St George

This compelling account of the myth of St George, one of the most significant mythic figures in Christian culture and many other religions, describes St George's lively and diverse following today, from Georgia, Greece, Malta and Belgium, to Lebanon, Palestine, Ethipia and Estonia. With or without his dragon, St George has been repeatedly reinvented over the last 1,700 years. Samantha Riches explores this saint’s significance in nations as varied as Lebanon, Ethiopia and Estonia as well as his totemic role for the Roma people, and provides first-hand accounts of celebrations in Georgia, Greece, Malta and Belgium. She describes the inspiration that artists, poets and playwrights have found in myths of St George and considers the sometimes controversial political uses to which the saint has been put. The first book to draw together many aspects of the international cult of St George alongside some of the evidence for elements in his English cult that have been largely forgotten, St George: A Saint for All is a fascinating history of an enduring icon.