St George

The image of St George seems so familiar to us all the mounted, medieval knight slaying a dragon that it is tempting to assume that he is easily understood and of limited interest. He is, in fact, one of the most significant mythic figures in Christian culture, and has played an important role in Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, and Western European traditions over many centuries. Moreover his differing appearances can be found in many world religions, including Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, and the Afro-Brazilian belief system Candombe; his identification with nature, springtime, and healing means that he can also be found throughout pagan beliefs. In many parts of the world St George has a lively and diverse following today. St George represents many different things to many different peoples. St George with or without the dragon has been repeatedly reinvented over the last 1,700 years, and Samantha Riches presents a compelling account of the huge potential that artists, poets and painters have found in his myth. "