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Tree of Salvation: Yggdrasil and the Cross in the North
At the heart of the mythology of the Anglo-Scandinavian-Germanic North is the evergreen Yggdrasil, the tree of life believed to hold up the skies and unite and separate three worlds: Asgard, high in the tree, where the gods dwelled in their great halls; Middlegard, where human beings lived; and the dark underground world of Hel, home to the monstrous goddess of death. With the advent of Christianity in the North around the year 1000, Yggdrasil was recast as the cross on which Christ sacrificed himself. G. Ronald Murphy offers an insightful examination of the lasting significance of Yggdrasil in northern Europe, showing that the tree's image persisted not simply through its absorption into descriptions of Christ's crucifix, but through recognition by the newly converted Christians of the truth of their new religion in the images and narratives of their older faith.
Rather than dwelling on theological and cultural differences between Christianity and older Anglo-Scandinavian beliefs, Murphy makes an argument internal to the culture, showing how the new dispensation was a realization of the old. He shows how architectural and literary works, including the Jelling stone in Denmark, the stave churches in Norway, The Dream of the Rood, the runes of the futhark, the round churches on Bornholm, the Viking crosses at Middleton in Yorkshire and even the Christmas tree, are all indebted to the cultural interweaving of cross and tree in the North. Tree of Salvation demonstrates that both Christian and older Northern symbols can be read as a single story of salvation.
Rather than dwelling on theological and cultural differences between Christianity and older Anglo-Scandinavian beliefs, Murphy makes an argument internal to the culture, showing how the new dispensation was a realization of the old. He shows how architectural and literary works, including the Jelling stone in Denmark, the stave churches in Norway, The Dream of the Rood, the runes of the futhark, the round churches on Bornholm, the Viking crosses at Middleton in Yorkshire and even the Christmas tree, are all indebted to the cultural interweaving of cross and tree in the North. Tree of Salvation demonstrates that both Christian and older Northern symbols can be read as a single story of salvation.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 10, 2014
I gave this book 5 stars not so much because I agreed with everything the author said, but because reading this book was a joy and the subject matter is fascinating. You feel that you are joining the writer on a personal journey. the journey begins with the Norse myth of Yggdrasil: the world tree that saves the lives of two humans to repopulate the earth after the destruction of the gods and the world at the time of Ragnarok. Rather than disregard this story with the rest of pagan beliefs, early missionaries kept this story as a compliment to the Christ one. Jesus, like Odin, dies on the tree (the cross), and thus saves humanity from death and oblivion; symbolized by the corpse eating dragon Nidhog. In a nutshell, this is the thesis of the book. For evidence, the author examines stave churches, round churches, old stone crosses, art, artifacts, the rune row(!), and the modern Christmas tree. All of the above are strewn across Scandinavia and England mainly. His results are astonishing, although I don't know how well it will hold up under closer scrutiny.
If you love Norse mythology and the history of symbols and religion, then I think you will enjoy this book.
If you love Norse mythology and the history of symbols and religion, then I think you will enjoy this book.
April 12, 2023
8.5/10
Murphy again writes with charity and sensitivity to the ways Northern peoples might have seen themselves in the Christain story. He helpfully abstains from employing the accusatory term of synchronism, instead preferring a much more mythopoetic and interpretive lens toward premodern religious change. For that I cannot thank him enough.
His basic insights in this study likely hold true. He is right to notice tree motifs across the Northern European world and connect these to both Yggdrasil and the Cross, variously, and sometimes even, together. In some chapters, like his analysis of the Dream of the Rood, this argument holds quite strong, providing deep, novel, and persuasive insights into the text via a close reading. In other chapters, like that of the Elder Futhark alphabet, his findings are associative at best, rather than argumentative. But, scholars (and myself) owe Murphy a great debt for making the associations he makes, even their most tenuous, which usefully expand our conceptions surrounding paganism, Christianity, conversion, and the poetic imagination of Northern Europeans.
Occasionally, he verges on seeing too readily Yggdrasil in every tree perhaps, in a region which was quite densely forested at that. Or even a bit recklessly finding the World Tree in every piece of foliage/botanical motif that met his eye. Nonetheless, this thorough study of the cross and its poetic/symbolic associations with Yggdrasil comes off rather well! His findings may even reveal the terms in which the cross and the Christian narrative were understood and interpreted by medieval Scandinavian, Anglo-Saxon, and Germanic peoples, as they interpreted the Christain narrative as the fulfillment of their own culture’s stories, and simultaneously imagined themselves into the Christain story. Murphy convincingly shows these Northern peoples’ poetic imaginations were certainly peopled by trees, and thus, tree motifs were not lost on them, and usually took on Germanic tones in the process.
Murphy again writes with charity and sensitivity to the ways Northern peoples might have seen themselves in the Christain story. He helpfully abstains from employing the accusatory term of synchronism, instead preferring a much more mythopoetic and interpretive lens toward premodern religious change. For that I cannot thank him enough.
His basic insights in this study likely hold true. He is right to notice tree motifs across the Northern European world and connect these to both Yggdrasil and the Cross, variously, and sometimes even, together. In some chapters, like his analysis of the Dream of the Rood, this argument holds quite strong, providing deep, novel, and persuasive insights into the text via a close reading. In other chapters, like that of the Elder Futhark alphabet, his findings are associative at best, rather than argumentative. But, scholars (and myself) owe Murphy a great debt for making the associations he makes, even their most tenuous, which usefully expand our conceptions surrounding paganism, Christianity, conversion, and the poetic imagination of Northern Europeans.
