Today – 23rd April – is Saint George’s Day. But even without the lockdown, you’d see few English folk celebrating.
St Patrick by Andreas F Borchert
Of the Four Nations of Britain, it’s only we English that let our Patron Saint’s Day pass without a fuss. One wonders why. Is it because of the famous English reserve? Or is it that we English just don’t connect with him?
The Irish have their Saint Patrick who brought Christianity to their land.
The Welsh have their Saint David, a C6th Welsh bishop of Mynyw (now St Davids).
Saint David by Hchc 2009
Saint Andrew Apostle medieval manuscript
The Scots have Saint Andrew (the Apostle) who they claim is buried in the town of St Andrews. Whether he is or not, he was known in Scotland from the early days of Christianity.
We English have Saint George.
Yea? And who was he?
An icon from Georgia
Aka George of Lydda, Saint George was a Greek serving in the Praetorian Guard for the (Eastern) Roman emperor Diocletian whose famous Persecution (303-312) saw the empire’s bloodiest attempt to eliminate Christianity . George of Lydda was one of its fatalities.
Although his cult of the martyr had arrived in Britain by the tenth century, the saint didn’t gain popularity until the return of the Crusaders, from twelfth century onwards. By then Saint George had acquired the myth of the dragon-slayer, a pre-Christian motif commonly found in Anatolia (today’s Turkey).
How did this Middle Eastern martyr become England’s patron saint?
That was the work of King Edward III (1327-1377) who in promoting the codes of knighthood founded the Order of the Garter… and named Saint George as patron saint OF THE ENGLISH MONARCHY. Not of England, but of the monarchy, God Bless Them. In the process he demoted the previous patron saint of England. Saint Edmund.
But who was Saint Edmund?
Edmund was an Anglo-Saxon king of East Anglia. In 869 he was killed defending this land against the Great Heathen Army. His death was savagely dealt on the orders of the Dane, Ivar the Boneless and his brother Ubba.
Yet it was their compatriots who, on acquiring Christianity as the condition for the grant of Danelaw (the East of England) then founded the cult of Saint Edmund the Martyr. An English saint, he was recognised by both English and Danes with numerous churches built in his name.
Saint Edmund at Acle, Norfolk
In 2006 folk from Suffolk and Norfolk campaigned to reinstate Saint Edmund, without success.
In 2013, their campaign was taken up by representatives from churches, businesses, radio and local politicians. Again, without success.
Now in this year of exceptional need, I say it’s time to reinstate Saint Edmund. He is, after all, the patron saint of pandemics.
St Edmund’s Feast Day is November 20th. Let’s hope we have reason to celebrate with the Patron Saint of Pandemics.
The flag of St Edmund… carried into battle by English troops until late C14th.
crispina kemp 
I love when you go down this trail and share with us.
I wonder if Canada has a patron saint (just to show you how much I am in the know…)
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Canada gets two saints. St Anne, grandmother of Jesus, and St Joseph, foster father of the holy child. 🙂
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There ya go. Thanks for that 😉
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Pleasure. I googled it 🙂
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I know I could have… 😉
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But you know I get a perverse kick out of googling 🙂
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I do!! LOL… 😉
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🙂
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I have heard no mention of it on the mass media monster nor even the birthday of the Bard, what it is to be forgotten
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Yep, that’s how I feel. So I investigated. And hey, if the imported St George was intended as the patron saint ONLY of the monachy, no wonder we common English folk feel disinfranchised. So, November 20th… let’s hope we have reason to celebrate our true patron saint, St Edmunds, guardian against pandemics. 🙂
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Perhaps not, he’s not earning his daily bread, I have noticed Google have done something for good old George though.
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Perhaps if we didn’t ignore him… ? And when the majority of English don’t even know today is Saint George’s day… what does that say?
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Not being a Brit myself, I shouldn’t say, but I was looking up the history of the English language one day and see that King Alfred did a lot to encourage the peasantry to learn English and generally promote the language. Granted, he can’t be canonized without some miracles attributed to him, but he could be nominated “Patron of English.” I imagine most Brits know about him.
Not to discourage promoting St Edmund, but I’m not sure about a “patron saint of pandemics” as an English saint, especially someone generally forgotten for seven hundred centuries, is really going to catch on and stick in people’s minds once the pandemic’s over.
Or celebrate both. The more holidays the better. 🙂
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I agree, King Alfred did a lot for the English. He was the first king to reckon himself King of the English.
