Thorwald's Cross is a striking example of the merging of Norse culture with Christian insular traditions. The cross one of the Manx runestones, from Andreas, on the Isle of Man, is carved into a small slate slab. We only have a piece of the original cross, but it contains two interesting scenes. On the front is Odin, who is holding a spear and being devoured by the Fenrir wolf. This is a scene from Ragnarök, the Norse myth of destruction. And on the other side is Christ, who is carrying a book in one hand and a cross in the other, and trampling a serpent.

The scene with Odin is one of death and destruction. It is in Ragnarok that many of the Norse gods die. Christ's scene is triumphant, he is victorious over the serpent. It's possible that this cross is representative of the religious transition occurring at the time. Perhaps the cross is depicting the death of Old-Norse paganism and the conversion to a victorious Christianity.

Or perhaps the cross represents the fusion of Norse paganism and Christianity. Many Norse pagans did not see a problem with integrating the Christian god into their own pantheon. Therefore Thorwald's Cross may serve as an example of the coexistence of Norse and Christian elements in one muddled religion.

Though we may not know the true message engraved in this Cross, it still shows that through out the British Isles, the Norse engaged and assimilated with the preexisting Anglo-Saxon and Celtic culture. But the cross also shows that the vikings had their impact on local culture. Like the marks on the stone they carved throughout the islands, the Norse left permanent marks on insular culture.

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