Gosforth Cross facts for kids
The Gosforth Cross is a very old stone cross found in the churchyard of St Mary's church in Gosforth, Cumbria, England. It was made a long time ago, around the early 900s AD. This area used to be part of a kingdom called Northumbria. Later, people from Scandinavia, known as Norsemen, settled here in the 800s or 900s. What makes the Gosforth Cross special is how it mixes Christian and Norse (Viking) symbols. It's like a cool history book carved in stone, showing how Christianity spread in Scandinavia.
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What Is the Gosforth Cross?
The Gosforth Cross is famous for its detailed carvings. These carvings show characters and scenes from Norse mythology, which are the old stories and beliefs of the Vikings. It's a bit like the Jelling stones in Denmark, which also show Christian and Norse figures together. The design of the Gosforth Cross was inspired by crosses made when Ireland was becoming Christian.
Who Discovered the Cross's Secrets?
In 1886, an amateur historian named Charles Arundel Parker was the first to really understand the carvings on the Gosforth Cross. In his book, The Ancient Crosses at Gosford and Cumberland, he showed that the cross tells stories from the Poetic Edda, a collection of old Norse poems.
Famous Norse Stories on the Cross
Some of the amazing scenes carved on the cross include:
- Loki, a trickster god, tied up with his wife Sigyn trying to protect him.
- The god Heimdallr holding his special horn.
- The god Víðarr pulling apart the jaws of the giant wolf Fenrir.
- Thor, the god of thunder, trying but failing to catch Jörmungandr, the Midgard Serpent.
Blending Christian and Norse Beliefs
Experts still discuss why Christian and Norse symbols are mixed on the cross. Some think it shows that people still respected Viking beliefs. Others believe it was a way to compare Norse stories with Christian ones. For example, they might have seen parallels between:
- Loki being tied up and Satan being bound.
- The death of Baldr (a Norse god) and the crucifixion of Christ.
- The battle between Odin and Surtr (a fire giant) and Christ's victory over the Devil.
The base of the cross also looks like a tree trunk. This might be a link between Yggdrasil, the world tree in Norse mythology, and the Tree of Life in Christian beliefs. Both trees are very important in their stories.
Christian Symbols on the Cross
The cross also clearly shows Christian symbols, like a carving of Jesus being crucified. Interestingly, Jesus is shown as a powerful figure, which was how Vikings often saw him. This mix of symbols might have helped explain Christian teachings using stories that people already knew from their Norse traditions.
Facts About the Gosforth Cross
The Gosforth Cross is quite tall, standing about 4.4 meters (14.4 feet) high. It's made from red sandstone and is still in good shape today. It was likely carved between 920 and 950 AD. Its design shows a strong influence from Anglo-Saxon art, meaning the carvers were skilled in that style.
Because the Gosforth Cross (and another one called the Irton Cross) is so important, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London made copies of them in 1882. You can see these copies in the museum's Cast Hall. In 1887, a local church leader, Rev. William Slater Calverley, also had a life-sized copy made and placed it in the churchyard at Aspatria, Cumbria.
The church at Gosforth also has other interesting old carvings called hogback tombs. There's even a piece of another cross that seems to show the god Thor fishing!
Galleries
These images show the Gosforth Cross and other old items from St Mary's church. The pictures were first published by Finnur Jónsson in 1913, and the names of the figures are what Jónsson suggested back then.
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The bound Loki, a trickster god.
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An engraving of the Víðarr section of the cross.
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An engraving of the cross showing Fenrir and Heimdallr.
Other Images
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A view of the Viking Cross and the church, from the southeast.
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The bottom part of what might have been a second cross.
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An engraving of a stone panel, possibly from the second cross, showing Thor fishing.
