St George

According to tradition, George was a knight who performed several deeds. He first appears in Bebe’s writings, as suddenly appearing to lead the crusaders into battle. The will of Alfred the Great is also said to refer to him, in reference to the church of Fordington, Dorset. The church also contains a stone over the south door, recording George’s appearance to the crusaders.

Perhaps one of the most well-known legends about St George, however, is the dragon:

The story goes that a village was terrorised by a dragon, who demanded tribute. Once they’d run out of livestock, gold and precious stones, they began to give a human tribute once a year. These tributes were selected via drawing names, with all the possible candidates being entered (the dragon wanted younger tributes, as opposed to the elders).

The story begins properly with a princess being chosen as the next tribute. Due to this, St George arrives, slays the dragon, and rescues the princess. A very similar story to that of Andromeda, in the Greek Myths…