Stave Church Portals
In 12th century Norway the Gothic style began to overtake the architecture and artistry in the creation of stave church portals. After Christianity swept through Norway new styles and motifs were brought along and adapted by craftsmen, particularly woodcarvers who incorporated them into everything from furniture to stave churches. But in many ways tradition outweighed renovations, particularly in animal motifs. When exploring the portals of Gothic Viking buildings one continued motifs speaks with a unique significance. This paper will determine the significance of the appearance of dragons on the Hylestad stave church portal by considering the meaning of the motifs on the portal, the role of dragons in Viking culture, and the affect the iconography of the particular portal has on those who pass through it.
The Hylestad is a Norwegian Gothic stave church built in the late 12th, early 13th century. The panels of the portal are estimated to have been built around 1175 but shows a strong influence from the ornate Romanesque style. The Hylestad church was dismantled in 1664 with only the doors surviving. In the portal of the church there are seven scenes carved on the two panels from the Sigurd legend. The right panel …show more content…
displays the legend in medallion frames, a style commonly found on 12th century French and/or English manuscripts. The scenes depicted in the left panel are stylized like regional textiles. The magnificent carved panels also depict “writhing snakes, dragons, griffins and even bears intertwined in violent conflict with one another, twisting and turning in and out of the entangling vines, leaves and branches.” The format of the panels is meant to tell the legend of Sigurd while also shows the intertwining of life with violence by displaying the tails of the dragons turning into vegetation, the endlessly cycle of destruction.
Sigurd and the Dragon
Viking culture is largely centered on myths so to better understand the meaning of the dragon motifs on the Hylestad portal knowledge of the origin myth, Sigurd and the Dragon, is necessary. The myth tells the story of two swordsmiths, Sigurd and Regin who journey to kill a dragon named Fafnir for its treasure. On the right portal panel three separate scenes from the Sigurd legend are depicted and on the left there are four. (Figure 1)
The first scene and second scene both illustrate a helmeted Sigurd and his bearded companion Regin forging a sword, Gram. As legend goes Regin urged Sigurd, described as the best swordsman in all the land, to steal Fafnir the dragon’s treasure. The first and second scene show Sigurd and his companion forging and then fixing the sword Gram, which they plan to use to defeat the dragon. To test the blade Sigurd attempts to damage a shield with Fafnir’s image engraved in it but instead the sword breaks. After reforming Gram Sigurd again attempts to break the shield and slices right through it. In the third scene, the bottom register on the right panel,
Figure 1. No artist, Figurd Portal, 12th century. Wood, no dimensions. Museum of Cultural History, Oslo.
Sigurd is slaying Fafnir. The men travel to Gnite-Heath and “dig a pit in the path used by Fafnir” when they then use to hide in and finally kill Fafnir, stealing the dragon’s heart.
On the top register of the left panel Sigurd can be seen roasting the heart of the dragon. After Sigurd steals Fafnir’s heart, Regin then asks for the heart to be roasted, so that he can consume it. After Regin drinks some of the Fafnir’s blood to lays down and sleeps while Sigurd stands roasting the heart. Sigurd is burned by the boiling blood coming from Fafnir’s heart. After this Sigurd is able to hear the “speech of birds” , who tell him of Regin’s plot to murder him in “vengeance for his brother.”
Upon learning of the murder plot Sigurd and learning of the rewards to would come to him if Regin was no longer alive, Sigurd decides to murder Regin, claiming the dragon’s treasure for himself. The sixth scenes shows Sigurd beheading Regin with the sword Gram. His justification for this act is “it will not be my ill fate that Regin shall be my death. Rather both brothers should go the same way.”
The fifth scene, which chronologically comes after the act depicted in scene six, illustrates Grani, Sigurd horse, being looked down upon by birds, most likely those who tell Sigurd of the assassination plot, as he carries Fafnir’s treasure. This scene is odd since it combines plot lines from before and after Regin is decapitated. The treasure that Grani is hauling around is from Fafnir’s lair is meant to be a great load, full of “many precious things” , a load too great for even a pair horses to bare that Grani carried with ease.
