Saint Boniface felling the sacred oak aka The Donar Oak or Jove's Oak, Hesse, Germany. A sacred tree of the Germanic pagans, when Boniface started to chop it down a great wind, as if by miracle, blew the ancient oak over. When the god did not strike him down, the people were amazed and converted to Christianity. Saint Boniface, c. 675- 754 AD, born Winfrid also spelled Winifred, Wynfrith, Winfrith or Wynfryth. Leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the 8th century. From Ward and Lock's Illustrated History of the World, published c.1882.