More information : The sandstone cross measures 4.42m high and is set into a three-stepped sandstone socle or base. The shaft measures 1.02m in circumference at its base and is elaborately and inventively decorated on all sides of its upper part. The west face has a single panel bordered by roll moulding within which are animal heads, and below which is a human figure holding a horizontal staff and a horn. Beneath this human figure there is a horseman shown upside down and holding a spear. At the bottom of the panel there is a human figure with arms and legs manacled. Around his neck is a cord which is knotted by a snake and above there is the kneeling figure of a woman holding out a bowl. The scene is associated with Scandinavian mythology; the human figure with staff and horn is the watchman god Heimdall with his Gjallarhorn, the bound human and adjacent woman at the foot of the panel are Loki and Sigyn, characters from medieval Scandinavian literary sources. The east face depicts beasts heads, one of which has a human figure holding a spear at its jaw. The scene below is framed by cable moulding and contains the figure of the crucified Christ. A stream of blood runs from Christ's right side and nearby is the head and shaft of a spear gripped by a human figure. Adjacent is a female figure with trailing dress and knotted pigtail carrying a horn-like object. At the base of the frame are two beasts.
This depiction of the crucifixion is the only clear Christian scene on the cross. Elsewhere on the east face the scenes are associated with Scandinavian mythology; the figure at the beast's jaw is identified as Vidar avenging the death of his father, Odin. The south face has a single panel depicting interlace carving terminating in animal heads. Beneath is a horned deer and below this is a wolf or dog. Below this is a horseman grasping a spear and at the foot of the panel, beneath a strip of interlace, is an open-jawed creature. This scene also is associated with Scandinavian mythology; the horseman is Odin with Mimir below and the wolf Garm above. The north face likewise has a single panel. At its top there is a vertical rod which terminates below in a beast's head. Eight wing-like features are attached to this rod by rings. Below the beast are two horsemen each gripping a spear, one set above the other with the lower one depicted upside down. The remainder of the panel is filled with interlace carving. As with the other faces, the north face depicts a scene from Scandinavian mythology; the winged beast being interpreted as Surt. The cross head, like the shaft, is heavily decorated. The east and west faces have a central boss, interlace carving and roll moulding. The north and south faces of the cross head are identical; each with cabled border moulding on the ring of the head and a panel of interlace carving on the end of the arm.
The whole patterning of the cross shows an original mind at work exploiting links and contrasts between Scandinavian mythology and Christianity, and reflects a radical theological approach which would otherwise never have been suspected in Viking-age Cumbria. Scheduled, RSM 23781. (1)
Full description of the cross. Features of the cross parallel those of the stone plaque (Penrith 11), probably imitating a book or reliquary cover, which are derived from Irish metalwork. (2) |