St George
A Saint for All
Samantha RichesThis 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.
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.
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St George: A Saint for All is a readable and well-researched book written by an academic who knows her subject. In her thesis the author says that for far too long St George has remained a mythical figure and, even worse, has been hijacked by bigots and extremists who wrap themselves in his flag and are threatening to any who do not agree with their blinkered view about Little England. Samantha Riches has done much to reinstate him in a more rational and favourably inclusive light.
'Methodist Recorder
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An excellent book about a legend that has endured to the present day.
'Miami News
Introduction: ‘God is Great but Not Like St George’
1. St George: A Reappraisal for a Multicultural Age
2. Misrepresentations and Reinventions: St George across Continents and Cultures
3. St George and the Natural World: A Symbol of Fertility
4. St George as a Saint of Water and Healing
5. St George as a Dragon-slayer
6. St George and England: A Re-emerging Relevance?
Conclusion: Where Next for St George?
References
Bibliographic Essay
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
Samantha Riches is a cultural historian based at Lancaster University. She is the author of Gender and Holiness: Men, Women and Saints in Late Medieval Europe (2011) and St George: Hero, Martyr and Myth (2005).