Dates as given by the sources linked · Published 31 October 2026
Stones and objects
- AD 798
Vikings enter the Irish Sea
History According to the Irish chronicles, Vikings from Scandinavia first entered the Irish Sea in AD 798. Dirk H. Steinforth, Thorvald’s Cross: the Viking-Age cross-slab ‘Kirk Andreas MM 128’ and its iconography (Archaeopress), free sample ↗
- mid-10th century
Thorwald’s Cross, Andreas
History Dirk Steinforth calls it a fragmentary mid-10th-century cross-slab in the parish church of Andreas, in the north of the Isle of Man. Dirk H. Steinforth, Thorvald’s Cross: the Viking-Age cross-slab ‘Kirk Andreas MM 128’ and its iconography (Archaeopress), free sample ↗
- about 1890 to 1910
Kermode’s cast of the cross
History The iMuseum also lists a cast of the cross made about 1890 to 1910 by Philip Moore Callow Kermode. iMuseum (Manx National Heritage): Thorwald’s Cross Slab (Manx Cross 128) cast ↗
- 21st century
A replica of the cross
History The iMuseum lists a replica of Thorwald’s Cross, made in the 21st century. iMuseum (Manx National Heritage): Replica of Thorwald’s cross ↗
- 23 October 2018
A 3D model goes online
History Manx National Heritage published a 3D model of Thorwald’s Cross online on 23 October 2018. Manx National Heritage: Thorwald’s Cross Slab (Manx Cross 128), 3D model on Sketchfab ↗
Thorwald’s Cross was carved more than two hundred years before Snorri Sturluson was born. The stone is not a copy of his book, and his book is not a guide to the stone.
The books, in order
- 1178
Snorri Sturluson is born
History Snorri Sturluson (Snorre Sturleson in Anderson’s spelling) was born in Iceland in 1178. Snorri Sturluson, The Younger Edda (the Prose Edda), trans. Rasmus B. Anderson, Project Gutenberg ↗
- 1241
Snorri is killed at Reykholt
History Snorri was killed at Reykholt in Iceland on 22 September 1241, aged sixty-three. Snorri Sturluson, The Younger Edda (the Prose Edda), trans. Rasmus B. Anderson, Project Gutenberg ↗
- about 1400
“Snorri compiled Edda”
History The Annales Breviores, thought to have been written about 1400, say that Snorri ‘compiled Edda’. Snorri Sturluson, The Younger Edda (the Prose Edda), trans. Rasmus B. Anderson, Project Gutenberg ↗
- 1640
A manuscript goes to Copenhagen
History The Codex Regius manuscript of the Younger Edda was given to the Royal Library in Copenhagen in 1640. Snorri Sturluson, The Younger Edda (the Prose Edda), trans. Rasmus B. Anderson, Project Gutenberg ↗
- 1665
The first printed Younger Edda
History The first printed edition of the Younger Edda, the ‘Edda Islandorum’, was published by Peter Johannes Resen in Copenhagen in 1665. Snorri Sturluson, The Younger Edda (the Prose Edda), trans. Rasmus B. Anderson, Project Gutenberg ↗
- 1669
A manuscript for Upsala
History Another manuscript was presented to Upsala University in 1669 by Count Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie. Snorri Sturluson, The Younger Edda (the Prose Edda), trans. Rasmus B. Anderson, Project Gutenberg ↗
- 1797
The Elder Edda in English
History The mythological part of the Elder Edda was first published in English by A. S. Cottle, in Bristol, in 1797. Snorri Sturluson, The Younger Edda (the Prose Edda), trans. Rasmus B. Anderson, Project Gutenberg ↗
- 1866
Thorpe’s whole Elder Edda
History Benjamin Thorpe’s translation of the whole Elder Edda was published in London in 1866. Snorri Sturluson, The Younger Edda (the Prose Edda), trans. Rasmus B. Anderson, Project Gutenberg ↗
Dates for manuscripts and editions are the dates given by Anderson’s introduction. A translation date is not the date a story was first told.
Follow the thread
Snorri Sturluson, The Younger Edda (the Prose Edda), trans. Rasmus B. Anderson, Project Gutenberg ↗
iMuseum (Manx National Heritage): Thorwald’s Cross Slab (Manx Cross 128) cast ↗
iMuseum (Manx National Heritage): Replica of Thorwald’s cross ↗
Manx National Heritage: Thorwald’s Cross Slab (Manx Cross 128), 3D model on Sketchfab ↗
Retellings are in our own words. Every sentence above carries a label (History, Literature or Tradition) and a link to the source it was checked against. A legend is not a historical record.
Source method & more reading ↗