The final register on the bottom of the left panel shows the effects of Fafnir’s cursed treasure. Fafnir, as he lay dying, even warned Sigurd that his treasure “will be the death of all that possess it.” Sigurd meets his demise at the hands of his brother’s in law, Guttorm, Hogni and Gunnar, who is shown in the scene. Gunnar decides to throw the treasure into the Rhine, effectively hiding it. Gunnar’s sister, Gudrun, who was Sigurd’s wife, remarries Atli or Atilla the Hun. Upon learning of the treasure Atli becomes obsessed in his need to own the cursed gold. When Gunnar refuses to reveal the treasure’s location Atli has him thrown in a pit of snakes. The scene carved into the wood panel shows Gunnar in the snake pit with harp, an instrument given to him by Gudrun to keep the beast at bay and calm them. The scene is the calm before the storm, depicting the moment right before Gunnar is eventually killed by a snake, thus completing the dragon’s curse.
A Dragon’s Role in Viking Culture
Dragons held a pivotal role in Viking culture. Dragons find their roots in proto-Norse oral traditions. Over time mythology, including that surrounding dragon figures, were shaped by Germanic influences and a romantic traditions of exploration that stemmed from the Gothic era. Christianity was integrated into Norse culture, holding onto the belief that religious deities, such as saints, were actual historical figures. Dragons were held in similar regard, creatures of mythological origins that were integrated into everyday life. Vikings were sea-faring peoples, which is a major basis for dragon motifs. Images of sea-serpents or dragons were found carved on the ships as signs of protection. Dragons were creatures of war so their presence of a boat going to battle was meant to frighten opponents and lend strength the seafarers.
Dragons can be found mentioned in stories of great Viking heroism. Thor, the thunder god, was said to have battled a dragon even he could not defeat, but rather banished to the depths of the sea. This dragon was attributed with the dangerous storms that threatened the Vikings at sea. In the epic poem Beowulf, the titular hero’s battle with dragons describes the Viking’s view on dragons, a mixture of history and legend.
The Dragon Doorways
For Vikings, portals were just as much metaphors as they were literal doorways.
The legend of Sigurd slaying Fafnir is considered a heathen legend, which is odd since it is carved into the doors of a church. When Christianity came to Norway the construction of the stave church became highly popular. Carved doors depicting a variety of scenes varying from the new religion to old traditions lay within the portals of these churches. Very few doors remain intact today and those that do often depict the “pre-Christian Norse legend” Sigurd, the slayer of the dragon Fafnir. Sigurd’s placement on the doors of stave churches held a “magico-religious intent”, guarding against the evil, both new and old world, that lie outside the ornate, sacred
buildings.
The question is why a pagan hero would be featured on a church door. In the 11th century Sigurd underwent a reinterpretation to better fit the needs of the Christian church, becoming a protector of pagans and Christians alike. In Norway Sigurd took over the role of monster slayer from the archangel Michael. The angel Michael was adopted by the Germans and Danes as their protector. Norwegian Christians viewed Michael as the aggressive power of their Baltic enemies. Sigurd, the dragon slayer of mythic lore, became a political attribute for Norwegians in their struggle to remain independent from the Danes and Germans. The use of Sigurd as an almost propaganda figure shows the coming to together of the belief systems between Norwegian tradition and Christianity. Sigurd became more than just a dragon slayer but a “symbolic threat to old gods” who were now being viewed as monsters themselves.
The major drawing element of the Sigurd legend was the act of slaying the dragon. The character of Fafnir became a representation of modern greed and sin. These helped better cement the use of the Sigurd legend in Christian settings. In the Romanesque and Gothic period in Norway was transitioning between rural, paganastic traditions into new religious allegiances with the Christian faith. Sigurd went through the same tradition becoming a heroic legend and losing all much of its “pagan ritual function”. Sigurd while not a holy figure like Saints reached a rather sacred standing in Norwegian culture.
The building itself was viewed as sacred by the clerics. The medieval man could find “a divine presence in all creation.” The doors represented a portal between the two realms, the consecrated realm of the church within and the still evolving pagan world outside. The doorway was a cleanser, keeping the unclean demons out and interior space pure. It was precisely here that Sigurd was carved, a protector of the church and of old traditions.
