Jomfru Marias Synål Avaldsnes, bautastein dommedag segn

Virgin Mary’s Sewing Needle

Text: Marit Synnøve Vea

Jomfru Marais Synål. Vi reknar med at 2/3 av steinen er over jorda, 1/3 under. (Foto Marit Synnøve Vea)

Virgin Mary’s Sewing needle. We estimate that 2/3 of the stone is above the soil, 1/3 below. (Photo Marit Synnøve Vea)

On the north side of the church stands the Virgin Mary’s Sewing Needle which looks as if it is leaning against the church wall. Measuring 7.2 metres it is one of Norway’s tallest standing stones, but it has been even higher.

Old legends tell us that doomsday will come when the stone touches the church wall, so in times gone by priests at Avaldsnes, under cover of darkness, have climbed up the stone and chipped pieces from the top, thus saving the world from destruction.

The name of the stone comes from a runic inscription “Mikjall Maria næstr” which means Michael the next after Mary. This we can interpret as showing that the pagan cultures have been “Christianised” and given a place in St Michael’s culture.

The doomsday legend can be traced back to this time as Michael was known as the angel who would sound a horn to signal the end of the world.

Originally Virgin Mary’s Sewing Needle was one of five huge standing stones that were erected at Avaldsnes, probably in the 3rd Century AD. These stones constituted a sacred place of heathen cult. Today, Virgin Mary’s Sewing Needle is the only one that stands on its original place.

The first church at Avaldsnes was probably built by King Olav Tryggvason sometimes between 995 – 1000. According to tradition he built his small wooden church in the midst of the sacred place of heathen cult.

I dag er avstanden mellom Synåla og kyrkjeveggen 9.2 cm, (Foto Cathrine Glette)

Today the gap between the Doomsday stone and the Church wall is 9.2 cm!! (Photo Cathrine Glette)

The second church is supposed to have been built by St. Olav. Thus; Håkon Håkonson’s larger stone church which you can see at Avaldsnes today is the third church situated on the same place.

Håkon Håkonsson had great respect for the Doomsday Stone; when he built his royal church, he let the north wall of the church be angled slightly to prevent contact with the stone.

Today the gap between the church wall and doomsday is only 9.2 cm. !!

Virgin Mary’s Sewing Needle is also connected with the legend circuit around St. Olav. (See Legends about St. Olaf)

viking — Vikings

The Viking Age was the years between 750 – 1100 when people from Norway, Sweden and Denmark made a name for themselves and became a political force to be reckoned with throughout Europe. From their travels in Europe, they adopted new ideas, cultural impulses and a new religion – Christianity.

The Vikings are best known as pirates and warriors, but they were also sailors, merchants, craftsmen, farmers, fishermen, poets, explorers and nation-builders. The Scandinavian national states were founded during the Viking Age. And it is now the Northerners develop a vessel that better organized and wealthier societies on the Continent don’t have; The Viking ship. It was the seaworthiness of the Viking ships, together with the sailors’ knowledge of navigation and seamanship, which made it possible for them to conquer the ocean .
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vikinggard — Viking Farm

The Viking Farm is situated a ten minutes’ walk from the Middle Age church at Avaldsnes. You will find it on a small, forested island, just inside the rocks where king Olav Tryggvason in 998 drowned a group of wizards.

In the farmyard you will find a longhouse, a boat house for a Viking warship, a roundhouse and several smaller buildings. Outside the farmyard there are paths through the forest for those who will just seek some peace and tranquility.

In the summer season the Viking Farm is open for tourists. All year in the evenings and in weekends it is possible to rent the longhouse for guided tours and banquets. Each year in June there is a Viking Festival at the Viking Farm. Then Vikings from many countries set up their tents among the reconstructed buildings.
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The sagas tell that king Olav Tryggvason opened several burial mounds at Avaldsnes. (Photo Ørjan Iversen) — History Centre

Nordvegen History Centre tells the story about how Avaldsnes became The First Royal Throne of Norway. Harald Fairhair, the king who unified Norway into one kingdom, will present you for princes and kings who ruled the “North Way” from Avaldsnes.

Some of these rulers we know from the sagas of the Norwegian kings, the heroic sagas and old skaldic poems. Others have become known to us through archaeological digs.
You will also get a glimpse into the magic world that people once believed to be true and meet sorcerers, shield maidens and Norse gods.

At the Nordvegen History Centre, we tell these stories of old using films, sound clips, lights, figures and objects. WELCOME TO AN EXCITING VISIT!
Read more here

Virgin Mary’s Sewing Needle

Vikings

Viking Farm

History Centre