Saint George and the Dragon. Fine art print.

Description

Saint George and the Dragon.

Fine art print.

A4. 8.3 x 11.7 inches

All prints are signed by the artist.

The Original art work was created with pen and ink on Fabriano paper.

The story of Saint George and the dragon is a legendary tale that has been passed down through generations. It is a story of bravery, heroism, and the triumph of good over evil. The legend dates back to the 12th century and has been depicted in various forms of literature, art, and culture.

In the story, Saint George is a Roman soldier who is revered for his courage and faith. He is tasked with protecting a town that is being terrorized by a fearsome dragon. Despite the danger, Saint George fearlessly confronts the dragon and slays it with his sword. His victory over the dragon symbolizes the triumph of Christianity over paganism, as well as the power of faith and bravery in the face of adversity.

The story of Saint George and the dragon serves as a timeless reminder of the importance of standing up against evil and injustice, even in the face of overwhelming odds. It teaches us that with faith, courage, and determination, we can overcome any challenge that comes our way. The legend of Saint George continues to inspire people of all ages to be brave, compassionate, and to always fight for what is right.

The iconic legend of Saint George and the Dragon, often viewed as a classic external conquest of evil, reveals its deepest meaning when mapped onto the inner landscape of the human psyche. On this level, the dragon is not a literal monster, but a formidable symbol of our internal chaos: the untamed, instinctual forces of fear, rage, desire, and the shadow self. It hoards our vitality, guards our deepest wounds, and paralyzes us with its breath of toxic narratives and primal terror. The besieged kingdom, then, becomes the conscious self or the community of our inner life, held captive by these unconscious, destructive patterns.

In this interior reading, Saint George represents the conscious, disciplined will of the individuating ego—the part of the psyche tasked with confronting this internal chaos to liberate the captive self. He does not act out of blind aggression, but is guided by a higher principle (symbolized by the cross on his shield or banner, representing transcendent order and divine sanction). His lance is the focused application of conscious attention and intention, aimed directly at the heart of the dysfunction. This is not a battle of annihilation, but of integration and transformation.

The pivotal moment of the myth is the dragon’s wounding and subsequent taming. George does not immediately kill the beast; he subdues it and leads it, pacified, back to the town with the princess’s girdle as a leash. This symbolizes the crucial psychological process of acknowledging and harnessing our primal energies rather than repressing them. The dragon’s raw power, once integrated, becomes a source of strength and life force for the renewed kingdom. The rescued princess—often named Sabra or Cleodolinda, meaning “patience” or “glory”—symbolizes the anima, the soul-force or inner life that was held captive by fear and now, liberated, can be united with the conscious self.

Thus, the inner journey of Saint George is a hero’s pilgrimage toward wholeness. It is the arduous, courageous work of self-confrontation, where we must venture into the swamp of our own unconscious, face the monstrous aspects of our nature, and through disciplined courage, redeem them. The victory is not the dragon’s death, but its transformation from a devouring terror into a guided force. The saint’s ultimate act is to build a church on the dragon’s lair, symbolizing the establishment of a new, sacred order within the psyche where once only chaos reigned. The myth teaches that true courage is an inside job, and that the most formidable dragon we will ever face is the one we carry within.