Saints Gone Wild: George of Lydda Saves a Lady and Punks a Dragon (and Rome Too)

Dragon Dad Joke: Don't tail a dragon too close or you'll get burned.

Before there were knighted dragon slayers in bedtime stories, there was George of Lydda; a Roman soldier who stared down an empire and chose Christ over Caesar.

Legend has it that while frolicking through the English countryside, or whatever he was doing, he came upon a young woman in a bridal gown about to be sacrificed to a dragon. He wounded the beast, dragged it to the town with the bride's belt, and killed it when the town’s people agreed to be baptized. Not a bad day overall.

But forget the fairy tale for a moment. The truth is also petty epic.

Born sometime in the late 200s, George was raised in a military family. After his father’s death, a Roman governor named Justus (probably had a brother called “Fortitude” and a cousin named “Nunchucks”) saw something in the young man; leadership, strength, fire, etc., and took him under his wing. Justus personally trained George and eventually sent him to serve under the Emperor Diocletian with a detachment of 100 soldiers. George didn’t just impress the Emperor.. he crushed his interview. In no time, he was promoted to general over 5,000 men.

But then in 298, the emperor ordered all soldiers to make public sacrifices to the Roman gods…  George wasn’t having it. He left the army, and walked away from his power and fame. Then in 303, the emperor doubled down with an empire-wide persecution of Christians, burning churches, outlawing worship, and destroying Scripture. In response, George moonwalked into the imperial court and ripped the emperor’s anti-Christian decree into shreds.

That wasn’t a “Leroy Jenkins” moment. This was a calculated, faith-fueled act of defiance. An early Church historian described it like this: “A certain prominent and highly honored man [Georgie] seized the edict and tore it to pieces as a profane and impious thing… incited by ardent faith… He kept his spirit cheerful and undisturbed until death.”

George was arrested and tortured, and like a true badass, he wore it like a champ just as dragon slayer would. He was beheaded around 303 AD, and his story exploded across the Christian world.

Centuries later, the legend of St. George and the Dragon would emerge, putting a sword in his hand, a dragon at his feet, and a rescued princess at his side. Still, the legend stuck. Because deep down, we all know the real dragons we face aren’t made of scales and smoke—they’re spiritual, personal, and persistent. And what better way to convey this message than a solid “good guy beats up a dragon” story.

He became the ultimate patron saint of warriors during the Crusades, and countless Christian soldiers throughout history have invoked his name.

St. George of Lydda: Holy Hitter, the original dragon slayer, and legendary tough guy of the early Christian church.