St. George.

Who was he, why is he England's patron saint, and why don't we make more of his day on April 23rd? These are questions which circulate every year around this time. Well, there are various takes on the story, but the most common is that he was an officer in the Roman army who was martyred for refusing to deny his Christian beliefs and make sacrifices to pagan gods. So what is his connection with England? None really - there is no evidence that he ever set foot here - but there are stories that he magically appeared to the Crusaders before they went into battle, and so they adopted him as their patron, and then brought the idea back with them to England. Where the dragon came from is anybody's guess, but this story of a heroic figure slaying a monster was a common theme in medieval narratives. And St. George's Day? Well I think this is more a matter of self confidence. The Scots, Welsh and Irish feel the need to parade their national identity and make a big thing of their saints' days. We don't.