Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.1992, Qupperneq 25

TVEIR ÚTHÖGGNIR DYRUSTAFIR FRÁ LAUFÁSI
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Preserved records tell of two fires that destroyed a church at Laufás, first in 1167, and
then in 1258. No later fires are recorded and it is indicated that the church that was erected
after the fire in 1258 may have survived until 1631.
It is suggested in the article that the carved posts date from the period around 1260, when
a new church was built after the fire in 1258. On one of the pieces both animal figures and
plant motifs are carved, the ornaments on the other one are plant motifs, mainly palmettes.
The National Museum of Iceland also possesses another pair of carved posts, from Mæli-
fell in Skagafjörður, that in many ways resembles the Laufás pieces.
The author concludes that the Laufás pieces most probably belonged to a stave church
portal. He points out similarities between them and portals from several Norwegian church-
es, especially the now vanished Rissen church, near Trondheim (demolished 1650), another
from Rennebu, also Váge in Gudbrandsdal and Bodalen.
The author considers it likely that the carver was a professional and probable that he had
been abroad. He discusses possible English influence on the carvings, either directly from
England or through Norway.