After the departure of the Roman army, the Saxons arrived in Sussex in the 5th century and brought with them their polytheistic religion.Jones. The end of Roman Britain. pp. 164–168 The Saxon pagan culture probably caused a reversal of the spread of Christianity.Higham The English Conquest. p. 79. Wilfrid's biographer records that in the year 666 Wilfrid's ship ran aground on the Sussex coast near Selsey where it was attacked and a pagan priest sought to cast magic spells from a high mound. Bede also refers to a mass suicide committed by groups of 40 or 50 men who jumped from cliffs during a time of famine. It is probable that these suicides represented sacrifices to appease the god Woden.
After the departure of the Roman army, the Saxons arrived in Sussex in the 5th century and brought with them their polytheistic religion.Jones. The end of Roman Britain. pp. 164–168 The Saxon pagan culture probably caused a reversal of the spread of Christianity.Higham The English Conquest. p. 79. Wilfrid's biographer records that in the year 666 Wilfrid's ship ran aground on the Sussex coast near Selsey where it was attacked and a pagan priest sought to cast magic spells from a high mound. Bede also refers to a mass suicide committed by groups of 40 or 50 men who jumped from cliffs during a time of famine. It is probable that these suicides represented sacrifices to appease the god Woden.