Synopsis

An analysis of the man and dragon combat from the Sigurd legend in the North of England to the first carvings of St Michael and the Dragon This dissertation concerns the Scandinavian myth of Sigurd slaying Fafnir the dragon and the reference to St Michael fighting the dragon in the Revelations of St John. It describes the Viking age carvings of Sigurd in the Isle of Man and in the North of England, as well as associated early Norman carvings of St Michael fighting the dragon from both North and South of England.

Dates are offered for the carvings, based largely on stylistic evidence. Ideas are suggested for the status and use of the Sigurd motif in Anglo-Scandinavian carvings, but the main question of the dissertation centres around the idea that there is a path of continuity between the images of Sigurd slaying the dragon and those of St Michael, with a Scandinavian style of dragon The discussion asks if this link is a symbolic or purely decorative one, and to what degree this path of continuity exists.