Conclusion
Dragons were prevalent in Viking motifs, before and after the coming of Christianity. The image of the dragon moved from mythical beasts to visual representation of human greed. The Hylestad portal is a prime example of the coming together of the Christian faith with medieval mythological ideals. Through the changing of the culture the portal of the stave church became so much more than just doors. The carved panels told two separate stories but spoke of a legendary hero defeating evil to protect people, both of faith and pagan ideals. The door represented the coming of the two worlds, a literal portal for people to move through, a transformational experience from heathens to “enlightened” in a new age of the Medieval world.
The Hylestad is a Norwegian Gothic stave church built in the late 12th, early 13th century. The panels of the portal are estimated to have been built around 1175 but shows a strong influence from the ornate Romanesque style. The Hylestad church was dismantled in 1664 with only the doors surviving. In the portal of the church there are seven scenes carved on the two panels from the Sigurd legend. The right panel …show more content…
displays the legend in medallion frames, a style commonly found on 12th century French and/or English manuscripts. The scenes depicted in the left panel are stylized like regional textiles. The magnificent carved panels also depict “writhing snakes, dragons, griffins and even bears intertwined in violent conflict with one another, twisting and turning in and out of the entangling vines, leaves and branches.” The format of the panels is meant to tell the legend of Sigurd while also shows the intertwining of life with violence by displaying the tails of the dragons turning into vegetation, the endlessly cycle of destruction.
Sigurd and the Dragon
Viking culture is largely centered on myths so to better understand the meaning of the dragon motifs on the Hylestad portal knowledge of the origin myth, Sigurd and the Dragon, is necessary. The myth tells the story of two swordsmiths, Sigurd and Regin who journey to kill a dragon named Fafnir for its treasure. On the right portal panel three separate scenes from the Sigurd legend are depicted and on the left there are four. (Figure 1)
The first scene and second scene both illustrate a helmeted Sigurd and his bearded companion Regin forging a sword, Gram. As legend goes Regin urged Sigurd, described as the best swordsman in all the land, to steal Fafnir the dragon’s treasure. The first and second scene show Sigurd and his companion forging and then fixing the sword Gram, which they plan to use to defeat the dragon. To test the blade Sigurd attempts to damage a shield with Fafnir’s image engraved in it but instead the sword breaks. After reforming Gram Sigurd again attempts to break the shield and slices right through it. In the third scene, the bottom register on the right panel,
Figure 1. No artist, Figurd Portal, 12th century. Wood, no dimensions. Museum of Cultural History, Oslo.
Sigurd is slaying Fafnir. The men travel to Gnite-Heath and “dig a pit in the path used by Fafnir” when they then use to hide in and finally kill Fafnir, stealing the dragon’s heart.
On the top register of the left panel Sigurd can be seen roasting the heart of the dragon. After Sigurd steals Fafnir’s heart, Regin then asks for the heart to be roasted, so that he can consume it. After Regin drinks some of the Fafnir’s blood to lays down and sleeps while Sigurd stands roasting the heart. Sigurd is burned by the boiling blood coming from Fafnir’s heart. After this Sigurd is able to hear the “speech of birds” , who tell him of Regin’s plot to murder him in “vengeance for his brother.”
Upon learning of the murder plot Sigurd and learning of the rewards to would come to him if Regin was no longer alive, Sigurd decides to murder Regin, claiming the dragon’s treasure for himself. The sixth scenes shows Sigurd beheading Regin with the sword Gram. His justification for this act is “it will not be my ill fate that Regin shall be my death. Rather both brothers should go the same way.”
The fifth scene, which chronologically comes after the act depicted in scene six, illustrates Grani, Sigurd horse, being looked down upon by birds, most likely those who tell Sigurd of the assassination plot, as he carries Fafnir’s treasure. This scene is odd since it combines plot lines from before and after Regin is decapitated. The treasure that Grani is hauling around is from Fafnir’s lair is meant to be a great load, full of “many precious things” , a load too great for even a pair horses to bare that Grani carried with ease.
The final register on the bottom of the left panel shows the effects of Fafnir’s cursed treasure. Fafnir, as he lay dying, even warned Sigurd that his treasure “will be the death of all that possess it.” Sigurd meets his demise at the hands of his brother’s in law, Guttorm, Hogni and Gunnar, who is shown in the scene. Gunnar decides to throw the treasure into the Rhine, effectively hiding it. Gunnar’s sister, Gudrun, who was Sigurd’s wife, remarries Atli or Atilla the Hun. Upon learning of the treasure Atli becomes obsessed in his need to own the cursed gold. When Gunnar refuses to reveal the treasure’s location Atli has him thrown in a pit of snakes. The scene carved into the wood panel shows Gunnar in the snake pit with harp, an instrument given to him by Gudrun to keep the beast at bay and calm them. The scene is the calm before the storm, depicting the moment right before Gunnar is eventually killed by a snake, thus completing the dragon’s curse.
