Since I did a pic for St. Urho's Day, it's only fair and right that I do one for St. Patrick's Day as well, especially considering that I am of both Irish and Finnish heritage. Like a lot of the stuff I slap together, I had something much different in mind. Actually, the first version I did a couple of years ago was more like what I posted yesterday. I almost went down that route again, but decided to try something different at the last minute. Unfortunately, I had problems getting it to look right and I'm not really happy with how this turned out. Maybe I should have done a dragon chasing a snake like I originally planned. === Centuries ago, St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland and every year we celebrate on the anniversary of his death. Or maybe it's the day he was born. Depends on who you ask. It's not exactly the truth however. He was not Irish. Patrick was not his real name; his name was Maewyn, but he called himself Patricius. And he is not really a saint. He was a bishop, sent to Ireland to convert the pagan Celts after Palladius, the first bishop sent there, went to Scotland. In his work, he made use of the shamrock to help illustrate the idea of the holy trinity. He was arrested several times, but didn't let that deter him from his work, going on to start monasteries, schools and churches. He didn't attempt to eliminate the local customs and tradition, choosing to blend them with Christian beliefs and values. So, how did the legend come about? A couple reasons come to mind. First, Norse invaders may have misunderstood his name as meaning expeller of toads. Seeing no toads or snakes, they decided that he had done his job and done it well. Problem is, during that time, there probably weren't any of either. A second reason is that the snakes represent the symbolism of the serpent (partcularly of the Celtic druids), not wholly unlike the serpent in the Garden of Eden. How we went from Patrick's missionary work to the stuff of leprechauns and green beer, I have no idea...