--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In 869 we have an event which rapidly…" description: "\"“In 869 we have an event which rapidly achieved almost mythic status in English Christian folklore: the horrible martyrdom of King Edmund of East Angli..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/heather-o-donoghue-138731_quote_in-869-we-have-an-event-which-rapidly-ac_1214380.jpg" --- # In 869 we have an event which rapidly achieved almost… ![“In 869 we have an event which rapidly achieved almost mythic status in English Christian folklore: the horrible martyrdom of King Edmund of East Anglia by the appalling Ivar the Boneless, who according to some traditions brought a great Viking army to England in pursuit of revenge for the killing…” quote by Heather O'Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/heather-o-donoghue-138731_quote_in-869-we-have-an-event-which-rapidly-ac_1214380.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/heather-o-donoghue-138731_quote_in-869-we-have-an-event-which-rapidly-ac_1214380.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/heather-o-donoghue-138731_quote_in-869-we-have-an-event-which-rapidly-ac_1214380.jpg) > ““In 869 we have an event which rapidly achieved almost mythic status in English Christian folklore: the horrible martyrdom of King Edmund of East Anglia by the appalling Ivar the Boneless, who according to some traditions brought a great Viking army to England in pursuit of revenge for the killing of his father, the semi-legendary Ragnar Lothbrok, executed by the king of Northumbria.”” [Heather O'Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-o-donoghue/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The martyrdom of King Edmund became a legendary tale of revenge and heroism. **In simple terms:** Edmund’s death mythologized in folklore. Key Takeaway Study how history becomes legend. Themes mythmaking revenge heroism Mood historical analytical Type Martyrdom:1 Scotland:0 Ragnar Lothbrok:0 King Edmund:1 Martyrdom King:0 Christian Folklore:1 Appalling Ivar:0 When to use this quote - cultural studies - media analysis - education Key Concepts history literature Questions to Reflect On - Why do societies mythologize conflict? - How does legend shape identity? A Different Perspective Romanticizing tragedy can distort facts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appalling Ivar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appalling-ivar-3695117/) [Christian Folklore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-folklore-3695116/) [King Edmund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/king-edmund-3695114/) [Martyrdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/martyrdom/) [Martyrdom King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/martyrdom-king-3695115/) [Ragnar Lothbrok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ragnar-lothbrok-218030/) [Scotland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scotland/) ## Related quotes > [“King Edmund of East Anglia is now remembered as a saint, as one of those blessed souls who live forever in the shadow of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/king-edmund-of-east-anglia-is-now-remembered-as-a-saint-as-one-of/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [“And Peter became a tall and deep-chested man and a great warrior, and he was called King Peter the Magnificent. And Susan grew into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/and-peter-became-a-tall-and-deep-chested-man-and-a-great-warrior-and/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [God honors some with great suffering and grants them the grace of martyrdom, while other are not tempted beyond their strength. But in every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/god-honors-some-with-great-suffering-and-grants-them-the-grace-of/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [The difference between a man who faces death for the sake of an idea and an imitator who goes in search of martyrdom is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/the-difference-between-a-man-who-faces-death-for-the-sake-of-an-idea/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [God sends such purgations to you, directors of consciences, that you may acquire the science of the saints and the art of directing souls.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-of-the-cross/god-sends-such-purgations-to-you-directors-of-consciences-that-you/) [Paul of the Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-of-the-cross/) > [We are on strike against martyrdom—and against the moral code that demands it. We are on strike against those who believe that one man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-on-strike-against-martyrdom-and-against-the-moral-code-that/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“Have not many of us, in the weary way of life, felt, in some hours, how far easier it were to die than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-beecher-stowe/have-not-many-of-us-in-the-weary-way-of-life-felt-in-some-hours-how/) [Harriet Beecher Stowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-beecher-stowe/) > [It is, indeed, a fact that, in the midst of society and sociability every evil inclination has to place itself under such great restraint,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-indeed-a-fact-that-in-the-midst-of-society-and-sociability/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [When does loyalty become martyrdom?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-charles-wilson/when-does-loyalty-become-martyrdom/) [Robert Charles Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-charles-wilson/) > [“As anyone who read religious history could attest nothing cemented people's belief faster than a human being dying for his cause. Christ on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/as-anyone-who-read-religious-history-could-attest-nothing-cemented/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Galileo was no idiot. Only an idiot could believe that science requires martyrdom - that may be necessary in religion, but in time a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hilbert/galileo-was-no-idiot-only-an-idiot-could-believe-that-science/) [David Hilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hilbert/) > [“The account given us by an eminent primitive writer, Clemens Alexandrinus, ought not to be overlooked; that, as James was led to the place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/the-account-given-us-by-an-eminent-primitive-writer-clemens/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [I feel in me the vocation of the Priest. I have the vocation of the Apostle. Martyrdom was the dream of my youth, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/therese-of-lisieux/i-feel-in-me-the-vocation-of-the-priest-i-have-the-vocation-of-the/) [Therese of Lisieux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/therese-of-lisieux/) > [Martyrdom has always been a proof of the intensity, never of the correctness of a belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schnitzler/martyrdom-has-always-been-a-proof-of-the-intensity-never-of-the/) [Arthur