What you see here is an example of the finest type of Anglo-Scandinavian sculpture known as “Hogbacks.” After the Scandinavian viking invasions, Hogbacks emerged in the tenth century as a style of grave marker that reveals the Celtic influences of the British Isles along with the Danish homeland of the recent settlers. You can make out the shingles that mimic rooftops — the Hogbacks likely were grave memorials imagined as houses of the dead. The style pictured here is known as the “Brompton” type (from the Church where the most elaborate Hogbacks were found) and has stylized beasts that embrace either end. In the example here, bears with straps in their mouths grip the sides of the sculpture.
