Steve Hatherley
The following copies of 17th century manuscripts gathered from various sources (detailed in attached notes) in the University of Cambridge library detail an interesting legend concerning the village of Midlock in Derbyshire.
The manuscripts detail the battle between a hero named George and a number of powerful dragons whose names include 'Gnatonea,' 'LLorga' and 'Clerghh.'
The dragons enslaved the population of the village and caused them to sacrifice sheep, cattle and even other humans. The villagers were forced into barbaric acts with disease, inbreeding and disfigurment commonplace.
Then George arrived and in a great battle involving much sorcery vanquished the dragons and banished them to a hidden place, setting the village free. Unfortunately, human agents of the dragons plotted against and killed George.
George was buried beneath an oak tree which still grows today .
The above is the precis to a collection of papers which have come to the investigator, perhaps delivered by a colleague or student. Little more can be gleaned from the papers which require wading through pages of old english handwriting.
It would be a considerable accolade to any scholar to prove that the Midlock Dragons were the original source of the St George and the Dragon legend.
1 The legend is mostly true, but the dragons were in fact a group of Lloigor. George was an investigator of an earlier century and, armed with considerable magics, vanquished the Lloigor. The Lloigor would like to return, but the stone circle from which they drew their power was disrupted.
2 George did not fight any true dragons, but instead freed Midlock from the tyrannical reign of a local landowner. The description of the battle hints that the 'dragons' used magic, and there is still some of this lying around in the old manor.
3 There was a battle of some sort, but no concrete evidence to say whether this is the true source of the legend or not.
Copyright (c) 1990 Steve Hatherley
Steve Hatherley is the creator of Tales of Terror, and has written for both Chaosium and Pagan Publishing. He also has a number of other websites, including www.great-murder-mystery-games.com and www.mylowerbackpain.com.
Steve lives in Yorkshire, England.
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