While ChatGPT has more or less captured the parallelism in in the St. George story, I thought I’d say a bit more. Here’s slightly different version of I came up with in my original analysis:
1. Impurity: Dragon poisons the town. 2. Appease the dragon, first with sheep, then with children. 3. The king pleads to the villagers to excuse his daughter from beiing sacrified. The villagers refuse. 4. Daughter sent to the lake, dressed as bride. 5. Saint George arrives. Princess tells him to go. Ω. Saint George wounds the dragon, under Christian protection. 5’. St. George captures the dragon with the Princess’s girdle. 4’. The princess and St. George lead the dragon back to Silene. 3’. King & people convert to Christianity so that St. George will slay the dragon. 2’. George kills the dragon. 1’. Purity: Church and spring with curative waters.
The impure state at the beginning (1) is mirrored by the pure state at the end (1’). The town was sick now it is a source of curative waters. The townspeople attempt to appease the dragon, to no avail (2). But then, just before the end, St. George slays the dragon (2’), eliminating the need for appeasement.
The king and the villagers are at odds over his daughter in 3. But they are united in 3’ and convert to Christianity. In 4 the daughter is sent to the lake, and thus presented to the dragon, as a bride. In 4 the daughter and St. George lead the dragon back to the village. In 4 the dragon had been driving the action, but in 4’ it is passively led.
In 5 St. George just happens upon the lake where the princess tries to send him away. In 5’ St. George calls on the princess (“give me your girdle”) to help him lead the dragon away. Finally, in the center (Ω) St. George takes command of the dragon by wounding him and thus bringing it under his power.
Try this:
While ChatGPT has more or less captured the parallelism in in the St. George story, I thought I’d say a bit more. Here’s slightly different version of I came up with in my original analysis:
The impure state at the beginning (1) is mirrored by the pure state at the end (1’). The town was sick now it is a source of curative waters. The townspeople attempt to appease the dragon, to no avail (2). But then, just before the end, St. George slays the dragon (2’), eliminating the need for appeasement.
The king and the villagers are at odds over his daughter in 3. But they are united in 3’ and convert to Christianity. In 4 the daughter is sent to the lake, and thus presented to the dragon, as a bride. In 4 the daughter and St. George lead the dragon back to the village. In 4 the dragon had been driving the action, but in 4’ it is passively led.
In 5 St. George just happens upon the lake where the princess tries to send him away. In 5’ St. George calls on the princess (“give me your girdle”) to help him lead the dragon away. Finally, in the center (Ω) St. George takes command of the dragon by wounding him and thus bringing it under his power.