Page "Angles" Paragraph 22

The Angles are the subject of a legend about Pope Gregory I, who happened to see a group of Angle children from Deira for sale as slaves in the Roman market.

As the story would later be told by the Anglo-Saxon monk and historian Bede, Gregory was struck by the unusual appearance of the slaves and asked about their background.

When told they were called " Anglii " ( Angles ), he replied with a Latin pun that translates well into English: “ Bene, nam et angelicam habent faciem, et tales angelorum in caelis decet esse coheredes ” (" It is well, for they have an angelic face, and such people ought to be co-heirs of the angels in heaven ").

Supposedly, this encounter inspired the Pope to launch a mission to bring Christianity to their countrymen.