Chapter 13 The Tree of Life in the North
In: The Tree of Life
Author:
G. Ronald Murphy S.J.
G. Ronald Murphy S.J.
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Abstract
“Yggdrasil and the Stave Church” deals with the unique style of the medieval Norwegian stave church. The chapter demonstrates that the high vertical form, the carved portals, and the interior rood screen are best understood as deliberate allusions to the mythic tree Yggdrasil and its function at Ragnarok, the end of the world. The church becomes the tree that rescues human life. The identification of Yggdrasil and the stave church is demonstrated by the shape of the roofs with snakes sculpted on the roof-branches, the entwined plant and animal violence carved around the doorway, as well as the rood screen position of the cross and crucifixion at the entry to the sanctuary.