The Roman Empire was crumbling.

Off the coast of what would one day become Great Britain, a band of fifth-century Irish pirates

sent by King Nile sailed into a secluded cove. Then they raided the village of Benevem

Tebrunei. They made off with considerable treasures and even

human cargo, including a 16-year-old boy named Sukkot. According to the tale, Sukkot had come

from a prestigious family. His father was a Christian deacon and served as a government official for

the Roman Empire. Once back in Ireland, the pirates sold Sukkot.

The chieftain who bought him put him to work as a shepherd on the slopes of Mount Slemish

and County Antrim in the north. Few people lived in the area, and all Sukkot had for company

was his flock and his god. Six years into his captivity, he claimed an angel visited him.

There is a ship that will soon leave Ireland, it told him, you will return to your country.

After his vision, Sukhat set down his shepherd's hook and started the 200-mile trek,

crossing peat bogs and forests to finally reach the port. It was a rough

journey, and he nearly died before reaching his destination, although the legend doesn't exactly say how.

At the port, he had to trust that the angel was right, and that somehow he'd be allowed to board the

ship and without money to pay his fare. At first, the captain refused,

but then changed his mind. Sukkot believed that God had intervened and provided him with safe

passage, but his journey wasn't over just yet. The captain miscalculated their course,

and when they landed, everyone on board found themselves in the wilderness

without supplies. Days into their travel on foot, the group had grown hungry, so Sukat

prayed, and suddenly a herd of wild pigs crossed their path. It's not clear how they killed

the pigs, but the feast sustained the group until they reached their intended destination.

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