Saturday Rave: St George and the Dragon, a mummer play.

 Today is St George's Day.

And who was St George?

Nobody knows. Nobody is sure if he even existed. Perhaps parts of him did, but those, sadly, are not the parts that fought the dragon.

When I was at school, in what is now called Grade Six, I was the Princess of Egypt in a play starring St George. I didn't have much to say, but I did have a lovely crown to wear and I did get kissed by St George, who was played by Colin French (who was good at sport and one of the popular ones).

He also kindly rescued me from the dragon.

The only bits of the script I remember went like this (I hope this is right, but it was was a long time ago):

PRINCESS: Oh my father, do not fear

But get thee hence and leave me here

If such a fate must me befall

I'd gladly die to save you all.

...which wasn't actually true, because, soon afterwards:

DRAGON (advancing threateningly): Oh sweet maiden fair and red

Lift aloft your pretty head

And you shall be my cockle bread!

...and he had to bellow the last line because naturally I was screaming the place down.

Anyway, luckily St George promptly came along and killed the dragon, who had to die with his head hanging backwards off the edge of the stage, and with his eyes horribly open. The dragon was played magnificently by a boy called Mark (was he Mark Rogers? That sounds right.). The director was our headmaster Mr Stuart Needham, and the school was Nash Mills C of E Primary School in Hertfordshire, England.

The kiss caused such a sensation that we had to do the whole play again.

I can't find the text of that play anywhere, but here's a section from another version of the story, The Christmas Play of St George and the Dragon, 1852, by William Sandys.

Here come I, St. George, from Britain did I spring,

I'll fight the Dragon bold, my wonders to begin.
I'll clip his wings, he shall not fly;
I'll cut him down, or else I die.

{Enter the Dragon.}

[Dragon]

Who's he that seeks the Dragon's blood,
And calls so angry, and so loud?
That English dog, will he before me stand?
I'll cut him down with my courageous hand.
With my long teeth, and scurvy jaw,
Of such I'd break up half a score,
And stay my stomach, till I'd more.

{St. George and the Dragon fight: the latter is killed.}

****

Splendid stuff: hurrah for St George!

Word To Use Today: dragon. This word came to England form the Old French, and before that it was Latin, dracō, and before that it was Greek, drakōn. The Greek word drakos, meaning eye, is related.