Schnitzler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schnitzler/) > [“A dead martyr can be manipulated by his heirs; a living one is apt to drag his colleagues to the extremes dictated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-peter-nettl/a-dead-martyr-can-be-manipulated-by-his-heirs-a-living-one-is-apt-to/) [John Peter Nettl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-peter-nettl/) ## More Martyrdom quotes > [“A dead martyr can be manipulated by his heirs; a living one is apt to drag his colleagues to the extremes dictated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-peter-nettl/a-dead-martyr-can-be-manipulated-by-his-heirs-a-living-one-is-apt-to/) [John Peter Nettl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-peter-nettl/) > [Martyrdom has always been a proof of the intensity, never of the correctness of a belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schnitzler/martyrdom-has-always-been-a-proof-of-the-intensity-never-of-the/) [Arthur Schnitzler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schnitzler/) > [I feel in me the vocation of the Priest. I have the vocation of the Apostle. Martyrdom was the dream of my youth, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/therese-of-lisieux/i-feel-in-me-the-vocation-of-the-priest-i-have-the-vocation-of-the/) [Therese of Lisieux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/therese-of-lisieux/) > [“The account given us by an eminent primitive writer, Clemens Alexandrinus, ought not to be overlooked; that, as James was led to the place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/the-account-given-us-by-an-eminent-primitive-writer-clemens/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [Galileo was no idiot. Only an idiot could believe that science requires martyrdom - that may be necessary in religion, but in time a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hilbert/galileo-was-no-idiot-only-an-idiot-could-believe-that-science/) [David Hilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hilbert/) > [“As anyone who read religious history could attest nothing cemented people's belief faster than a human being dying for his cause. Christ on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/as-anyone-who-read-religious-history-could-attest-nothing-cemented/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [When does loyalty become martyrdom?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-charles-wilson/when-does-loyalty-become-martyrdom/) [Robert Charles Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-charles-wilson/) > [It is, indeed, a fact that, in the midst of society and sociability every evil inclination has to place itself under such great restraint,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-indeed-a-fact-that-in-the-midst-of-society-and-sociability/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Have not many of us, in the weary way of life, felt, in some hours, how far easier it were to die than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-beecher-stowe/have-not-many-of-us-in-the-weary-way-of-life-felt-in-some-hours-how/) [Harriet Beecher Stowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-beecher-stowe/) > [We are on strike against martyrdom—and against the moral code that demands it. We are on strike against those who believe that one man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-on-strike-against-martyrdom-and-against-the-moral-code-that/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [God sends such purgations to you, directors of consciences, that you may acquire the science of the saints and the art of directing souls.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-of-the-cross/god-sends-such-purgations-to-you-directors-of-consciences-that-you/) [Paul of the Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-of-the-cross/) > [The difference between a man who faces death for the sake of an idea and an imitator who goes in search of martyrdom is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/the-difference-between-a-man-who-faces-death-for-the-sake-of-an-idea/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [God honors some with great suffering and grants them the grace of martyrdom, while other are not tempted beyond their strength. But in every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/god-honors-some-with-great-suffering-and-grants-them-the-grace-of/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [All the martyrs in the history of the world are not sufficient to establish the correctness of an opinion. Martyrdom, as a rule, establishes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/all-the-martyrs-in-the-history-of-the-world-are-not-sufficient-to/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [“To live for oneself is a terrifying prospect; there is comfort in martyrdom... p 364”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/to-live-for-oneself-is-a-terrifying-prospect-there-is-comfort-in/) [Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/) [Browse all 236 Martyrdom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/martyrdom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In 869 we have an event which rapidly achieved almost mythic status in English Christian folklore: the horrible martyrdom of King Edmund of East Anglia by the appalling Ivar the Boneless, who according to some traditions brought a great Viking army to England in pursuit of revenge for the killing of his father, the semi-legendary Ragnar Lothbrok, executed by the king of Northumbria.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Heather O'Donoghue" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-o-donoghue/in-869-we-have-an-event-which-rapidly-achieved-almost-mythic-status/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Martyrdom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-o-donoghue/in-869-we-have-an-event-which-rapidly-achieved-almost-mythic-status/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/heather-o-donoghue-138731_quote_in-869-we-have-an-event-which-rapidly-ac_1214380.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/heather-o-donoghue-138731_quote_in-869-we-have-an-event-which-rapidly-ac_1214380.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/heather-o-donoghue-138731_quote_in-869-we-have-an-event-which-rapidly-ac_1214380.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In 869 we have an event which rapidly achieved almost mythic status in English Christian folklore: the…” — Heather O'Donoghue", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Heather O'Donoghue", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-o-donoghue/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“In 869 we have an event...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-o-donoghue/in-869-we-have-an-event-which-rapidly-achieved-almost-mythic-status/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-o-donoghue/in-869-we-have-an-event-which-rapidly-achieved-almost-mythic-status/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```