St. George and the Dragon
Classical Stories · No. 82 — The town that fed its dragon — until someone asked why.
- Classical Stories
- 45 min
- Ages 8–13
- 6 chapters
About this audiobook
A dragon takes up residence near a city and poisons the land with its breath, and to keep it from attacking, the townsfolk agree to feed it — first their sheep, and then, when the flocks are gone, one person each day, chosen by lot. Grimly, year by year, they accept this bargain, until the day the lottery falls upon the king's own daughter, and even the king cannot buy her out. As she waits by the dragon's lake, dressed as a bride for the beast, a knight named George rides by and stops. Rather than ride around the horror as others have, he asks why they tolerate it at all — and then chooses to end it, facing the dragon so the town need never make its terrible bargain again.
Why it's worth a listen
A town keeps a dragon quiet by feeding it — first sheep, then, when the sheep run out, people chosen by lottery — and everyone has simply accepted this, until the lottery falls on the king's own daughter. Then a knight riding by asks the question no one else has dared: why are you feeding the dragon at all? The classic dragon-and-knight tale, with a sharp edge about the terrible things people accept when they've done them long enough.
A question to keep
When everyone has agreed to a terrible arrangement, what does it take for one person to say 'no more'?
Chapters
- The Shadow on the Lake
- The Bronze Urn
- The Bride of the Beast
- The Traveler from Cappadocia
- The Spear and the Sash
- A Question to Keep