Is Saint George and the Dragon a fairy tale?

St. George was real. He was an early Christian martyr. He was a soldier in the Roman army and refused a direct order to persecute and kill Christians. For this, he was tortured and beheaded. Some of his deeds are probably mythical or, at the very least, exaggerated. Dragons have never existed. Perhaps he did kill some animal that was threatening a town such as a crocodile, but it is unlikely he could have slayed a dragon.