Woden Christ

“That Christ of yours sounds like a remarkable person, much like Woden. Perhaps they could be good friends, like we are.”

Much of what we know about Redbad’s time comes from missionaries. These accounts paint a picture of how Christianity reached the Frisians, often accompanied by tales of conflict, such as the desecration of Fositesland, or the story of Redbad at the baptismal font.

And yet another development took place as well. Not one of resistance, but of coexistence between the two religions. The Woden Christ, an image of Christ enthroned, is an example of syncretism: a blending of imagery from both religions. It must represent Christ because he has a cross-shaped nimbus around his head. However if you look more closely, you will see that the figure is flanked on both sides by two birds, a clearly pagan motif. By using the imagery of Woden for the new god, it was perhaps easier to persuade pagans to accept the Christian faith.

So, although there was certainly conflict, such as Pepin sending missionaries, Boniface being murdered, and Redbad takung the life of one of Willibrord’s companions following the desecration of Fositesland, we also see these signs and symbols where both faiths coexisted. For many ‘ordinary’ Frisians, this was probably a gradual transition from one faith to the other.