The Archaeology of Britain: An introduction from ... - waughfamily.ca

• 200 • Julian D.Richards
and a curious amulet. All of the Peel
burials share the same alignment
and style of grave construction,
suggesting no break in continuity at
this site, unlike Balladoole (Richards
1991).
In both the Danelaw and the Isle
of Man, the Scandinavians also
adopted the local custom of
erecting stone crosses. This had
previously been largely confined to
monasteries and prestigious
churches, but stone monuments
now proliferated throughout
northern and eastern England, and
on the Isle of Man. Some fragments
depict Viking warriors with their
weapons. One of the best examples
is at Middleton, North Yorkshire
(Figure 11.3); other examples
include Levisham and Weston in
North Yorkshire, and Sockburn,
Co. Durham. These figures may well
represent the new landlords, and the
distribution of crosses may indicate
the presence, if not the centres, of
new landholdings (Bailey 1980).
The subjects chosen by the
sculptors or their patrons are
particularly striking; many
emphasize the parallels between
Christian and pagan stories. At
Figure 11.3 The Middleton Cross, St Andrew’s Church, Middleton, North Gosforth, Cumbria, a Crucifixion
Yorkshire.
scene is paired with Ragnarok, the
Source: Dept of Archaeology, University of Durham
last great battle of Norse
mythology; Thorwald’s cross at Kirk
Andreas on the Isle of Man counterbalances Odin and Ragnarok with the triumph of Christ over
Satan. The legend of Sigurd and his struggle with the dragon is another popular theme; the scene
in which he roasts the heart of the dragon Fafnir and burns his thumb is found at Kirk Andreas
and at Halton, Lancashire, and Ripon, North Yorkshire. At Nunburnholme, Humberside, there is
a cross in which Sigurd has been recarved over a Eucharistic theme, drawing attention to the
Sigurd feast as a pagan version of the Eucharist (Bailey 1980; Lang 1991).
Many of the graves of York’s Viking Age elite discovered under York minster are marked by
recumbent grave slabs decorated with Scandinavian style ornament; some have separate head
and foot stones. These may be the predecessors of the distinctive so-called hogback stones,
which were erected for a period of about 50 years from 920. Hogbacks are shaped like bow-sided
buildings with ridged roofs and curved side walls, but their ends may be decorated with bearlike
creatures, or sometimes wolves or dogs. They may also have been influenced by house-shaped