More specifically, St. George, the patron saint of England.
And I suppose it's more his story, his myth that is beautiful - more so than his name (but have you looked in a dictionary lately under George? Depending on your version, there are at least half a page of Georges! And no Foremans either. A couple of my other favorite Georges are W. Carver and MacDonald, poke around a bit and you're sure to find something about them too).
The popular story about St. George portrays him as a dragon-slayer, the more historical account describes him as a martyr of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Both stories are good in their own right, but I'm a sucker for dragons.
Not just dragons, I suppose, but for myth too.
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| Painting by Gustave Moreau (Wikipedia) |
The city the princess is from accepts Christ at George's command and the legend is born.
Upon his return to Rome, Diocletian demands he renounce his Christian beliefs, which George refuses to do. After torture with swords, his head is taken from his shoulders.
There is always debate about truth in myth. Surely things are added to every story as it's passed down, or maybe not. I think stories were treated with more reverence in the past, dutifully told to remember the past, enrich the present, and inform future generations.
Glean what you will, some myths contain more truths than we know.
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8 comments:
Yay for St George!
The dragon-slayer! I never knew this. Very cool. :)
Wonder what creature he did kill?
Interesting! Looks like a teacher's blog :)(That's a compliment!)
Kelly Stilwell
www.kellystilwell.com
St George's day needs to be made more of in the UK I think...
I was not familiar with the tale of St. George but I was impressed by his boldness. All of this came from a commitment to Christ. So myths do contain more truth than we know!
Cool post. I've heard that there was a St. George and there was a dragon. Finally, found out what that story is. Thanks!
Interesting information on George.
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