St. George And The Dragon

St. George And The Dragon

Saint George was a knight whose travels took him to Silene in Libya. This place had a terrible secret – in a large lake by the town lived a dragon that spewed venom all around. No crueler beast had ever been seen. The deadly monster had rough green scales as hard as iron and huge wings that blotted out the sun. Its breath had poisoned the land all about.

At first the townspeople gave the dragon two sheep a day to appease it and to stop it attacking them. But they ran out of sheep and in their desperation they began to offer their children to it. The unfortunate human sacrifices were chosen by lottery. When the king’s daughter, Princess Sabra, was selected, the king and the queen were heart-broken. The king offered all the gold and wealth he had to spare her. But the townspeople demanded that she be delivered to the dragon just as many of their children had been.

So the king dressed Sabra in a wedding gown like a bride, and led her out to be fed to the dragon.

Saint George was then passing by and he asked Sabra what was happening. She begged him to leave before the dragon appeared and killed him too. But Saint George swore that he would help Sabra, in the name of Jesus. Just as they were having this conversation, the dragon reared its head out of the lake. Saint George charged it on the horse and stabbed it deeply with his spear. Then he took the lady’s girdle, and tied it around the dragon’s neck. The beast followed Sabra meekly into the city like a dog on a lead.

The people were terrified, but George calmed them, and called on them to be baptized as Christians. Many of them did so, and George then slew the dragon. Its huge body was carried out of the city on four ox-carts.

The king built a church to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint George, and from its altar rose a spring that cured all diseases.