The Martyrdom of St Edmund the King

THEN those wicked men bound Edmund, and shamefully insulted him, and beat him with clubs, and afterwards they led the faithful king to an earth-fast tree, and tied him thereto with hard bonds, and afterwards scourged him a long while with whips, and ever he called, between the blows, with true faith, on Jesus Christ; and then the heathen were madly angry, because he called upon Christ to help him. They shot at him with javelins as if for their amusement, until he was all beset with their shots as with a porcupine’s bristles, even as Sebastian was.*

When Hingwar, the wicked seaman, saw that the noble king would not deny Christ, but with steadfast faith ever called upon Him, then he commanded men to behead him. While he was yet calling upon Christ, the heathen with one blow struck off his head; and his soul departed joyfully to Christ. There was a certain man at hand, kept by God hidden from the heathen, who heard all this, and told it afterward even as we tell it here.

abridged

Abridged from ‘Aelfric’s Lives of the Saints’ Vol. 2 (1881) translated by William Skeat (1835-1912). See also ‘Passio Sancti Edmundi Regis et Martyris’ by Abbo of Fleury (?945-1004), translated at ‘Abbo of Fleury: The Martyrdom of St Edmund’.

St Sebastian (?256-?288), a Roman soldier, was martyred during the persecutions passed into law under Emperor Diocletian (r. 284-305). According to the tradition, he was tied to a tree, shot many times over with arrows and left for dead. With the help of St Irene he recovered from his wounds, but after accosting the Emperor and denouncing his policy to his face Sebastian was rearrested and beaten to death.

Précis
The pagan Vikings subjected Edmund to cruel tortures and humiliations. When he received them calmly, always proclaiming his loyalty to Christ, they tied him to a tree and made a sport of throwing javelins at him. When Edmund still remained faithful, they gave up and beheaded him. All this was witnessed, and subsequently written down for posterity.
Questions for Critics

1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?

2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?

3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?

Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.

Sevens

Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.

Why were the Vikings so angry with Edmund?

Suggestion

They were offended by his Christian prayers.

Jigsaws

Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.

Edmund prayed to Christ. The Vikings beat him harder. He continued.

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