St. George’s Day April 23
The dragon slayer
The princess wept and trembled with fear as the huge, horrible dragon
came toward her. She closed her eyes and prayed for the terror to end
quickly. She didn’t want to die. But only by sacrificing herself to the
monster could she save the people of her father’s kingdom. If the dragon
ate her, it would leave them alone.
Suddenly a knight in silver armor rode out of the nearby forest. Drawing
a gleaming sword, he spurred his horse into a gallop. Straight at the
dragon he charged!
The dragon gave an ear-splitting snarl and rose on its hind legs. It
towered over the horseman, but he did not stop. With a single blow of
his sword, he cut off the monster’s head! The princess and her people
were saved—by the brave knight, Saint George!
No one knows how the legend of Saint George and the dragon got started.
Saint George was a real man. He was a Roman soldier. But he certainly
never killed a dragon. He was also a Christian. And because he refused
to give up his religion, he was put to death. He died on April 23, 303,
which is why this date is now St. George’s Day.
Many stories, such as the one about the slaying of the dragon, were made
up about him. Because of these stories, he became very popular. In 1350
he was made the patron, or protecting, saint of England. English knights
and soldiers often wore a red cross on a
white background on their shields or clothing. This was called the
cross of Saint George. It appears on the flag of England and on the
British Union flag.
