St. George and the Dragon

The legend of St. George is one I grew up with and have admired since I first heard it. Although initially claimed as a patron in the Byzantine East he has quickly become one of the most heralded patron saints in Western civilization and most notably of England.

Despite being frequently depicted in the medieval European romances as a white knight, George was most likely a Roman legatus serving in the military of Emperor Diocletian and possibly stationed for a time somewhere in Africa. I was inspired to illustrate him as a cavalry officer. The incident with the dragon could be a representation of an invading army he helped to defeat, the demonic forces of darkness that threatened his Faith, or something else entirely. Wanting to incorporate the particular significance of these symbolic enemies, I elected to depict them in the form of a monster - something of a prehistoric alligator like Deinosuchus or Sarchosuchus, one of the last of it's kind and something that he could have possibly encountered near one of his military stations in Africa.

In any event, the legend of St. George offers a compelling example of courage, honor, and defending of the weak in the face of overwhelming odds.

Done in ink.