Jörmungandr of Gosforth

At St Mary's Church in the village of Gosforth, Cumberland, are a number of ancient, Viking hogback tombs. One represents Thor struggling with Jörmungandr, the great serpent, sometimes called Miðgarðsormr, ‘worm of Midgard’. It seems remarkable that even pagan peoples from the far, cold north should identify a world-dominating reptile:

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Revelation 12:9

Ancient man, even pagans and heathen, recalled Satan in his Edenic form, the lithe, powerfully eloquent serpent who would dominate the good world he did not create, and against whom battle must be made by a Hero. The Seed of the Woman destined to accomplish this would not be Thor or Odin, but Christ Jesus, Son of the Living God.