St George: Hero, Martyr and Myth. - Review - book review

Contemporary Review, March, 2001

St George: Hero, Martyr and Myth. Samantha Riches. Sutton Publishing. [pound]20.00/US$29.95, 236 pages. ISBN 07509-2452-7. This claims to be the most exhaustive study yet of the cult of St George, an 'enigma personified' in the author's words. Scholars agree that St George was probably a Christian from Cappodocia in the Roman army who was martyred for his faith and that his cult was brought to England and western Europe by the returning Crusaders.

In England his status was enhanced by his patronage as a warrior-saint of Edward Ill's new order of knighthood, the Order of the Garter in the fourteenth century. At the Reformation he took on the role of patron saint of England in the place of Thomas Becket and ever since he has been part of English civilisation. This study concentrates on the growth of the saint's cult in the mediaeval period but also shows how far he has become part of English history. It draws not only on history but on English literature and theology to 'facilitate a deeper understanding of th is saint's position in the English psyche, while also uncovering some of the ways in which late mediaeval societies seem to have used religious figures as a vehicle for exploring aspects of their own lives and belief systems'.