We don't often face death for our beliefs, nowadays, though it certainly can happen. Sigrid was a determined man living among very dangerous folk, and played off the superstitions of those dangerous folk to make some progress toward the daily peace we (almost) take for granted.
SIGFRID (died 1045) bishop & missionary (February 15)
Back in the days when the north of England was a hotbed of sprouting Christians all eager to get out and convert the world, there was a Saxon priest named Sigfrid. He came from York, the main city there, that had been a pagan Viking settlement but now was Christianized and had a big important cathedral. Perhaps the connection between York and the Norsemen was still pretty fresh, because when the people of Denmark and the people of Sweden showed an interest in changing from the old Norse religion of Woden and Thor, Frigg and the Valkyries to Yorkshire-style Basic Christianity, they sent off to York for a missionary, and Sigfrid went to do the job. Some other good York folk came along to help, including his own three nephews, Winaman, Unaman, and Sunaman (believe it or not), who hoped to become priests like their favorite uncle, and always helped him out.
Off they all went to Sweden, to the court of King Olaf. The king himself was baptized, but as usual there were people who were angry about this, who didn’t want to be peacemakers but instead wanted to keep carousing like the heroes in the old tales and die happily in battle as they always had, not settle down and get Christianized! So a bunch of angry Thor-worshippers thought they’d get their revenge and one time when Sigfrid had left the mission church at Växjö and was off in the countryside, leaving his nephews in charge, they sneaked up and killed all three of them, cutting off their heads one-two-three! They also seemed to enjoy destroying everything they could. Sadly, Sigfrid returned to Växjö and, collecting his poor nephews head, returned to the court. Because he knew the Swedes at that time were very superstitious, he told the king and his court, with the murderers in the room, that the heads had told him who had killed them! The murderers jumped up to escape, and so they were caught.
King Olaf was all for executing the murderers there and then, but Sigfrid wouldn’t allow it: in Christian places like Yorkshire, he said, they merely collected blood-money from the murderers, and even that, he said, he wouldn’t accept (though he needed money to rebuild the mission). Everyone was so impressed with this whole new way of doing things that more people than ever left the cruel ways of Woden and Thor behind and became Christians like Sigfrid and his nephews. Poor old Winaman, Unaman, and Sunaman: I hope they became saints, too!