St. George

Who they were

The reliable core is small. George was a soldier, probably of the imperial guard, martyred at Lydda in Palestine around 303 in Diocletian's great persecution, and venerated there almost immediately. His cult is ancient, widespread, and shared East and West alike. The dragon arrived nearly a thousand years later, a medieval legend that made him Europe's model knight: the beast, the rescued princess, the town converted. Which part is history and which is story matters, and this page says so plainly. Why the story stuck is easier to explain: a soldier who would not deny Christ before an emperor became the permanent image of courage that protects the weak instead of serving power. Crusaders carried him home, and England, Georgia, Catalonia and half the world's armies took him as patron.

Why people turn to St. George

Soldiers, scouts, and anyone who needs courage that is for someone, with the dragon in front of you standing in for the addiction, the bully or the fear.

How to ask their intercession

Name the dragon honestly. Ask his prayers not for the absence of fear but for the standing anyway, which is the only kind he demonstrates.