Saint Sigfrid of Sweden

Feb 142010

photograph of a statue of Saint Sigfried of Sweden; sculptor unknown; photographed by Klafui; swiped off the Wikipedia web site
Also known as

Apostle of Sweden
Sigfrid of Vaexjoe
Sigfrid of Wexlow
Sigfried of….
Siegfried of….

Memorial

15 February

Profile

Priest at York and/or Glastonbury in England. Monk. Evangelized in Norway, Sweden, Denmark. Brought King Olaf of Sweden to the faith. While Sigfrid was away on a mission, his three nephews (Saint Winaman, Saint Unaman, and Saint Sunaman), who had come to help with the work in Sweden, were beheaded by pagan raiders. Sigfrid returned, recovered their heads, and claimed they could talk, a claim that terrorized the pagans. King Olaf decided to execute the murderers, but Sigfrid spoke against capital punishment and the killers were spared. Olaf then ordered them to pay a large fine, but Sigfrid refused the blood money, and thus achieved such a moral high ground that his mission work became even more successful.