The peaceful little town of Mont
Blanc was a contented place. It was governed by a good
wise king and had a healthy economy. The King had a very
beautiful daughter who was loved and respected by all.
The only cloud on the horizon was that the inhabitants
of the town were not sufficiently pious and they often
forgot to offer up gifts to the gods, which considerably
angered the pagan priests.
Legend has it that one midsummer's
day an enormous dragon with brilliant greeny-blue
scales rose out of the river. The horrendous
beast appeared before the terrorized population
and spoke to them thus:
'Every month you must bring me a beautiful young
virgin for my food,' he crooned in a sing-song
voice, 'otherwise I will destroy your homes and
your fields, your crops and all your livestock.
If you obey me, I promise I will not attack
anybody and I will allow you to live in peace.'
The terrified townsfolk ran to the palace to
tell the King of their misfortune. Much to his
sorrow, he had to accept the dragon's conditions.
In vain the population entreated the gods to
liberate them from the terrible monster, and in
vain the priests of the pagan cults offered up
sacrifices and gifts to the gods begging them to
rid the town of the menace. Months went by, and
every new moon a young virgin was handed over to
the starving dragon.
The situation became unbearable. In
the homes where they were not weeping over a dead
daughter, they feared for the fate of their childre, and
girls were flinging themselves into the arms of the
first man they met so they would no longer be virgins.
Girls designated as future victims had to be locked up
and heavily guarded to prevent them from killing
themselves to avoid their terrible fate.
Saint George confronting the DragonAfter a while, there
were no virgins left, and the only people who were
pleased were the pagan priests, because the people were
returning to religion and making offerings to the gods.
The month of April came, almost a year since the arrival
of the monster. Fate's next victim was the King's
daughter, who had insisted on taking part in the lottery
of young girls destined to be sacrificed.
Resigned to her misfortune, the girl, who not long
before had converted to Christianity, spent the night in
prayer, an in the morning, attired in a white tunic and
crowned with flowers, she bade farewell to her grief-stricken
parents and the weeping villagers. With a strength of
mind inspired by her faith, and trusting completely in
the Virgin Mary, the girl made her way alone to the
dragon's cave and calmly awaited her end, praying all
the while.
The legend describes how the
townsfolk gathered along the city walls to wait for the
monster to come out of his cave, and to witness the
imminent tragedy. Suddenly an unknown knight arrived,
galloping furiously on a white charger with a silver
mane. It is said that his weapons shone like silver and
his cloak was as red as glowing embers. His shield was
emblazoned with a red cross on a gold background.
Without dismounting or reining in his horse, the
stranger charged at the beast. Overwhelmed by the power
of the magnificent horseman, the dragon retreated and
tamely lay down. 'My lady,' said the stranger, 'tie the
belt from your tunic around the dragon's neck and he
will follow us meekly.'
The girl fearlessly carried out his instructions, and
the animal allowed himself to be led away without
offering any resistance. The strange procession made its
way to the gates of the town, where the inhabitants were
waiting in astonishment. The girl ran to embrace her
parents, while the pagan priests boasted that they had
defeated the monster with their offerings and rituals.
The knight asked for silence and the whole town listened
to the words of the mysterious and valiant savor. 'I am
George, the soldier of Christ,' he said, 'and I am
devoted to Him. This young Christian girl prayed for
help from Mary and her son, the Redeemer, and that is
why I was given the mission of saving her from death.
May the cross which saved you crown this town forever.
Abandon your false idols and you need never fear the
dragon again.'
And to confirm his words, the young knight traced the
sign of the cross above the docile monster. Immediately,
the animal was transformed into a rosebush with roses as
red as blood.
Still today, in Catalonia,
the name of Saint George is associated with red roses,
as a reminder of the knight who rid them of the terrible
dragon forever.