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1) I think this sounds like a good idea, but I’m not Catholic and probably have about 0 say in this
2) Saint Andrew is *definitely* one of the more popular ones in the US, at least where I’m at. I find that interesting.
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That was what prompted the post. The other three saints (Andrew, Patrick and David) are popular, people know when their days are… and that’s Brits who are as likely to be atheist, agnostic or pagan, as they are to be Catholic. It’s no longer a religious thing, but a patriotic thing. And it seems we English no longer care. And I find that disturbing. St Edmund would turn in his grave, after he died defending our land. 🙂
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Very informative. 🙂
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It’s intent 🙂
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I see so many references to Saint George in stories, but I never realized he supplanted Saint Edmund. And as you say, what propitious timing to reinstate the saint who protects against pandemics. Much more useful than one who protects against dragons, these days!
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My feelings entirely. And added to that, the imported St George was intended only for the English monarchy, not for we commoners. I am English down to my toes (apart from the bits that are Flemish and Dutch) and I’ve grown up in the knowledge of St Edmund… so many of the local churches have Edmund as the dedication (while I can’t say I know any with St George), and there is, of course, nearby Bury St Edmunds where he was (reputedly) buried).
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I hadn’t heard (or at least didn’t remember) the distinction about St George being for the monarchy specifically. Sounds like the kind of loophole that a wish-granter in a story could take advantage of, hmm…
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Neither had I, until I researched for this post. Though it doesn’t surprise me. Edward instated St George to be patron saint of the Order of the Garter, and that was very much an aristocratic affair.
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This is why it’s so fun — and becomes so time-consuming– when you start down those history-researching pathways.
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Tell me about it. I used to spend weeks, and weeks, following trails, and then to write it up. And I so enjoyed it. But time comes when you have to make a choice, and I chose fiction 🙂
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Fiction is certainly easier and faster – nobody can tell me that such-and-such isn’t really the way they do things in Eneana. 🙂
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That’s one way of looking at it.
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I wondered why the Greek St George ended up being the patron saint of England. It’s interesting how the dragon slaying was later attached to his name. I’ve always sided with dragons rather than dragon slayers (aside from Turin Turambar).
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It’s interesting that St Edmund’s flag features a dragon… but, you know, Germanic dragons aren’t the same as Mediterranean dragons! (Think Tolkien)
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Wasn’t St. Patrick originally from Britain and then kidnapped? Thanks for the history lesson. I always love these!
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Not so much kidnapped as slave-raided. He was already a Christian, if I remember, in Wales or that region. When he escaped from Ireland, he appealed to the church for support and went back in to Christianise the island.
There is a theory, I don’t know how well supposed by evidence, that Ireland was already being converted by the Roman church.
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It would be nice to see tradition reinstated. Though I’d personally be more for reinstating full tradition rather than what’s acceptable to a modern palate (one which often likes to see itself as knowing better in all cases).
Though I’m also not a fan of other things like modern druids. What’s worse than someone trying to ‘pay homage’ to old ways, is someone making the whole thing up as no druidic accounts and practices survived. But I digress.
A wander to the realms of tradition and nationalistic/provincial pride is a step in the right direction. Forsaking roots for the sake of accepting everything else is something which benefits profiteers of chaos and not of peace.
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You express my own thoughts, and far better than I could. And to declare ourselves proud of our country invites accusations of racism… I don’t get that one at all. I am a child of the universe, a netizen of the world, but first and foremost I am down to my roots English and PROUD.
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Many of those who such understand neither nation or tradition.
They lash out because they are certain of what they are told, that neither exist and if they did it was always a poisoned well of today’s certainties.
The world is only ever better for those who profit from chaos, a people with no common cause or roots. Their defenders shouting freely of all they are allowed to have been taught.
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They cling to msn, a media dedicated to the spread of fear and thus of chaos
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The trick is understanding that it’s the same for every outlet, each pushing in a slightly different way.
And despite the vast array of outlets available for news, they’re controlled by very small numbers of individuals with a vested interest in ensuring their brand of chaos remains.
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As I am aware. And since I have no tv, and don’t take the papers, my news is gleaned from those YouTubers I have found reliable, who tick along the same tracks as me… I see what the dupes do not.
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Lots of worlds to wander, the one that escaped the past is not as it should be.
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With that I shall not disagree
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