Occasionally, he verges on seeing too readily Yggdrasil in every tree perhaps, in a region which was quite densely forested at that. Or even a bit recklessly finding the World Tree in every piece of foliage/botanical motif that met his eye. Nonetheless, this thorough study of the cross and its poetic/symbolic associations with Yggdrasil comes off rather well! His findings may even reveal the terms in which the cross and the Christian narrative were understood and interpreted by medieval Scandinavian, Anglo-Saxon, and Germanic peoples, as they interpreted the Christain narrative as the fulfillment of their own culture’s stories, and simultaneously imagined themselves into the Christain story. Murphy convincingly shows these Northern peoples’ poetic imaginations were certainly peopled by trees, and thus, tree motifs were not lost on them, and usually took on Germanic tones in the process.
June 19, 2019
This is an absolute page turner that beautifully and respectfully handles the syncretism of Yggdrasil and Norse paganism with Christianity. Even if the author is only half right, you can't help but be in awe at the extremely powerful mythopoetic connections that persist to this day.
March 9, 2024
This book was completely new territory for me, a first foray into Northern mythology and cosmology. I am starting to see a number of contact points that likely served as inspiration for Tolkien's legendarium. This book has important discussions related to the relationship between pagan mythologies and their fulfillment (or not) in Christ.
October 14, 2015
Read here how Christianity adopted some of the most meaningful myths of northern European paganism and married them to its own lore of the Cross and salvation. Along the way, peruse various artifacts, Christian and pagan, and listen to intriguing interpretations as to their meaning. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, much as I enjoyed Murphy's book on the Holy Grail, and I feel I not only learned a lot, but had an enlightening imaginative experience. Murphy does have a tendency toward neat original explanations, so much so it is difficult for me to take his scholarship seriously at times; nevertheless, his enthusiasm and creativity of approach make him well worth reading.
February 19, 2024
If father Murphy goes too far with his last two chapters I’ll let him off for the first five. ’Is exhortation’, as will be everything a priest writes.
His very good and plausible idea is that in the meeting of Christianity and Germanic paganism it was the equivalence of Yggdrasil and the cross that made the vital natural link: the thing that carried the principle of renewal into a restored creation. And the sort of big-brained Jesuitical centrally-planned campaign of conversion that rebranded Jesus as a warband leader was unnecessary.
Maybe its true. Oh to have been a fly on the wall..
His very good and plausible idea is that in the meeting of Christianity and Germanic paganism it was the equivalence of Yggdrasil and the cross that made the vital natural link: the thing that carried the principle of renewal into a restored creation. And the sort of big-brained Jesuitical centrally-planned campaign of conversion that rebranded Jesus as a warband leader was unnecessary.
Maybe its true. Oh to have been a fly on the wall..
July 15, 2018
I particularly liked the section on Runes.
January 13, 2023
Genuinely very moving. A magnificent piece of work.
July 10, 2025
Very interesting concept and ideas about the conversion of the Scandinavian countries.
This is an excellent book for even understanding Christianity in a fairytale perspective. Beautiful.
This is an excellent book for even understanding Christianity in a fairytale perspective. Beautiful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2015
The little box asks me what I think. I think this book is brilliant. I can't recall the last time I have run across what are to me really new and interesting ways to interpret Norse cosmology. I came in thinking "Oh, I've always thought there was some World-tree imagery in Dream of the Rood, maybe this will go interesting places with that." I came out with a whole new perspective on the mythology and an intense desire to further examine those ideas.
The book is also wonderfully written. Prof. Murphy tells some lovely tales without losing any academic vigor. I am likely to be digging through his bibliography with almost as much glee as I read through the text.
The book is also wonderfully written. Prof. Murphy tells some lovely tales without losing any academic vigor. I am likely to be digging through his bibliography with almost as much glee as I read through the text.
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September 16, 2016Fantastic non-fiction book.
Most of this book is what I would call a well informed opinion.
A Catholic cleargyman takes a sympathetic look at the meaning of the central figure in Heathen belief system, the great world tree Yggdrasil. He also compares and contrasts the great world tree with the cross of christianity.
Good read for Heathens, Christian, and anyone who is just curious about the history of how these to belief systems met in the middle ages.
Most of this book is what I would call a well informed opinion.
A Catholic cleargyman takes a sympathetic look at the meaning of the central figure in Heathen belief system, the great world tree Yggdrasil. He also compares and contrasts the great world tree with the cross of christianity.
Good read for Heathens, Christian, and anyone who is just curious about the history of how these to belief systems met in the middle ages.
October 4, 2016
Truly an astonishing surprise. Quite a pleasure to read, it is also a very interesting and well documented book. Very insightful on how northern Europeans took Christianity and merged it with Odin's very own sacrifice and Yggdrasil's significance paralleled to the Holy Cross'.
A must-read to anyone interested in the christianization of Europe's and what was really going inside these people head back then.
A must-read to anyone interested in the christianization of Europe's and what was really going inside these people head back then.
January 19, 2017
scholarly, persuasive, fascinating, one of the very best books I've read in many years. The only drawback is the publisher's failure to reproduce the photographs in way that is anything but embarrassing.
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