“The Truth behind the legend of Saint George and the Dragon is that Good will triumph over Evil.”
The Man, Saint, and Martyr
The early gothic art form of the 12th-14th centuries, from which I draw much of my inspiration, borrowed many elements from the iconographic form that preceded it. It is, in a sense, a more naturalistic interpretation of the iconographic which makes it one of the three forms identified by Pope Benedict XVI as being most appropriate for a liturgical context (the other two being the iconographic and the baroque.)
All that we really know for certain about Saint George is that he was a Roman soldier, born in Cappadocia in the 3rd century, was brought up in the town of Lydda, in Palestine, and was martyred for his Christian beliefs.
One of the most severe of the early persecution of Christians occurred under the rule of emperor Diocletian in A.D. 303. A series of edicts rescinded the legal rights of Christians and subjected all inhabitants to the requirement of sacrificing to the Roman gods.
George (Georgius) was a Roman soldier at the time. Tradition holds that he was a commander of the Praetorian Guard, an elite unit which served as the personal bodyguard of the emperor. Holding such a position, being close to the emperor and highly visible, George was ordered to recant his faith and make the required sacrifice to the pagan gods. He refused. He was arrested and subjected to horrible tortures designed to force him to deny his faith. When this failed he was finally executed, beheaded, in A.D. 303.
Legend picks up where his life ends.
The Legend
In the 5th – 6th centuries, George began to be venerated as a hero of the Christian faith, one who sacrificed himself by standing up to evil. As his story evolved through the centuries it became a parable of the triumph of good over evil. In the Church, martyrs as seen as victorious heroes who have sacrificed worldly goods for eternal ones.
There are a few variations of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon but at its core it relates the story of the city of Silene in what is now Libya. Silene was terrorized by a dragon. To appease the dragon the people of the city regularly offered sheep as a sacrifice. When that proved insufficient, they began to offer their daughters. Eventually the lot fell to the king’s daughter. Although her father tried to saver her, she insisted that she follow the example of so many of the city’s residents. This was the situation when George arrived at the city. When he learned of the upcoming sacrifice he faced off against the dragon. He commended himself to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, mounted his horse, and succeeded in killing the dragon with his lance. The king was so grateful that he offered the hero a great treasure, which George handed over to the poor of the city. The people of the city were so impressed by the soldier’s faith and the miracle they had witnessed that they converted to Christianity and were baptized.
There has been much written in our cynical age to find the truth behind the legend. Attempts have been made to describe the dragon as a crocodile or a large serpent. But as is so often the case, in our efforts to explain things in material terms, we overlook the spiritual. The Truth behind the legend of Saint George and the Dragon is that Good will triumph over Evil. It may take a while, but in the end, Good will always win out.
The Icon
The imagery of Saint George became codified early on and has remained consistent through the ages. He is depicted as a beardless youth with curly or wavy hair. He wears a diadem, a sort of small crown, as a symbol of the crown of martyrdom.
The iconography of Saint George draws much from the Book of Revelation. The crown, the white horse, and the bow and arrows, recall one of the symbols of Christ. “And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and its rider had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.” Rev. 6:2
The red dragon is also purposely depicted to evoke the image of the devil. “And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world — he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” Rev. 12:9
The Truth behind the iconography of Saint George is that of a martyr who has ultimately conquered. He sits on his white horse with the red cloak of martyrdom billowing behind him. With the blessing of Christ, symbolized by the divine hand extending from the heavens in the upper right corner, he conquers the dragon, the devil, the embodiment of evil. The cross-shaped lance of the saint traditionally pierces the mouth of the dragon, the source of all lies.
Behind him we see the walls of the city. In traditional sacred art, the architecture of the buildings and cities take on an anthropomorphic character, the windows represent eyes and the doorways, mouths. In this way the city represents the people who are converted to Christianity, not by force, but by the signs and wonders worked by God through His saints.
Et Omnibus Deo Gloria