Lyrics & Knowledge Personal Pages Record Shop Auction Links Radio & Media Kids Membership Help
The Mudcat Cafesj



User Name Thread Name Subject Posted
Hester St George's Day (68* d) RE: St George's Day 23 Apr 03


Well, actually, all of St. George's life story is apocryphal. But, hey, that's cool, 'cause he wound up absorbing lots of pre-Christian mythology and traditional folk rituals.

The story of him slaying the dragon is likely based on the classical myth of Perseus rescuing Andromeda from the sea monster.

In Slavic parts of Europe, St. George traditionally appeared on his feast day as "Green George", a man entirely encased in a cage of branches, looking just like the English "Jack-in-the-Green":

Green George in Slovenia

In the 16th century in England, St. George's parades marked the opening of the spring festive season. As Sandra Billington points out in her book _Mock Kings in Medieval Society and Renaissance Drama_, St. George, like Robin Hood, took on the role of a traditional Mock King or Lord of Misrule at these events.

Anyhow, here's my cyber-card to wish you all a (slightly belated) St. George's Day, complete with links to additional information about the meaning and history of this enigmatic figure:

SAINT GEORGE'S DAY GREETING CARD

Cheers, Hester


Post to this Thread -

Back to the Main Forum Page

By clicking on the User Name, you will requery the forum for that user. You will see everything that he or she has posted with that Mudcat name.

By clicking on the Thread Name, you will be sent to the Forum on that thread as if you selected it from the main Mudcat Forum page.
   * Click on the linked number with * to view the thread split into pages (click "d" for chronologically descending).

By clicking on the Subject, you will also go to the thread as if you selected it from the original Forum page, but also go directly to that particular message.

By clicking on the Date (Posted), you will dig out every message posted that day.

Try it all, you will see.