Introduction
In 681 St Wilfrid, exiled from Northumbria by King Ecgfrith, arrived in Sussex, the still-pagan Kingdom of the South Saxons, where he and his monks had an instant impact.
WHEN Wilfrid came to Sussex in 681, he found that the region had been suffering three years of continuous drought. Though they lived by the coast, the locals could do no more than snare a few eels in the muddy rivers, and sometimes forty or fifty would link arms and leap from a cliff-top, preferring to drown in the sea rather than starve.*
Wilfrid and his monks hastily went through the villages borrowing eel-nets, and then showed the villagers how to cast them in the sea. In no time, the Christians had three hundred fish on the sands. Some they put by for themselves, some they used to pay for the nets, and the rest they served to the starving.
The South Saxons began to look more kindly on this strange faith, that brought life out of a sea that had meant only death. Indeed, many came forward to be baptised; and on the very day they did, a soft, refreshing rain began falling.*
Rudyard Kipling refers to this tale in his short story ‘The Conversion of St Wilfrid’ (part of ‘Rewards and Faeries’), and states that the Saxons called this suicide ‘going to Wotan’, the pagan god of death (among other things) also known as Odin. He adds that their pagan fatalism meant that they often did so when a little Christian hope would have shown them that it was well worth staying alive.
Bede does not mention it, but he must have expected his readers to connect the episode to the miraculous catch of the fishermen Peter and Andrew in Luke 5:1-10. “And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.”
Précis
In the seventh century, St Wilfrid found the people of Sussex starving to death from a long drought – their heathen superstitions prevented them from fishing in the sea. Wilfrid dispelled their fears and taught them to fish for a living, and was rewarded with many converts, while the Saxons were rewarded with the first rain for three years. (58 / 60 words)
In the seventh century, St Wilfrid found the people of Sussex starving to death from a long drought – their heathen superstitions prevented them from fishing in the sea. Wilfrid dispelled their fears and taught them to fish for a living, and was rewarded with many converts, while the Saxons were rewarded with the first rain for three years.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, because, if, may, not, or, until, who.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
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.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Fish. Live. Through.
2 Drought. Find. Than.
3 Eel. Local. Would.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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