St Elizabeth the Wonderworker and the Dragon; Waldorf Ideas

If you are not familiar with Elizabeth the Wonderworker, taker a moment to look her up. She is a fascinating and influential character -- she is both a gentle healer, and a wielder of powerful presence.  In the Eastern Christian tradition, her feast day and the feast day of St George are in the Springtime.


In the Waldorf calendar of seasonal celebrations, the story of Saint Elizabeth fits in nicely in the Fall/Autumn since she was a dragon slayer, and that is the story soul-quality for the Waldorf seasonal celebration of Michaelmas. People who wish to show more examples of female saints will find that her story fits in perfectly. This story may appeal to some for it's lack of violence: she used no weapons in her interactions with the dragon. While in the original story the dragon does die in the end, it can be varied variation for more sensitive minded/hearted children who have a hard time with the dragon dying. Saying the she "subdued the dragon" will not change the soul-quality of the story, nor change the seeds planted for personal growth later in life.

In this icon you can see the cave of the dragon on the background and Elizabeth's bare foot on the dragon's head.

Below are some ideas about how to make a festival with her as the focus, as well as a version of the dragon story. You will find that many Michaelmas dragon type crafts also fit in well here, and you can find many other dragon themed crafts on the web that might be appropriate. 


Ideas for celebrating:

-- This story lends itself very well to a puppet show. 
-- Make dragon bread.
-- Make a dragon out of clay.
-- Dress up as Saint Elizabeth and walk around barefoot inside and outside. Walk around and explore different terrains and textures.
-- Perform a play of the story.
-- Make a painting, chalk, or crayon drawing of Elizabeth and the dragon.
-- Consider eating a meal of foods from Greece or Turkey, the regions in which she lived (Thrace).



A Story of St Elizabeth The Wonderworker and the Dragon


Elizabeth was a talented and holy woman who knew from early on that she had a special mission in life to be a nun and to help people.  Elizabeth worked and studied all her life to make her abilities strong and focused. She was extra gentle and kind to everyone, and very tender-hearted towards those who were sick or hurt. She knew healing arts, and helped many people become well again.  She healed both their hearts and their bodies.  The group of holy women she lived with looked to her for guidance, and people from all over traveled to seek her wisdom.  

The emperor of the land was so grateful for all the good things this group of women did that he gave them a piece of land to make their home where they could live and people could come to for help. Before they moved there, they learned that there was a terrible dragon that lived there in a cave. The dragon made people scared & afraid, and filled their hearts with despair.  But Elizabeth did not feel despair nor any fear.  She confidently walked in her bare feet right up to the cave with nothing else; no tools and no weapons -- just the surety of God and knowledge of what is rightful. Elizabeth boldly called "Dragon! COME OUT!" and the dragon obeyed her! The fierce-some and surly dragon slithered out and in stood front of her. Elizabeth made the sign of the cross over the dragons head and the dragon immediately became calm. She placed her bare foot on the dragons head and subdued it.  



In second grade the story of St Elizabeth the Wonderworker might be added as one of the main lesson block stories. You can find out more of her story by searching online as well as other pictorial depictions of her and her life. Here is the main lesson book entry and picture of my second grader:  

(In this case, the different colored words do not have a purpose -- my young student just "wanted it to be pretty")