Game of Thrones, but With Christian Saints — An Anglo-Saxon Story

You think saints are meek, patient, and peaceful? Think again.

Left to right: King Edwin of Northumbria, King Oswald of Northumbria, King Oswine of Deira.

Initially Thor and Woden-worshipping pagans, the Anglo Saxons became Christians around the 7th Century, and many of the church higher-ups or even kings were venerated as saints after their deaths. Their lives are less harps and robes, and more Game of Thrones.

This year, as Covid-19 travel restrictions from the UK made it difficult to travel abroad, I took a holiday to the North of England: through York, Durham, and the Northumberland Coast. This is a story that I have learned as I travelled, from the places I’ve seen; and as I take you along on our journey, I will share some of my own holiday pictures with you.

Here I am sitting on the Holy Isle of Lindisfarne, one of the main locations where our story takes place.

Our first badass Saint: King Edwin of Northumbria

If you visit York Cathedral in England, on the baptismal font you will find King Edwin, and Paulinus, the priest who baptised him. The third figure is Saint Hilda, King Edwin’s niece, who founded the Abbey of Whitby. His story, as told by the Venerable Bede, is shrouded in legend.