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1001 Stories Collection

St George and the Dragon

1001 St George
Added on 30th September 2020

Oral tradition Legend from England

UK and Ireland Myths and legends
1001

The story of the patron saint of England.

Story

In a village long ago, there lived a terrifying dragon. He was so hungry that the people had to feed him a sheep every day to keep him satisfied. Before long, they ran out of sheep and the King decided that the dragon must be fed children instead. On the day that the King’s daughter was selected, a noble knight was riding by…

Why we chose it

One of the most famous dragon stories, George and the Dragon was a popular story in Dragon story sessions in our storytelling Pumpkin Tent.

Where it came from

The story of Saint George travelled by word, making it hard to tell when and where it was first told. We do know that the legend was known by St. Adamnan in the 7th Century and it is likely to have circulated in holy places such as Jerusalem. The story was therefore spread by crusaders, until William Caxton translated Jacques de Voragine’s French book in 1483 and it became more well-known.

Where it went next

Saint George is the patron saint of England, and Saint George’s Day is celebrated on the 23rd April. Less well-known is that he is also the patron saint of counties including Aragon, Georgia, Portugal and Greece. He has been included in medieval miracle plays and features in Edmund Spenser’s poem The Faerie Queene (1590), though he is known as The Redcrosse Knight for most of the poem.

Associated stories

There are many different versions of the story of Saint George.

Added on 30th September 2020

Oral tradition Legend from England

UK and Ireland Myths and legends
1001