Though King Arthur favoured Camelot and Caerleon as his chief seats of power, his father King Uther Pendragon, Emperor of Britain, had always loved Uffington above all his palaces. It was from Uffington Castle that Merlin had turned a flock of sheep, gazing below Kingstone Down, to stone; and it was here that the old Emperor died. While Merlin whisked little Arthur away to be raised in safety, King Uther was buried under a huge mound, a small hill even, near his favourite home. The country became split once more into numerous minor kingdoms, while Arthur`s return was awaited; but it would be many years before he would slip the sword from the stone and re-unite his Empire.
Some of the sub-kingdoms flourished during this period of independence, but that which centred around the Berkshire downs was not so fortunate. The local king who had taken power in Uffington after Uther`s death had thought that the Emperor`s tomb would bring wealth and riches to his kingsom through the visits of pilgrims ; but the monument was nothing but a blight to his people. King Uther, as befitted a mighty Emperor, had been buried along with many of his finest treasures. Unfortunately the smell of so much gold and silver had attracted the attention of a ferocious dragon. It had flown straight to King Uther`s tomb and taken up residence as gaurdian of the Imperial treasure.
When the beast had first arrived, it had ravished the countryside to satisfy its appetite. So the King of Uffington had ordered that the dragon be fed each day with a plump sheep from one of the local farms. This was but a temporary solution however, for it was not long before all the sheep in the kingdom had been eaten. These were followed by the cattle, and then all other animals available. Eventually the King had to make a very difficult decision. He knew he had to try to keep the majority of his subjects safe. So he decreed that lots should be drawn every morning and whoever`s name was pulled from the hat would have to sacrifice themselves to save the rest!
Sad was the day when the first child of Uffington had been set forth, tied to the stake for the dragon to devour; but the torment brought to the townsfolk had not ended there. All names returned to the hat each day and they could never be sure whose name would be drawn next. There was gloom and despair all over the kingdom and the King of Uffington felt guilty that not even his own family were exempt. Then the unthinkable happened, the name of the King`s own daughter, Princess Sadra, was pulled from the hat.
All the kingdom mourned on the fateful morning that the young princess was brought to the Dragon`s Hill. The beast lay asleep and she was tied up where it could see her when it awoke. Then the people of Uffington went back to their homes, they didn`t want to see the poor girl`s fate.
Passing through the kingdom at this time was a swarthy young knight looking for adventure. He had set out from his home, near what is now Coventry, to try to make a name for himself. He was an accomplished soldier who had served the old Emperor, but with the Imperial Guard disbanded, he needed to find a new path in life. He had sought exitement in the sub-kingdoms of the Midlands and Southern Britain: at Glastonbury he had obtained a miraculous sword. Now he was riding the Downs. It was just as he rounded a bluff down in the valley below Uffington Castle he heard a piercing scream, and knew his time had come. His horse, named Bayard, stamped at the sound. Looking up, the knight could just make out the tiny figure of a beatiful maiden frozen with terror at the approach of a huge monster!
The princess had kept her composure remarkably well up until that moment. The dragon had woken and smelt her presence. She could bear the situation no longer, and terror overtook her. The dragon`s nostrils were smoking now as it crept forward; but down in the valley the young knight was spurring his horse up the steep hillside. The dragon stepped forward again, its foul breath engulfed the princess and she fainted at the smell. Our hero reached the top of the escarpment just as the dragon`s jaws opened wide to devour the poor girl. He hurled his spear right at the dragon`s exposed hindquaters. The beast let out great gry of pain and swirled round to face his attacker. Sword drawn, the knight charged into the fray. He had never faced so terrible a foe, but he had no time to question the wisdom of his actions. Sword clashed upon scale and tooth, flame and claw clashed against shield. The knight was unseated now but he fought valiantly on. The noise was so horrendous that curiosity enticed the court out onto the Castle ramparts to see what was going on. They couldn`t believe their eyes, the knight was attacking the dragon with the ferocity of a wild animal, dodging it`s fiery breath with surpising agility. Forward he thrust with his sword again and again, until suddenly it slid smoothly between the beast`s scales and embedded itself deep in its heart. The acidic blood poured from the wound and onto the grassy mound, burning through the glimmering chalk below. The howls of anguish from the dying animal resounded around the valley. Its body thrashed wildly and then it was silent.
The people of Uffington flooded from the Castle, overjoyed to see the dragon finally vanquished. They lifted their saviour high above their heads and took him through the castle gates. Cheers filled the air as the King of Uffington greeted him warmly and with gratitude. He had not only saved his people but his own daughter as well, and the girl seemed to have taken an instant shine to her hero. So the King declared that as a reward for his gallantry, the knight had won the princess` hand in marriage, and would one day inherit the throne. The people cheered, and as a further honour to the knight is was decided to carve a great monumental dragon into the chalk hillside next to the Castle, while the beast itself was buried with King Uther under the Dragon`s Hill. All would now remember his miraculous deed forever; and the King turned to the young knight and exclaimed, " I haven`t asked you lad, what is your name?"
" George." said the knight.
3 comments:
Great entry on St. George, Sandra, had not heard this particular version before. We a pity that we seemed ashamed to acknowledge our Saints Day and that the Government are not interested. About time we got back our pride in our country. Have a great weekend xxxxx
Enjoyed reading this Sandra :o)
Happy St. George's Day!!
Like the pic, and the flag.
Sara x
Wow, what a story, thanks so much for sharing :)
Robyn :)
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