The statue of San Jorge and the dragon It is in the small square of Kopmanbrinken, in the old area of Stockholm. This is a replica of the wooden sculpture that we can find in the Cathedral by Bernt Notke, a German artist who lived in Stockholm for a few years.
Notke dedicated five years of his life to this monumental work of art, made of fine wood and elkhorn. According to the official story, the statue was commissioned by Sten Sture, after having defeated the troops of King Christian of Denmark in the Brunkeberg war in 1471. Sten Sture probably identified himself with Saint George, considering himself the knight that he had defeated the Danish dragon and saved the princess (his wife) and Stockholm from an enemy invasion.
The statue, representing the light and the dark, the good and the bad, the demonic and the angelic of the human condition, stands out for every detail that is cause for astonishment. The horse, garrisoned by its war gear and standing on its hind legs, sports a tufted head, while the rider, perched on the stirrups, faces the dragon that shoots flames from its jaws.
While the princess, kneeling a few meters away with her hands in an imploring attitude, contemplates them moved by the challenge between a man who embodies goodness and a beast who represents evil. The princess, with a diadem and costume, is accompanied by a sheep that symbolizes submission and obedience.