Dragons are celebrated worldwide in various forms, such as stories, books, films and series. The most famous story in Europe is that of George and the Dragon, but how can this legend have a major impact on a small village community in Central Limburg, the Netherlands?
Beesel is dragon territory! A dragon from the river Maas appears in this village once every seven years. The village then turns into an open-air spectacle, where 500 volunteers from the 2,500 inhabitants bring the story of George and the Dragon to life.
When you are born in Beesel, ‘drake blood’ automatically flows through your veins. ‘Drakeblood’ is Limburg dialect for dragon’s blood.
The oldest known mention of the Beeselse dragon dates from 1736, where people sang about ‘dat liedeke van den giftighen draecke’ (song of the poisonous Dragon), which is passed on from generation to generation.
In the region, this phenomenon is known as the Dragon Stabbing. It seems to be much older, but due to a gigantic fire in 1899, many archives about the village were lost and it remains only speculation.
By entering into close collaboration with the village, Robin has succeeded in capturing this age-old phenomenon and bringing it together in this photo book.
In Beesel, a history has been created around an event that never took place.
