Votive ship from Kølstrup church
Votive ship from Kølstrup Church (Kølstrup Kirke). The ship is now at Møntergården in Odense. Photo: Jens Gregers Aagaard.
Intro
Votive ships are common in Danish churches. Some of the ships were given to the church by sailors in gratitude for a safe return from a hazardous voyage. Others symbolised the congregation being steered safely through life with Christ at the helm.
At the bidding of the gods
Faith and rituals have shaped life on Funen since antiquity. In the hope of gaining the gods’ favour, Funen’s inhabitants dispatched grave goods to the kingdom of the dead, constructed churches and wore both Thor’s hammers and Christian crosses.
The many faces of religion
Through time, the faith practised by the people on Funen, have pointed in various directions. The greatest change took place in the 10th century when the kings and magnates of the Viking Age introduced Christianity in direct confrontation with Nordic mythology. But Funen’s inhabitants also practised magic and sorcery and 'borrowed' from religions in foreign countries.
This location is part of the exhibition 'Funen – at the centre of the universe', at Møntergården in Odense. Read more about the exhibition on our website.
At the bidding of the gods
Faith and rituals have shaped life on Funen since antiquity. In the hope of gaining the gods’ favour, Funen’s inhabitants dispatched grave goods to the kingdom of the dead, constructed churches and wore both Thor’s hammers and Christian crosses.
The many faces of religion
Through time, the faith practised by the people on Funen, have pointed in various directions. The greatest change took place in the 10th century when the kings and magnates of the Viking Age introduced Christianity in direct confrontation with Nordic mythology. But Funen’s inhabitants also practised magic and sorcery and 'borrowed' from religions in foreign countries.