St. George Slaying The Dragon

As per the legends, a dragon extorted tributes from villagers. The villagers kept paying till they ran out of livestock. Then they resorted to sending a human tribute once every year. This went on till it was the turn of a princess to be sent as the next offering. At this point, St George arrived at the scene and rescued the princess by killing the dragon.

The narrative has pre-Christian origins and was originally set in Turkey. It was attributed to St. George in the 11th Century, as found in Georgian texts.

The legend and iconography spread rapidly through the Byzantine cultural sphere in the 12th century and became popular folklore in the West by the 13th century. It became the favorite subject of many paintings and literary works.

St. George was a devout and outspoken Christian and when Roman emperor Diocletian began his persecution of the Christians, he spoke against the emperor fiercely. He was arrested, tortured, and executed on 23rd April 303 CE. In 494 CE, he was canonized as a saint by Pope Gelasius. 

St. George was declared the Patron Saint of England in 1349 CE, and of many other countries and groups, including Boy Scouts.