The Legend of Saint George: Dragons in Myth, Mind, and Landscape”
Embark on a journey through the captivating legend of Saint George, where dragons intertwine with ancient myths, the complexities of the human mind, and the mystical landscapes of old.
Join me as we traverse the sacred landscape of The Ridgeway, taking in Uffington White Horse and Dragon Hill in Oxfordshire, where the echoes of Saint George’s heroic deeds still resonate, thousands of miles away from the Ancient Near East where the this dragfon legend was born.
In this immersive exploration, we delve into the origins of Saint George. From Roman soldier and Christian martyr to the enduring symbol of medieval chivalry, to Indo-European serpent-slaying heroic archetypes such as Thor, Indra, Perseus and others.
Venturing further, we explore the mysteries of potential dragon temples nestled within the sacred landscapes of ancient Britain as well as delving into the depths of the human psyche. Exploring the intricate psychology of ‘othering’ embedded within the European Christian motif of dragon slaying.
From the primal fear of the unknown to the symbolic conquest of darkness, to far older rituals of fertility and rain making, we unravel the layers of meaning woven into this timeless narrative.
Here is the link to a age t-Shirt with the Iron Age Celtic Briton’s Horse Symbol on it – this one is from the Dobunni tribe:
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St George was a Syrian Christian murdered by Diocletian. Why did England adopt him?
Another really enjoyable video. You make the mythology and ancient history so accessible and exciting. I think your work adds another layer of intrigue and love for nature and landscapes.😃
Thank you. I love watching your videos x
Hold on.. St George put to death for not renouncing his faith.?
I thought that the Romans had taken on Christianity by the 2nd & 3rd century?
Is this not the story of Pegasus?
Your videos always make my day. Cheers from New England.
I'v heard versions where St. George had only a sword and a horse, no shield, no armor, no lance, riding along the sea shore, in the Nederlands, he saw some beastie in the water snacking on washer women, and he got down off his horse, waded into the water and slew the animal there.
Greetings to my fellow Dobunnites! 🤪
Great video, I ❤ Uffington.
Have a happy st George's day.
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Thanks for reclaiming our heritage, with you all the way💯💯💯
Hello Storyteller..and hello to your friend and pup! That was a fantastic story! Thank you for sharing! I could listen to your stories all day! Greetings from Maryland, USA! 💜
Your Dog looks very Wise.
Thankyou ,wonderfully told myths ,❤
TUI…DEITY…..MARS !!
Good video but u mention a country that doesn’t exist free palistine
Another great story. I must say though, your partner sounded quite hopeful that she would be able to record you falling down the hill.
Spent the whole day in hospital with my Dad. So ready to hear a tale that’s not my personal woe. Thank you Oliver & lovely partner ❤
Shame to ruin it at the end with far right and nationalist nonsense. Its like listening to incompetent so call public servants distracting from the problems they've caused. You dont have to like all your countrymen, but nor do you have devalue them with labels.
Reclaiming st George – 🙂
What an elegant solution regarding the st George’s flag.
Mythology is something we can all get behind and be proud of.
Excellent video too it’s very informative and enjoyable.
I just spent the weekend hiking The Ridgeway, from Streatley to Uffingdon. Such views and history, loved it. English villages, churches, barrows and hill forts. Didn't quite make Waylen, unfortunately, but still a cracking time. Thanks for the video, and, although a day early, happy Saint George's Day!
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This is the Christian version of Scheherezade, a cult marxist precursor to today's many divisive psyops of pseudoscience and oseudoreligion
Another banger of a video!
Always found it strange why England venerates saint George as a Georgian, i get why we do, but the British isles seems so far away from its origins in Anatolia.
Im planning to do a video about Snt. George soon and his connection to Georgia, he replaced a lot of old warrior gods and Godson heroes in Caucasian world, even becoming a pagan god Jgriagi in Svenetia.
There are 365 churches in his hohor and many claim to hold peaces of his holy corpse.
Trying to learn anything about my local mythology, more than half are advantures of different snt. Georges.
Snakes and Dragons also hold great importance here, there are still living snake fertility cults and Vishap stone Monoliths.
Definitely ' the best Bard in town ' ! Keep up the Good Work ! 😃
Thanks for your very informative video. This is why I back this channel! So what you are saying is, non of it ever existed, and it's all just a story. If that is the case, it puts a different spin on our english flag. I mean, why not Robin Hood or King Arthur's day? I know you must have a lot of romance about dragons, but there is zero evidence of them mentioned before the crusades. Dragons almost always leap out of rivers or pools or swamps, they have big scaly feet, a long spiny tail, and rows of big teeth. They can run at 35-40 mph. They can even hibernate for years at a time, giving rise to the myth of immortality. In fact, almost all of these stories come from legends about Crocodiles, especially in north africa and the middle east. Mankind has always had an affinity with Horses and Dogs, but not dragons, so I doubt anyone before the 11th C would have heard of Dragons. Snakes are very common instead, and wind socks fashioned to look like snakes were used by the native british during the Saxon wars. Same with Saint Patrick etc, snakes not dragons. Still.. you are the story teller, after all.
so another example of a symbol of power, knowledge, connection to the natural world being subverted and repurposed into something "bad"?
This video raised many questions for me. Given that the dragon is brought under control by the marriage girdle, what is this reflecting on fertility and the rains? No consummation between St. George and the princess. Does the St. George story have a whisper of our days when we participated in ritual human sacrifice (I make a distinction between having to feed a destructive dragon and a ritualized sacrifice, but maybe that difference only exists in my mind.) Christianity putting a stop to this practice? The triumph of Christianity over nature?
At the same time, for me at least, his is another trippy video that opens a door to a deeper layer of knowing, beyond the words that are spoken, looking at the horse, imagining a city, and the serpent knowledge of the land.
I remember another video about serpent, but don't remember the name. Could you link it?
One more thing, about changing symbols, I saw a bald eagle which has been uncommon where I live. I mentioned in to some people and the response was that the eagle belongs to the far-right now and they do not imagine it as a symbol of strength and freedom, which is how I was taught as a child. As an American, I would like to have that one back.
Meek as a lamb, with that girdle around its muzzle, I know how the dragon felt. Great story telling dude.
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Brilliant video, thank you so much! I've been travelling for some months now around Europe and Latin America, you have no idea how much you give me the feeling of being in Britain, along with the Ogham cards I keep in my pocket everyday when I'm such a long way from home!
Excellent storytelling, Thankyou.
I waited until St George's day to watch this. I think there may be a parallel to the story of St Patrick throwing the serpents from Ireland. To me the snakes of Ireland is symbolic of Druids or other pagans. Maybe the St George dragon could be a pagan priest?
and of course we can't forget the slaying of Maleficent in dragon form. Probably my personal earliest story recollection.
If you ever decided to make videos on Breton folklore I would watch them. Especially on the pre-Christian origins of the Ankou myth or the legendary city of Ys. You don't have to if you don't want to. You and your lady friend probably don't want to be stuck shooting footage on the coast of France in the summer, that sounds horrible forget I mentioned it.