Origins
The figure of the dragon slayer figures in the founding myth of Delphi, where Apollo slays the drakon Pytho. There is an older Mesopotamian legend of the slaying of the flying dragon or Labbu. A dragon is also an enemy figure in the Book of Revelation (chapter 12 onwards) and in the saintly legend of Margaret the Virgin.
The region had long venerated other religious figures. These historians deem it likely that certain elements of their ancient worship could have passed to their Christian successors. Notable among these ancient deities was Sabazios, the Sky Father of the Phrygians and known as Sabazius to the Romans. This god was traditionally depicted riding on horseback.
The iconic image of St. George on horseback trampling the serpent-dragon beneath him is considered to be similar to these pre-Christian representations of Sabazios, the mounted god of Phrygia and Thrace.
According to Christopher Booker it is more likely, however, that the "George and the Dragon" story is a medieval adaptation of the ancient Greek myth of Perseus and Andromeda—evidence for which can be seen in the similarity of events and locale in both stories. In this connection, the Perseus and Andromeda myth was known throughout the Middle Ages from the influence of Ovid. In imagery, other Greek myths also played a role. "Medieval artists used the Greco-Roman image of Bellerophon and the Chimaera as the template for representations of Saint George and the Dragon."
These myths in turn may derive from an earlier Hittite myth concerning the battle between the Storm God Tarhun and the dragon Illuyankas. Such stories also have counterparts in other Indo-European mythologies: the slaying of the serpent Vritra by Indra in Vedic religion, the battle between Thor and Jörmungandr in the Norse story of Ragnarok, the Greek account of the defeat of the Titan Typhon by Zeus.
Parallels also exist outside of Indo-European mythology, for example the Babylonian myths of Marduk slaying the dragon Tiamat. The book of Job 41:21 speaks of a creature whose "breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth."
In Italy, Saint Mercurialis, first bishop of the city of Forlì, is also depicted slaying a dragon. Saint Julian of Le Mans, Saint Veran, Saint Bienheuré, Saint Crescentinus, Saint Margaret of Antioch, Saint Clement of Metz, Saint Martha, Saint Quirinus of Malmedy, Saint Donatus of Arezzo, and Saint Leonard of Noblac were also venerated as dragon-slayers.
Others trace the origin of Saint George and the Dragon to Palestine,where the supposed dragon was controlled by Satan. The creature blocked the city's water supply and would only move if given a virgin sacrifice. Over time, all of the virgins were sacrificed except for the noble's daughter, and even she was sent to quench the castle's thirst. However, Saint George (or Mar Jiryis ) arrived at the last moment on his white horse, striking down the dragon with a spear between its eyes.
In the Southern Hemisphere, Saint George and the Dragon can be seen on the full moon in place of The Man in the Moon, traditionally visible in the Northern Hemisphere. Many of the artistic depictions of Saint George and the Dragon follow the lunar shape of the pair as seen south of the equator. The lunar phenomenon is celebrated in Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso's "Lua de São Jorge."
Read more about this topic: Saint George And The Dragon
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