GRGR(11) - Scales and Claws and Footfalls

[David Morris]

Slothrop perceives the presence of a Monster now, much larger than the 
Master he'd anticipated.  He knows its presence through the data he studies, 
much like his ancestors knew God's presence through the "blueprints" in the 
Bible:  "Data behind which always, nearer or farther, was the numinous 
certainty of God" (242.1)

Thus the rocket blueprints also are representations, in bits and pieces and 
puzzles, behind which lurks that huge dragon in the sky.

But why a Dragon?  Is Slothrop to be St. George?

from:
http://www.bungee.demon.co.uk/
St. George and the Dragon

It was the third century when George was battled the dragon outside of 
Silene (Libya).

After growing up in eastern Turkey, in Cappadocia and becoming a soldier in 
the Roman army, George was converted to Christianity. He started travelling 
across the land spreading the word of the god. Upon arriving in Silene he 
came across a princess bound to a stake awaiting the arrival of the most 
feared creature in the land, the dragon.

The dragon a huge, winged, tailed, olive-green scaled beast, had emerged 
from the swamps near Silene many months before. It had attacked the land 
with its poisonous breath, a poison so strong it killed everything it 
enveloped. Trying to stop the dragon the farmers in the area started feeding 
it two sheep a day. This kept the dragon at bay until they had run out of 
sheep. To stop the dragon destroying the rest of the land, the king of 
Silene had decreed to sacrifice one child a day to the dragon, in the hope 
that someone or something would help his country defeat this almighty beast. 
It was the morning on which the king had been forced to sacrifice his own 
child when George arrived.

The dragon was the corporeal manifestation of evil and embodied everything 
that George pledged to confront and conquer, and George prepared for battle. 
During the confrontation George became hypnotized by the dragons eyes which 
glowed and dazzled him, George confused by these eyes drew back his lance 
and plunged it into the centre of these unblinking orbs. The terrible scream 
that came from the dragon told George that the battle was over and that he 
was victorious.

After beheading the dragon he bid farewell to the people of Silene and rode 
away, shortly to become a Christian martyr. It was many centuries later 
during the crusades that he was adopted as the patron saint of England.

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