Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2006, Blaðsíða 49

THE LEIRVÍK “B0NHÚSTOFTIN” AND THE EARLY ChRISTIANITY OF THE FaROE ISLANDS, AND BEYOND
in county Kerry, provide good parallels
for the specific variant form of its chi-
rhou. In fact, these parallels are particu-
larly useful in another context, as the
inscriptions on both of these stones have
been assigned dates in the second half of
the sixth or the early seventh century
(McManus 1991, 96-97; Swift 1997, 76).
It is especially interesting to
note the statement, in the so-called Saga
of the Faroe Islanders, that Skúvoy was
the location of Sigmundr Brestisson’s
church. Given that the sources state
that he was instrumental in introducing
Christianity, it is generally accepted that
Skúvoy was the first church to be built
in the Faroe Islands in the Viking Age.
Elsewhere, the author of the Saga of the
Faroe Islanders confuses Skúvoy with
Stóra Dímun, another small island, and
it has been noted that this detracts from
the reliability of his transmission of old
traditions (Brú and Long 1962, 59, 102).
However, the question of whether it was
on Skúvoy or Stóra Dímun that the first
Viking-age church was built is not of pri-
mary interest in the present context, but
rather why this early tradition attaches
itself to one or other of these small and
remote islands, rather than to one of the
larger and more important islands in the
archipelago, such as Eysturoy, Streymoy
or Suðuroy? And why is it Skúvoy/Stóra
Dímun that carries this important distinc-
tion, rather than the major ecclesiastical
site of Kirkjubour, on Stremoy, where
the medieval episcopal centre of the
Faroe Islands later came to be located?
Could there have been an early tradition
Figure 12. Skúvoy cross-slab no. 8. Photo: J.
Sheehan.
Figure 13. Skúvoy cross-slab no. 8, detail
showing the chi-rho motif. Photo: J. Sheehan.
13 It is of interest to note, as an addendum, that another feature of several of the Skúvoy slabs, the central dimples that occur
at the crossing of the arms, also find parallels in early contexts in the Kerry cross-slabs, occurring, for instance, on the
Dromkeare ogham stone, the inscription on which has been dated to the late sixth or early seventh century (McManus 1991,
96-97).
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