Legendary Essex note: St George, patron Saint of England and famous slayer of dragon and rescuer of a princess left as a Dragon’s dinner is one of the oldest legends. He had a lance rather than a sword, and rode on horseback.
St George is also Ethiopia’s patron saint, and the story (with regional variances) is celebrated all across the world : he is a celebrated matyr and saint in many other countries, regions and cities all over the world, including Bulgaria, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy (Venice and Genoa), Lithuania, Malta, Palestine, Portugal, Russia, and Spain (Aragon, Catalonia and Valencia). The legend and iconography spread rapidly through the Byzantine cultural sphere in the 12th century. It reached Western Christian traditions still in the 12th century, via the Religious wars of the Crusades.
Look out for Dragon Boundary Marks around London (there are 14) statues in cast iron that mark the boundaries of the City of London. The dragons are painted silver, with details of their wings and tongue picked out in red. Their scaly legs holding a shield bearings the City of London’s Coat of Arms.
