Thorstein's Cross Slab, c.1906 (ink on paper)

This drawing was made by the first Curator of the Manx Museum, P.M.C. Kermode and shows a Viking age stone cross from Braddan. Kermode's intricate copying of the designs on all of the crosses have preserved much of the detail that the carvers wanted people to see. The inscription on this cross reads “Thorstein erected this cross to the memory of Ofeig, son of Crina”. Thorstein and Ofeig are Viking male names, Crina is a Celtic female name. This inscription with its mix of Viking and Celtic names, shows that although there were battles in the early years of Viking times, the Vikings eventually settled and integrated with the Manx community.