Icon of St Demetrios in act of killing foe?

[Ryan]

I saw an icon of a saint on horseback (not Saint George) stabbing a man on the ground through the head with a spear. Who is it?

[Jennifer]

I'm sure there are several possibilities that it could be, but I have seen icons of Archangel Michael similar to what you have described.

[Irene]

It could be Saint Demetrios - Protector of Salonica, Click on this Link (http://macedoniansincanada.com/SS8%20saint_demetrios.htm) to go to a site which seems to describe him depicted the way you mentioned.

This site explains that the person depicted being speared by St Demetrius represents the enemies of that town.

His life is also at Bishop Alexander's site (http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/saints_different_e.htm#_Toc42917995)

[Ryan]

Thanks, I think it is St. Demetrios.

Isn't it a bit unflattering though to portray the saint spearing a disarmed man from horseback?

[M.C. Steenberg]

Dear all,

For those who are curious what these icons look like, I thought I would compile a few samples of icons of St Demetrios, as gleaned largely from a Google search or two. Firstly, a standard Byzantine portrayal:


http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/images/h2/h2_1970.324.3.jpg

The following is an important icon of the saint from Athos, Palaeologian, at Vatopaidi (see information on the icon (http://www.culture.gr/2/21/218/218ab/e218ab13.html)):


http://www.culture.gr/2/21/218/218ab/00/l2-13.jpg

For icons that portray the saint on horseback, one common (and not very good) sample is this:


http://www.comeandseeicons.com/inp142.jpg

Or a better version:


http://www.travel-to-corfu.com/pages_images/26.jpg

Note that neither have St Demetrios conquering a foe, though both show him brandishing a spear. I did manage to find one or two images on-line that include the actual battle:


http://www.religiousmall.com/images/byzicons/wooden_icons/st227_300.jpg

Though I think the following comes closest to the kind of portrayal Ryan initially mentioned:


http://www.uncutmountainsupply.com/prodimages/lg/1DE11.jpg

INXC, Matthew

[Irene]

Re Ryans Msg

A simple person living in fearful and violent times might have looked at the icon and thought "there is a Saint a follower of Christ and he has defeated the enemy", this icon may have helped frightened people have courage in the face of war. A learned person perhaps would have been taught the symbolism and understood the icon that way.

I must admit that I didn't think twice about the man on the ground, knowing that in icons everything is symbolic, for example the dragon in St George's icon is a symbol of evil. Am I right? These are just my thoughts.

In Christ
irene

ps: I realised that you also said
"spearing a disarmed man", I tried to have a good look at the icon pictures, I can see the weapon underneath one of the men, the other I can not tell. Is he actually spearing the men or holding his weapon to them and saying something like "surrender or die"? I can't tell.

[Antonios]

Dear Ryan and others,

To my understanding, the icon of St. Demetrios subduing the enemy does not represent him 'spearing' another person (in fact, I don't think I have ever seen one where the spear's tip touches the foe), but rather him subduing evil personified.

The icon of St. George has a dragon on it because of a battle he had with a 'dragon' (most likely a large crocodile) while he was on the earth.

PS: Thank you Matthew for the lovely images

[Father David Moser]

matthew,

Nice work on the graphics! It is striking how much the icons of St Demetrios mounted defeating a foe resemble the similar icon of the Archangel Michael. I would not be at all surprised to find that this similarity is purposeful to emphasize the "martial" nature of the Christian's struggle against evil and the help given us by the angels and in this case the saints.

Fr David

[Demetrios Galanidis]

I have also read of an apparently obscure tradition that venerates St. Demetrios of Thessaloniki as an elderly teacher rather than as a Christian Roman soldier (but with the same martyrdom with St. Nestor who did defend the faith in the arena). For some reason this appeals to me. Somewhere in my computer I have saved an old icon of him depicted teaching young children. Anyone familiar with this version?

[Kris]

for example the dragon in St George's icon is a symbol of evil. Am I right?

Hi,

The dragon in the icon symbolises both the Emperor Diocletian and Satan, who were defeated through St. George's martyrdom.

The legend that paints him as literally slaying a dragon is of later (I believe Western) origin. I don't believe his traditional hagiography mentions any such event (though I could be wrong).

In XC,
Kris

[John Wilson]

I've always understood (perhaps incorrectly) that the man on the ground was the emperor (or governor) who ordered St Demetrios' execution after learning from Nestor, the young man who easily dispatched the emperor's favorite (and up till then, undefeated) gladiator, that he had done so with the blessing of Demetrios. Nestor was also executed and also a servant of Demetrios, whose name escapes me.

[Olga]

The name of St Demetrius's servant is Lupus. Hope this helps.