Source Five: King Edward has a vision of the Seven Sleepers

While at a feast with his nobles, King Edward suddenly began laughing. When the nobles asked him why, he told them that he had seen a vision of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus. In Christian and Muslim religion, the sleepers are said to have hidden inside a cave for hundreds of years to escape religious persecution. In Edward’s vision, he is said to have seen the sleepers roll onto their left side, suggesting many years of bad luck. He predicted that the next seventy four years would be full of war, disease and natural disasters.

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Tasks

  • The story tells that Edward saw the sleepers roll over in their sleep, signifying years of bad luck. Yet the story is told as a positive miracle. Why would the vision be seen as a good thing for the King?
  • This story only became associated with Edward I many years after his death. Why would later priests want to connect Edward with bible stories?