George and Dragon, Salisbury
Saint George was a third century soldier and, famously, a dragon-slayer. He came upon the dragon in Libya. The king’s daughter was about to be sacrificed to the dragon. The king offered Saint George gold and silver to save his daughter. George refused, but asked that if he slew the dragon then Libya should become Christian [1].
It is thought that Saint George became patron saint of England under the influence of returning crusaders, who brought back stories of his life and martyrdom.
The old sign of the George And Dragon pub, in Castle Street relocates the story to somewhere outside Salisbury – you can see Salisbury Cathedral in the background.
Footnotes
- Thomas J. Craughwell. This Saint’s for You!: 300 Heavenly Allies Who Will Change Your Life, Quirk Books,US (1 Nov 2007). ISBN 978-1594741845 [↩]