Kinne-Vedum Church, Kinne-Vedum Kyrka, 12th C., Gotene, Sweden

Kinne-Vedum

This church dates from 1150-1200, see www.svenskakyrkan.se/default.aspx?di=720269;
in an area not far from the plateau settlement (and now nature preserve) called Kinnekulle.  We are trying to find what the "kinne" means. The K is pronounced like tsch -- Tschinnekulle, not Kin-nekulle.

1.  Its Time

This time frame places this church and area at the very beginning of Christian conversion in Sweden, by Saint Sigfrid, King Olof was converted in nearby Husaby in about 1000 AD, Google Timeline, Sweden's Christian History.

Kinne Vedum Kyrka, Kinne Vedum Church, Vastergotland, Sweden, exterior

2.  If You Visit

The best way to keep the churches identified is to snap the road signs. This area has many churches.

Kinne Vedum Church road sign

Parish bulletin, Kinne-Vedum Kyrka

This is an active parish. 

3.   Start church visits outside.

Kinne-Vedum:  12th Century beginnings. Old stones lean against walls.

3.1  Vast green areas

For old sites, these probably contain submerged graves and stones.  Our understanding is that if no-one is left to tend the grave, it will be courteously left to sink.  Very practical. That also is in accord with old Norse belief in Yggdrasil, the Tree of the Lives, in that the buried bodies allowed to blend underground, feed the great giant ash.  Our DK guide book is useless here: only noting that some lily stones are at this church, but explaining nothing. 

3.2  Old stones.

Pay attention.  These are not indoors, preserved.

Lily stone? for Resurrection? Kinne Vedum Church, Gotene, Sweden. No - now we think Yggdrasil, the old Viking Tree of Life symbol

• Lily Stones?

 Some of the oldest-looking stones appear to show no writing, but intertwined vine symbols, even different from the runes, with their angular, stick-like forms, that are not uncommon.  Are these the "lily" stones? Those are related to teaching the Resurrection, for Christians.  We think of heart-shapes as stemming from Sweden, Scandinavia, but why?  Are these the kinds of heart shapes that started the tradition?

• Yggdrasil - older tradition,

Now we think this is instead the old Viking Tree of Life, with the trunk starting below, and branching out, the tree named Yggdrasil.  For an image of such a Tree of Life, from the Forshem Museum nearby, see this jewelry design site, http://www.luckyfishart.com/vitrofli.html.   

• Where is the research?

Look for tattoos.

Looking further at that authoritative site, that contains also a tattoo selection, see a tattoo you can buy at http://www.luckyfish.com/pages/port/unique.htm,

The blurb indeed says the stone with this pattern, in the Forshem museum not far, is so named because the intertwined foliage represents Yggdrasil, there described as the "World Tree."  Why is it that tattoos and jewelry offer more of interest than a guide book? Or the internet, so far. This should be a fine topic for all kinds of tourists.

Lily Stone a/k/a Viking Tree of Life, Yggdrasil. Patterned intertwinings, stones, Kinne Vedum Church, Sweden

Search for Forshem museum and there it is:  go to http://www.panoramio.com/photo/52132558.  But it took a tattoo parlor to get there. This is ridiculous. We also were at Forshem, so continue there. 

Meanwhile, get a preview at http://www.svenskakyrkan.se/default.aspx?id=703701

3.3  Evidence of Traditions and cultures:

The history of Sweden and its people is complex, with some accounts tracing some to tribes in Biblical times, the Tribe of Dan, for example, migrating up the Caucasus, see http://www.cai.org/bible-studies/swedish-christian-history  This fits other accounts of Sigge Fridulfsson, see http://swedenroadways.blogspot.com/2010/12/swedish-history-its-own-entity.html  That may contribute to the variety and evolution of design, but these stones must be researched somewhere.  Looking.  Even a Pentecostal site (looking back for it) traces the Swedish people back to ancient Israelites, but offers no authority.  Where are the DNA tests?  Should be easy enough. We give up.  You take over, start at http://tracingthetribe.blogspot.com/2006/10/jewish-vikings-dna-mystery.html

Kinne Vedum, church view from wall, Gotene, Sweden

Note the additions through the years.

• Yggdrasil. 

 The giant ash.  See http://library.thinkquest.org/25326/Viking/tree.html.  Still researching.  This looks more like balanced design than tree branches.  And the design does not fit Norse symbols, as shown at http://symboldictionary.net/?page_id=703.

The ash links all the worlds. Look these up:  information from http://www.pantheon.org/articles/y/yggdrasil.htmlBeneath are three realms, Asgard, Aflheim and Niflheim.  There are three wells at the base of the trunk: Wells of Wisdom, Fate, and the Roaring Kettle, the source of mighty rivers. There are four deer that represent the four winds, and run across branches and eat buds.  The gossip squirrel lives there also, and the tree snake, and the golden cock on the top.  Serpents gnaw on the roots. When Ragnarok (like day of judgment?) arrives, Surt (the fire giant) will set the tree afire.  The Tree is also known as Odin's Horse (have to look it up); Hoddmimir's Wood; and Laerad.

