“The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon.” – G.K. Chesterton
In our modern world, one unfortunate result of our intense scientific skepticism of anything we can not see with our eyes is a general disbelief in anything fantastical. This means that we no longer believe in spiritual beings like angels and certainly not in mythical creatures like dragons.
Yet, dragons are more real in this world than aliens, UFOs or even Global Warming. Our very existence depends on our belief in dragons.
It may be “factual” to say that fire-breathing dragons no longer exist and they possibly never existed in the natural world (though some believe the ancient stories were based on encounters with dragon-like creatures, like large crocodiles or dinosaurs that were hanging around).
However, we often forget that a story can be true without it being scientifically verifiable. The “Boy Who Cried Wolf,” is a story that isn’t based on any historical record, but there is an immense amount of truth within it.
One could argue that the story of St. George and the Dragon is similarly without any historical basis, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.
Traditionally, the dragon symbolized evil, but more importantly the dragon symbolized Satan; the serpent of all serpents. From the book of Genesis to Revelation, Satan is shown as a dragon.
This means whenever a dragon appears in the lives of the saints, it is likely referring to a real spiritual battle. St. George really did fight a dragon. It’s a true story.
We can learn from such stories and be reminded that we need to fight our own dragons.
Satan is real and his demonic minions are active in the world today. This means that we must daily do battle with the dragon and defeat him. St. Paul speaks plainly about the reality of this battle:
For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)
This is why all of us (children and adults) need more true stories in our lives. Fairy tales (and comic books) have the capacity to awaken within us a Call to Adventure, reminding us that our lives are part of a much bigger Story, where battles are waged daily.
All of us are called to Be a Hero, even if we never step outside our front door. The stakes are high. Our souls are in danger. Will you fight until your last breath?
Godspeed!
Philip Kosloski
Philip Kosloski
Philip Kosloski is the founder of Voyage Comics & Publishing and the writer and creator of nearly every comic that has been published by Voyage.