As seen in the previous post, it is primarily men who have been credited with turning the Nordic people from the old Norse Gods to the new God and Christ. Kings, who with a mixture of righteousness and military power, converted their subjects to “the true faith.” But how well does that story align with reality?
Everything, of course, depends on which sources are examined and how they are interpreted. Historians of religion tend to focus on the literary source material and, based on these, view the religious shift as something that happened suddenly, a sharp break from the previous, pagan religion—like the story of Harald Bluetooth’s conversion.
Archaeologists, however, who interpret the material remains, believe that the shift was a long, drawn-out process that spanned several hundred years.
The Christianization as a socio-political process, happened relatively quickly. In the higher social strata, Christianity was readily embraced—kings and other powerful men saw many advantages in converting.
However, Christianization as a folk-religious process, something that occurred on an individual level among the common people, took much longer. Additionally, there was greater continuity between the old and the new, a sort of mixed religion where elements of the Norse faith persisted.
(see my posts about Folklore)
In fact, Christianity was not a new phenomenon in Scandinavia at the time when the countries traditionally are considered to have adopted this religion.
There had been strong connections between the North and the continent for several hundred years. Those who undertook long journeys returned home with both stories and artifacts with Christian connections, which can be seen, for example, in graves and contemporary visual art.
This can be called a phase of indirect influence, meaning that during this time—around 300-800 AD—there was no deliberate Christian missionary activity. Rather, it was more about the exchange of thoughts and ideas, which always happens when people travel.
However, we know that Christian missionaries were present in the North during the 9th century. The most well-known of them is Ansgar, the Apostle of the North, who first worked in what would become Denmark and later in Birka in future Sweden. Despite some success, as he gained the protection of the kings and was granted the right to build churches and establish a small Christian congregation, the new religion did not take hold among the broader populace, at least not in Birka.
Recent archaeological excavations in Varnhem, Sweden, have shown that there was a Christian congregation there as early as the mid-9th century, which, unlike the temporary Christian communities around Mälaren, persisted. This is evidenced by the burial ground that has been excavated, with graves showing clear signs of Christian burial customs.
The deceased were no longer cremated but buried with their heads to the west and their feet to the east. Unlike pre-Christian tradition, no grave goods were placed in the graves. The dead were simply buried in their clothes, possibly with a necklace in the shape of a cross. These are clear signs that Christianity had taken root. And since the same burial ground continued to be used over the centuries, we can be sure that the new faith had come to stay.
In the next post, we’ll meet an important woman who lived in Varnhem in the 11th century – Kata.
Sources:
Axelsson, Tony & Vretemark, Maria. (2013). Varnhem innan munkarna kom. Västergötlands museum.
Ekero Eriksson, Kristina & Harrison, Dick. (2007). Vikingaliv. Natur & Kultur.
Gräslund, Anne-Sofie. (1996). Arkeologin och kristnandet. In Bertil Nilsson (Red.) Kristnandet i Sverige – gamla källor och nya perspektiv. Uppsala: Lunne Böcker.
Harrison, Dick. (2019). Vikingarnas historia. Lund: Historiska Media.
Lindkvist, Thomas. (1996). Kungamakt, kristnande, statsbildning. In Bertil Nilsson (Red.) Kristnandet i Sverige – gamla källor och nya perspektiv. Uppsala: Lunne Böcker.