Correlation of myths

[Scylax]

St. George and the dragon / the Lambton Worm - do these myths have the same foundation, or are they each unique ?

[mike11111]

The Lambton Worm is not really a myth but a Tyneside folk song.

[Scylax]

Not Tyneside, Mike, but Wearside.
Sure. a folk song was composed about the Lambton Worm, but the basis of that song was a myth of more complexity than is retold in the song. Lord Lambton was advised by a 'wise woman' how to prevent the worm from regrowing after it had been cut through, i.e.it's various parts had to be cast into the River Wear to separate them. For this information the lady demanded that the young Lord must also klll the first living thing he encountered after killing the Worm. Unfortunately, the first thing he encountered was his own father; so instead he killed his father's dog. The 'Curse of the Lambtons' fell upon the family, whereby no claimant to the family title would die in his bed, but would come to a sticky end. History records that this, in reality, was the outcome of Lord Lambton's timidity.
The underlying story is certainly a myth, Mike, and it still begs the question 'what, if any, is the correlation with the St. George and Dragon myth ?'

[mike11111]

I stand corrected. Not Tyneside but Wearside. Always thought there was something mackem about it.

[Scylax]

Tyneside/Wearside...it's a common mistake, Mike.
Roger Whittaker made the same geographical error in his song, 'I've got to leave old Durham Town'. He sings '..as a boy I spent my time sitting on the banks of the River Tyne, watching all the ships going down the line'. As a boy he had a long , long walk to the River Tyne from Durham, since Durham is on the River Wear. Even if he'd got it right
it would still be a 13 mile walk to Sunderland to see ships coming and going.
Perhaps we should just write it off as poetic licence.