The Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings

by Neil Price

The tree was certainly meant to be seen, as it was situated at the highest point of the island, with views over the lakes and mountains. The place-name of this spot is also telling: Hov, in other words hof, the word for the temple-halls. Similarly, it is no accident that the Christians built their church on this precise site (presumably they had the tree felled, as well), even down to constructing the altar over the stump. Specialists often speak of syncretic religion—the fusion of different traditions or faiths in an easing of transition—but it is rare to find such a thing in the archaeology, although here one might better read the evidence as indicative of violent appropriation. As in other similar situations, it is clear the Christians did not always directly destroy the spiritual customs of the North, but instead tried to convince their adherents that they were a poorly realised precursor of the new faith—that conversion required a movement, an adjustment, not a total rejection of who they were.