Churchyard view, Kinne Vedum Church, Vastergotland, SE

4.  Discuss

If we think pre-Christian peoples were lacking in explanations that well meet the needs of life, we are mistaken.  Are ours any more reliable than theirs?  

Put yourselves in the leather boots of a potential convert.  Why believe in a Resurrection? 

In many ways the Tree of the Lives surpasses.  Resurrection, rising not from an altered state, but from actual "death.'  That was Paul's idea, for doctrine and institutional purposes, not related necessarily to the facts at the ground, see http://kngdv.blogspot.com/2011/04/roused-not-resurrected-difference-there.html

5.  Old church burial grounds are not jammed.

The burial ground is vast, but not crowded.  Wise.  Let the oldest ones fall back into the earth.  

Propped stones, Kinne Vedum Churchyard, Sweden

There is a person, lower right, side view, holding something diagonally to the right.  Will try

Churchyard, Kinne Vedum, SE.

Is this more like Yggdrasil, the giant Norse ash of mythology.  Did the Christians put an Easter-type overlay (intertwined lilies) over the Norse idea to make the old Norse feel at home?  Need a site for the Norse Christian Symbols Appropriations Committee.  

These green areas probably contain submerged gravesites.  Need to check.

Original exterior, Kinne Vedum Church, Sweden

Side entry addition, Kinne-Vedum Church, Sweden

We tried Kinne Vedum in an online translator, and could not find it.  Heritage of carpentry:  how were these roofs constructed, and how did so many survive -- see http://www.conservation.gu.se/digitalAssets/1091/1091837_Thelin___Linscott_Structural_definition_and_comparison_of_early_medieval_roof_structures.pdf

Vaxjo -- Emigration, Domkyrka, Yggdrasil and Welcome

 Vaxjo

Vaxjo has medieval Christian roots. Vaxjo:  Did you say Vacks-Joe?  That would be wrong.  Say (pretend you are a horse, chuffing) WUH-chxHch-yau. There you go.  In old manuscripts, it is spelled as it sounds to us:  Wexiow, see the account of Saint Sigfrid at http://www.bartleby.com/210/2/152.html

On the way, see some sights.

Kalmar to Vaxjo: Hospitality Committee

Vaxjo is mid-size, but the grid-streets mean cars once parked disappear. Note your location, use your camera for unpronounceable cross streets and landmarks, or have a GPS. Or plan to walk a lot.

Religious history.

Vaxjo or Vaexjo has a long religious Christian tradition, see Medieval Religious Life, Sigfrid.  Saint Sigfrid of Wexloe, also known as the Apostle of Sweden, Holy Sigfrid, or Sigfrid of Vaexjo, is the first Swedish Saint, made such in the 13th Century. The Swedish King Olof asked the English King Mildred to send an emissary of Christ, and Mildred sent Sigfrid who came with his three sons. Sigfrid had a dream of a place to build a church, went there with a son, and did so.  He then, alone, headed for Husaby, and converted King Olof there, but when he returned, his sons had been murdered.  There are, allegedly at a place called Odenslanda, three large stones marking where the sons' bodies are buried, after some adventures.  The heads are the subject of other stories, and are said to be on the seal of the church at Vaxjo. We didn't know at the time and missed it. The Medieval Religious Life site lists saints' days.

Immigration, Emigration.

The library here in Vaxjo houses the geneological databases for emigrants and that should be highlighted more, we think.  Town websites ignore it -  see ://www.vaxjo.se/VaxjoTemplates/Public/Pages/Page.aspx?id=1638 /  If you already know it is there, however, you are fine.  Archives, museum, research center, and library combined. See Swedish Emigration Institute at ://www.utvandrarnashus.se/eng/ We did not delve there, but understand there are the full panoply of CD's, cross references, anybody find anybody.  We need to go back and find Osterlund, above. See why at Kajsa Johannsdotter.

A favorite place turned out to be a church - a modern one, looks very active, no stodge.

Domkyrka, Cathedral:

The steeple committee forgot to coordinate the plans. We have seen many multiple steeples on Scandinavian churches, but this is the least integrated, we think. We are trying to find the story behind.

Domkyrka, Cathedral, Vaxjo, Sweden. Facade, double steeple

Doorway, Domkyrka, Cathedral, Vaxjo, Sweden

World's best Lion Latch, Cathedral, Vaxjo, Sweden

Modern interior, Dom Church, Cathedral, Vaxjo, Sweden

Chancel view, Vaxjo. Sweden, Cathedral

Organ, Domkyrka, Vaxjo, Sweden (Cathedral Church)

We are looking for St. Sigfrid's seal.

That is a woman priest.  Very refreshing.

Tree of Life, Cathedral at Vaxjo, Swedem

The tree of life has special significance in Scandinavia, as it is a symbol common also to the early religions with a large panoply of deities. Yggdrasil in traditional belief is a huge ash tree, linking and shielding all the worlds. Beneath the roots, find Asgard, and find the full explanation (in brief!) at ://www.pantheon.org/articles/y/yggdrasil.html/