Italian legend of George the dragon slayer. The story says the people of a Libyan city planned to attack the dragon, but its breath was too bad (later he became a fire-breathing dragon).

The people gave the dragon two sheep every day to keep it away. When the sheep supply ran low, they drew lots for a human victim. The king's daughter was selected. After everyone refused to take her place, she was dressed as a bride and sent off to the dragon.

Enter George, who attacked and subdued the dragon. He placed the young woman's girdle around its neck and had her lead it into the city, where George assured the people that if they believed in Jesus and were baptized, he would kill the dragon. After the king and the people agreed, George killed the beast; it took four ox carts to haul away the remains.

The story's origins are unknown, but the Book of Revelation speaks of multi-headed beasts and terrors that described the dangers Christians faced, so it's possible that this story also showed the power of belief in Jesus.

But how did George become patron of England? Again, we don't know for sure, but he was known in England by the 8th century. It's believed that interest in him increased when King Richard I (1189-1199) and others returned from the Third Crusades with stories about St. George.

In 1222, St. George's Day was declared a lesser holiday in Britain. By 1415 it was one of the country's chief feasts. During the 17th and 18th centuries (until 1778), his feast was a holy day of obligation for English Catholics. Pope Benedict XIV (1740-58) named him the Protector of the Kingdom.

King Edward III founded the Order of the Garter in about 1347 under the patronage of George. St. George's arms - a red cross on a white background - is used on British soldiers' and sailors' uniforms and in the Union Jack flag.

George also is a patron saint of Portugal, Germany, Aragon, Genoa and Venice. He is widely revered in Russia and is in many icons.