The lamb that defeated the dragon

With the Bermondsey dragon about to return to its traditional perch on top of the bell tower, it is good to remember that in Christian theology, the dragon, is a symbol of evil defeated.

Both in Revelation 12 and in the legend of George and the Dragon, the dragon is defeated by the power of the cross.


In the legend, it is the saint, the soldier and servant of Christ, bearing the sign of the cross who defeats the dragon. In Revelation 12 the dragon is 'overcome by the blood of the lamb' that is, by the death of Christ on the cross.

The cannons you can see outside the Wellington Barracks in the Tower of London (right), were captured from Napoleon's defeated army at the Battle of Waterloo. They are the symbol of an enemy defeated and the spoils of battle. They witness to a great victory - as does the Bermondsey dragon.

It speaks of evil defeated, of a great victory won by the blood of the lamb.

As we met as our Church Council tonight, we remembered that victory of Christ who 'having disarmed the powers and authorities...made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross,' and prayed that our newly restored dragon, displayed for all to see, would ever proclaim that victory to the people of Bermondsey.