Religious Identities in Viking Age Britain: Pagan Imagery in a Colonial Context

Abstract: When the Vikings settled the British Isles between the 8th and 11th centuries, they left behind numerous stone monuments in their wake. These monuments, many of which are stone crosses, utilize a combination of Christian and pagan imagery, and are found heavily in Christian contexts. This thesis sought to analyze this imagery and their contexts in order to determine how they reflected the colonial religious identity of the time. The study material consisted of 19 stone monuments (crosses, slabs, and hogbacks) spread across northern England and the Isle of Man. The thesis used iconographical theory, analyzing the imagery from small to large, and finally grouping these images and scenes into larger motif groups, using literary analysis of the medieval Eddas and sagas. Also used was comparative analysis with mainland Scandinavian carvings, most notably the Gotlandic picture stones, to critically analyze the previous interpretations of these monuments. These methods were utilized together to draw conclusions about the religious identity in Viking Age Britain. It was concluded that their heritage was preserved using Scandinavian pagan imagery during their conversion to Christianity in this colonial context, pagan images being used often as an allegory to Christian themes through the concept of Interpretatio Christiana, and the two religions in effect merged together to create a hybrid colonial culture as the Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon cultures themselves intermingled.