Viking ship on church door?

[Louie da fly]

I found this on Facebook.

 

"Stillingfleet. Yorkshire. The church is Norman. The ironwork hinges and decoration on the south door date to much earlier, probably to the middle of the 10th century when York formed part of a Viking kingdom. That would mean that either there was a church here several centuries earlier than was thought, or, more likely, that the door was brought here from elsewhere."

 

  

The ship appears to be incomplete - by rights it should have an upcurving bow similar to the stern, but it's presumably been lost over the centuries.

 

Steven

Edited March 17, 2023 by Louie da fly

[druxey]

The other decorations are also interesting.Are those Adam and Eve, perhaps? And the now incomplete items at the top. The figure upper right might be a flying angel. What, one wonders, is the significance of the ship?

[Cathead]

Is the implication that the iron decorations are pre-Christian (e.g., pagan Norse)? If so, the man and woman might well represent the first humans formed from ash and elm wood in Scandinavian creation mythology.

 

It's also interesting how three of the curved straps end in a split design that's mirrored on the ship's sternpost. To me those look like serpent mouths, also a strong symbol in pagan Norse beliefs.

[Louie da fly]

The site I got these pictures from interpreted the two figures as Adam and Eve, and I got the impression that this is the academically accepted interpretation (though that doesn't by any means prove it!)

 

Steven

[Cathead]

Luckily there's no history of Christians reinterpreting pagan imagery to suit their narrative.

[Cathead]

Coincidentally, I'm currently rereading my favorite scholarly book on the Viking age, Children of Ash and Elm (a gift from my wife a few years ago when I was building my longship). I ran across this passage last night, which seemed quite relevant. This is describing pagan great hall architecture from excavations in Sweden:

 

"Providing the best picture yet of what such a building might have looked like, dozens of iron spirals were found along the wall lines and clustered around the doors – the smallest the length of a finger, the biggest as long as a forearm...Even more exciting was the ironwork decoration on the doors: more spirals, flat against the wood, along with volutes and other patterns, the whole resembling medieval church doors (clearly, that tradition was much older than previously thought). And then there were the door hinges: actual spears, hammered into a curve round the door posts, laid so their blades would have rested flat on the door surfaces, the points toward the centre. The entry to the hall was thus through a portal of weapons, bringing to mind the description of Odin's own residence, Valhöll." - p-98-99

 

 

[Keith Black]

 Our history here in the colonies is recent compared to that of Europe, it's hard to get one's head around the age of things there. My wife and I live in a 154 year old house and it's old by American standards but absolutely nothing compared to European history. I wish I could visit those places that weren't destroyed by the war, so much history, so little time.   

 

https://heiroxford.wordpress.com/2017/11/06/the-enigmatic-church-doorway-at-stillingfleet-yorkshire/

[VitusBering]

1 hour ago, Keith Black said:

 Our history here in the colonies is recent compared to that of Europe, it's hard to get one's head around the age of things there. My wife and I live in a 154 year old house and it's old by American standards but absolutely nothing compared to European history. I wish I could visit those places that weren't destroyed by the war, so much history, so little time.

Aye. I was half bragging to a Welsh friend online, sharing pictures of our stay at a 160 year old Victorian creekside bed and breakfast. I certainly should have said Victorian style because she shared pictures of the 1100 year old abbey where she spent the week. To say I was embarrassed is an understatement. We do live in the New World.

[Cathead]

If you want deeper New World history, just get out of the mindset that history began with European colonists. Go visit the extraordinary mound cities along the Mississippi River, such as Cahokia, or areas of the Southwest like Chaco Canyon or Mesa Verde. And that's not even counting the vibrant history in Mexico and Central America. You could even go up to L'Anse aux Meadows to get some 11th century European history.

[Keith Black]

 

15 minutes ago, Cathead said:

get out of the mindset that history began with European colonists.

 Eric, you are 100% correct but I was speaking of European history. I'm very familiar with Americas indigenous peoples and their migration history which is absolutely fascinating. My wife is of Alaskan Native heritage (Aleut) so we take indigenous people's history very seriously. But for me it's easier to relate to European history due to my ancestry but your point is well taken.  

[Cathead]

Sorry if that came across too personal, it was meant as a broader statement. Too many people aren't taught the robust history over here, and too often "American" is used in only its narrowest sense. It's telling that in Latin America they pointedly use "Norteamericano" to refer to European-Americans to distinguish from the broader sense of "American" as a hemispheric concept. Was not intended as any sort of attack or criticism on you or any other member.

 

Speaking of your wife's Alaskan heritage, my grandfather (proud Minnesota Norse and a strong reason for my interest in Scandinavian history) served as a minister in southeastern Alaska and worked closely with the Tlingit community in the area (as did my grandmother, a nurse). That time was one of his most treasured of all he did in his long life, he loved the area and the people. I still have a beautiful piece of indigenous artwork commissioned for and given to them as a parting gift from the community, passed down to me knowing my own interest and time spent in Alaska and BC.

[Keith Black]

2 hours ago, Cathead said:

Sorry if that came across too personal

 Eric, no, not at all. It's all good. 

 

 Would love to see a photo of the artwork, please post or you can PM me. 

[Cathead]

PM sent, don't want to take this thread any further off course!

[Robere210]

What a beautiful door!  I wonder what the wood is.  English Oak maybe?