THIS PAPER presents and discusses a unique insular reliquary shrine discovered in an early 9th-century woman’s grave at Melhus, central Norway, over a century ago. In addition to a detailed re-evaluation of the shrine and its use in its original ecclesiastical context, the paper also proposes an alternative interpretation as to how the local pagan population may have conceptualised this Christian object after it arrived in Norse hands. While most of the insular ecclesiastical items in Scandinavia were broken up and transformed into personal ornaments, the Melhus shrine was kept complete, suggesting it was considered to be of special value. It is argued here that this status should be seen in association with the shrine’s involvement in local narratives and ritual aspects connected with the earliest voyages across the North Sea. The woman with whom the reliquary was buried may have played a central role in these rituals.

中文翻译：

---

来自梅尔胡斯的岛屿圣物：早期维京时代挪威岛屿教会材料的意义

本文介绍并讨论了一个多世纪前在挪威中部梅尔胡斯的 9 世纪早期妇女坟墓中发现的独特的岛屿圣物圣地。除了详细重新评估神殿及其在其原始教会背景下的使用外，该论文还提出了另一种解释，即当地异教徒人口如何在它到达北欧人手中后对其进行概念化。虽然斯堪的纳维亚半岛的大部分岛屿教会物品都被分解并变成了个人装饰品，但梅尔胡斯神殿仍然完好无损，表明它被认为具有特殊价值。这里有人认为，这种地位应该与神殿参与当地叙事和与最早穿越北海的航行相关的仪式相关联。