An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

462. St George: Dragon-Slayer

June 19, 2024

Description

The image of Saint George astride his horse, sword and spear in hand, slaying a dragon, is one of the most iconic iconographical spectacles of all time. But what was the historical truth of this...
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Books Referenced

The Dragon in the West

Author: Daniel Ogden

Context:

Tom mentions 'Daniel Ogden's great book on how the stories of dragons have emerged over the centuries' when discussing the numerous stories of saints confronting dragons and noting that Ogden has compiled a list of over 200 such stories.

The Faerie Queene

Author: Edmund Spenser

Context:

Described as 'the great epic written by Edmund Spencer' when discussing how St. George was adapted into Elizabethan popular culture. The book features St. George as 'the Red Cross Knight' who is commissioned by the Fairy Queen (representing Elizabeth I) to kill a dragon (representing Catholicism).

The Seven Champions of Christendom

Author: Richard Johnson

Context:

Explicitly mentioned as 'a book called The Seven Champions of Christendom' written in the 1590s under Elizabeth, which features various patron saints of different countries with St. George as the dominant figure, notably claiming he was born in Coventry rather than Cappadocia.