St. George, the Dragon and the Maiden

Members of EFOG, well-fed and watered after a St. George's Day feast on 23rd April 2015, were well-entertained and thrilled by the enactment of a tale about St. George and the Dragon, not often seen in these parts. The fearsome Dragon was a sight to behold, spouting fire and poetry as it told the tale; Jess, the dog growled savagely in truth, the sound reverberating around the hall, even up into the rafters – but the dragon growled back. Thank goodness Jean was there to restrain the hound, otherwise a fearsome battle might have ensued.

Enter Lynne, fairest of maids in all the land. Those who know her will not have been surprised when she, gentle in manner and kind in heart, listened to the dragon's tale of woe and soothed his stormy heart. 'Twas indeed a sight to behold.

Then our noble St George (sometimes known as Clifftus) came on the scene, tall in stature, lithe and bold. Swiftly he unsheathed his long sword, leaping to protect the maid, as he bethought, to save her from a cruel fate (worse than death some say) in the clutches of the beast. His courage could not be denied, how well-deserved his fame.

Sighs of relief ensued when the plucky maiden quickly leapt free from the beast's embrace and used her lovely frame to shield the dragon from the cruel sword. 'This poor beast's reputation is maligned,' she announced. 'Full gentle is he, in truth misunderstood. To take his life you must first rob me of mine.'

Astonishment bathed the knight's bearded face, but he believed and sheathed his sword, to the relief of all who looked upon the scene. Surely that night will live long in the annals of EFOG. A St. George's day to remember.

Pam, 28th April 2015

Background to the story...

No, not the background to the story of St. George - you can find that elsewhere - the background to EFOG's version...

I had intended to present a Mummers-style play to the Group around Christmas time last year (2014), but circumstances prevented that. Mummers plays are traditionally English-speaking seasonal plays performed by a troupe of players often known as Guisers. They usually revolve around the idea of the death of a character and then the restoring to life of the character, usually by a "doctor".

I suspect that the ideas go way back to such times when the seasons were all-important to the life of the community, particularly relating to the shortening of the days as Winter falls, and then the lengthening as the Spring approaches. Hence, the death of the Sun and then the re-birth. Noticing these things - and appreciating them - would presumably been a lot more important, before electric lights and instant warmth for example, than it is for most of us now.

Cliff had made a wonderful dragon's head for the Christmas play, and I had one or two people lined up for the players, Lynne being one of them. So as not to disappoint either Cliff, Lynne or the dragon, the idea of a St Georges Day Mummers Play was developed.

Now I have always been a bit annoyed with George killing off a dragon - and in the usual St. George story there is no resurrection - so I decided on a decidedly bio-diversity-encouraging plot for our play - with the dragon not being such a beast and George only intending to act in the maiden's best interest. So - lonely dragon, not doing too much looting or burning people up, maiden seeking a companion (pet or otherwise), and George doing his rescue-rounds, but quite happy to sheath his sword if asked politely.

Cliff made all the costumes for the dragon and for George, and I left Lynne to design her own - no fear there - she looked lovely. All I did was write the script and sort of suggest the moves. We didn't do any rehearsal - hence reading our scripts in-play and a bit of hesitation en-route. Jess the dog's part was totally unrehearsed and unexpected, but I suspect she stole the show.

Paul Ferris, 29th April 2015