|
|
Who is depicted in our logo?
 The
logo depicts Edmund who, of course, gives his name to Bury St Edmunds.
Thanks go to Ian Harper for the splendid artwork.
The following biographical details have been contributed by Frank
Clark: In 869 Edmund, the last King of East Anglia, the future
saint of Bury in Suffolk, was barbarously murdered and his kingdom
taken by the heathen Danes.
The Passio Sancti Edmundi, written by Abbo of Fleury a century after
the event, accords him a martyr's death strongly reminiscent of that
of St Sebastian. He was placed with his back against a tree, as if on
a rack, and used for target practice in archery until he bristled with
arrows like a hedgehog.
He was eventually wrenched away from the tree trunk, half dead, then
his back was ripped open, exposing his rib-cage. This was the terrible
eagle which spread the lungs like wings and was a Norse sacrifice to
the Norse Gods.
This should have been the end of native Christian kingship, but not
quite. His body was recovered and his tomb became a shrine and
gathering point for East Anglia Christians against the Danes, who were
eventually overcome. |
|
