During the European Middle Ages – which roughly encompasses the 5th to 15th centuries – folktales and myths typically depicted dragons as harbingers of evil – either as creatures of hell or as one of the Devil’s most powerful forms. Over time, these tales codified what dragons were in the public imagination. The prominence of dragons in European and Christian myths goes further back. In fact, St. Michael himself slays a formidable dragon in the Book of Revelations.  The Legend of St. George and the Dragon stands as one of the most popular and influential works involving dragons, helping define the classic story of a hero rescuing a princess from her terrible draconic attacker.