Thorwald’s Cross (Manx Cross 128) can be found in Kirk Andreas, St. Andrew Church, in the village of Andreas.
Manx Cross 128 is one of a collection of carved stones which are part of a display at the rear of the Church. The display also includes some interpretation of the crosses. In front of the Thorwald’s Cross the following information is displayed:
‘A HISTORY OF THE WORLD
A BBC AND BRITISH MUSEUM PARTNERSHIP
___________________________________
THORWALD’S CROSS
The transition in the Viking world of pagan beliefs to the final embrace of Christianity is
depicted on this stone. The Vikings brought pagan religion to the shores already believing in
Christianity and for a short time, both creeds co-existed. But eventually, Christianity won.
One side of this stone shows the Norse god Odin being devoured by Fenris the wolf at the
Battle of Ragnorok – the fight against evil and the end of the world for the Norse deities.
The other side is filled with Christian symbolism – a figure with a book and a cross, by a
Fish and a defeated serpent.
This stone is not only a “page-turn” form pagan to Christian beliefs, it also has the rarest
of things – the name of the person who was responsible. Down one side, written in ancient
Norse runes, is the inscription “Thorwald raised this cross”.’Odin is featured on one of a collection of carved stones which are part of a display at the rear of St. Andrew Church. The display also includes some interpretation of the crosses. The stone in question is Manx Cross 128 which is named 'Thorwald's Cross'.
Thorwald's Cross
Is a partially surviving runestone, which is 'particularly unusual in juxtaposing image on opposite face depicting two pivotal moments in pagan mythology and Christian belief.
Odin is displayed on the numbered face which shows the end of the known world according to the Norse legend of Ragnarok.
The standing ‘figure of Odin, chief of the Norse gods, armed with a spear and with a raven on his shoulder. He is shown being devoured by the giant wolf Fenrir in the great battle between the gods and the giants, and monsters of evil. The gods eventually prevail, but at great costin a victory which leads to a new mythological world order.
On the other side, a second figure of similar size is shown holding a book and a cross, alongside a large fish; all of these motifs are potent symbols of Christianity...'
Source: "A Guide To The Archaeological Sites of the Isle of Man up to AD 1500" BY Andrew Johnson and Allision Fox (ISBN:978-0-9554043-5-1)
A 3D Model of the Sigurd Cross can be found at the following link:
(
visit link)
Thorwald’s Cross is carved on a fragment of dark grey siltstone, maximum measurements 35 cm X 19 X 6. Kermode (1907) gives almost identical 14 inches X 7 1/2 X 2 ¼ (= 36 cm X 19 X 6). Only a small part of the original slab survives, irregular in shape. Both faces have the remains of a relief cross. Part of the cross heads and the top of the shafts survive, the later decorated with interlace and accompanied, at the side, by figure sculpture (cf. Margeson 1983:96). On one face (Kermode 1907: pI.II A) there is a human figure bearing a spear; a raven perches on his shoulder, while a wolf tear at one of his legs (interpreted as Odin at Ragnorok attached by the wolf Fenrir). On the other face (Kermode 1907: pI.II B) we find Christian symbolism: a human figure bearing a cross and a book and trampling on a serpent; a fish is by his side. The surviving edge of the stone holds the runes, which, unusually, run from top to bottom: They read:
‘purualtr:r*(i)s**krusp*[‘
The runes begin well below the present (damaged) stone top, but it is unlikely there was anything preceding r.1. At the present base the inscription is broken away, and there are no means of knowing how much has been lost. The total length of the surviving text that can now be seen (rr1-20) is 23.5 cm. The graphs are cut across almost the full width of the edge without framing lines, so often tops or bases are lost with wear the stone has sustained making rune height hard to measure…’
‘The text, as far as it can be followed, is clearly to be normalised and supplied as:
‘Thorwald put up this cross…’
The opening statement was presumably followed by eptir ‘in memory of’ + the name and perhaps title, patronymic or byname of the deceased, and almost certainly a statement about his or her relationship to Thorwald. As noted by Kermode (1907), “Thorwald is a rare Runic man’s name”. It is common enough in non-runic contexts, but Peterson (2007: s.n.) cites on the Andreas… example and the damaged ‘porl…on N 62, acc.sg of the variant Poraldr.’
Source: 'The Runic Inscriptions of the Isle of Man' by Michael P Barnes (ISBN:978-0903521-97-0)