Hylestad Stave Church
The Stave Church Hylestad was a stave church in Hylestad at Rysstad in Setesdal in Fylke Agder in Norway . The church was built in the late 12th or early 13th century and demolished in the 17th century. Some of the complex wood carvings on the church door were saved. They are now on display in the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo.
The wood carvings in two former door leaves show seven scenes from the legend of Sigurd Fåvnesbane , three in one and four scenes in the other. Because of the clothing and equipment, the tablets were dated to the second half of the 12th century.
The figures and medallions on Hylestad I and the vine on Hylestad II show parallels to English and French manuscripts from around AD 1170.
One scene shows Sigurd (wearing a helmet) and Reginn (wearing a beard) in the forge.
One scene shows Sigurd holding the Gran sword.
One scene shows Sigurd killing the dragon.
The fourth scene (counted from bottom to top) on the second door panel shows Sigurd frying the dragon's heart and sucking the blood on his thumb while Reginn seems to be asleep.
In the fifth scene, Sigurd's horse Grani stands and carries Fafnir's treasure. Two birds are sitting in the branches of a tree. The birds probably belong to the group whose language Sigurd understood. This scene combines elements of the legend that took place before and after the Reginn assassination.
In the sixth scene, Sigurd kills Regin with his sword. The section in which Sigurd kills Reginn was the basis for a Norwegian postage stamp.
The seventh scene shows Sigurd's brother-in-law Gunnar in the snake pit, who plays a harp with his feet to calm the snakes.
- Woodcuts
Sigurd kills Fafnir
Sigurd kills Reginn
Sigurd licks the blood
Gunther in the snake pit
literature
- Gerard Franceschi, Asger Jorn, Oddgeir Hoftun: Stavkirkene - og det norske middelaldersamfunnet , Copenhagen Valby: Borgen 2003, ISBN 87-21-01977-0
- Erla Bergendahl Hohler: Norwegian stave church sculpture . Oslo 1999: Scandinavian University Press. ISBN 82-00-12748-6 , ISBN 82-00-12744-3
- Magnus Rindal: Soga om volsungane Det Norske Samlaget Oslo 1974. ISBN 82-521-0300-6