A Dragon’s Role in Viking Culture
Dragons held a pivotal role in Viking culture. Dragons find their roots in proto-Norse oral traditions. Over time mythology, including that surrounding dragon figures, were shaped by Germanic influences and a romantic traditions of exploration that stemmed from the Gothic era. Christianity was integrated into Norse culture, holding onto the belief that religious deities, such as saints, were actual historical figures. Dragons were held in similar regard, creatures of mythological origins that were integrated into everyday life. Vikings were sea-faring peoples, which is a major basis for dragon motifs. Images of sea-serpents or dragons were found carved on the ships as signs of protection. Dragons were creatures of war so their presence of a boat going to battle was meant to frighten opponents and lend strength the seafarers.
Dragons can be found mentioned in stories of great Viking heroism. Thor, the thunder god, was said to have battled a dragon even he could not defeat, but rather banished to the depths of the sea. This dragon was attributed with the dangerous storms that threatened the Vikings at sea. In the epic poem Beowulf, the titular hero’s battle with dragons describes the Viking’s view on dragons, a mixture of history and legend.
The Dragon Doorways
For Vikings, portals were just as much metaphors as they were literal doorways.
The legend of Sigurd slaying Fafnir is considered a heathen legend, which is odd since it is carved into the doors of a church. When Christianity came to Norway the construction of the stave church became highly popular. Carved doors depicting a variety of scenes varying from the new religion to old traditions lay within the portals of these churches. Very few doors remain intact today and those that do often depict the “pre-Christian Norse legend” Sigurd, the slayer of the dragon Fafnir. Sigurd’s placement on the doors of stave churches held a “magico-religious intent”, guarding against the evil, both new and old world, that lie outside the ornate, sacred
buildings.
The question is why a pagan hero would be featured on a church door. In the 11th century Sigurd underwent a reinterpretation to better fit the needs of the Christian church, becoming a protector of pagans and Christians alike. In Norway Sigurd took over the role of monster slayer from the archangel Michael. The angel Michael was adopted by the Germans and Danes as their protector. Norwegian Christians viewed Michael as the aggressive power of their Baltic enemies. Sigurd, the dragon slayer of mythic lore, became a political attribute for Norwegians in their struggle to remain independent from the Danes and Germans. The use of Sigurd as an almost propaganda figure shows the coming to together of the belief systems between Norwegian tradition and Christianity. Sigurd became more than just a dragon slayer but a “symbolic threat to old gods” who were now being viewed as monsters themselves.
The major drawing element of the Sigurd legend was the act of slaying the dragon. The character of Fafnir became a representation of modern greed and sin. These helped better cement the use of the Sigurd legend in Christian settings. In the Romanesque and Gothic period in Norway was transitioning between rural, paganastic traditions into new religious allegiances with the Christian faith. Sigurd went through the same tradition becoming a heroic legend and losing all much of its “pagan ritual function”. Sigurd while not a holy figure like Saints reached a rather sacred standing in Norwegian culture.
The building itself was viewed as sacred by the clerics. The medieval man could find “a divine presence in all creation.” The doors represented a portal between the two realms, the consecrated realm of the church within and the still evolving pagan world outside. The doorway was a cleanser, keeping the unclean demons out and interior space pure. It was precisely here that Sigurd was carved, a protector of the church and of old traditions.
Conclusion
Dragons were prevalent in Viking motifs, before and after the coming of Christianity. The image of the dragon moved from mythical beasts to visual representation of human greed. The Hylestad portal is a prime example of the coming together of the Christian faith with medieval mythological ideals. Through the changing of the culture the portal of the stave church became so much more than just doors. The carved panels told two separate stories but spoke of a legendary hero defeating evil to protect people, both of faith and pagan ideals. The door represented the coming of the two worlds, a literal portal for people to move through, a transformational experience from heathens to “enlightened” in a new age of the Medieval world.