Viking Urnes Style: The Last Phase of Viking Art and Viking Glory

The Viking Urnes Style was the last in the list of Viking art. Because it was created in the time when the glory of the Vikings was to blur. That was during the transition phase of religion in the Viking community. Overall, though it was influenced by the new religion, the Urnes style was still a modification of the previous Viking styles. 

The reason why we call it Urnes style was because the pattern was on the church in Urnes, Norway. The Viking Urnes style was used during the 11th century and the 12th century. 

The Urnes style commonly presented the figure-8 and multitudes of loops in the main patterns. Like the previous Viking art, the Urnes style presented an extraordinary beast which was a greyhound-like creature and snakes. They bit each other creating the loops and the figure-8. 

The door of the stave church in Urnes, Norway. It depicts the Viking Urnes Style

The animals were still that curvesome. The spiral hips appeared in the Urnes style but not as much as it did in other earlier styles like the Mammen style. The animal also had a larger eye and it looked similar to a water drop. And both of the animals and the snake entangled and bit one another. 

Besides the church in Urnes, Norway, the archaeologists also found out Viking artifact of the Urnes style, for example, in the runestone. 

Viking runestone with the Viking Urnes style. The runes on the surface read: "Bjorn Odulv, Gunnar, Holmdis erected this stone in memory of Ulv, Ginnlog’s husband. And Asmund carved it"

A view from behind of the stave church with the famous Viking Urnes style