The large number of important VikingViking Customarily refers to the Scandinavian explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, and settled in wide areas of Europe and the North Atlantic islands from the late eighth to the mid-eleventh century.There is some debate over the meaning of this word, which is attested but rarely used in the early medieval period. It was revived as a term in Scandinavian languages in the 17th century and in English in the early 19th. In contemporary sources it refers to a raider or pirate, often in association with ships and predatory activity. Some modern scholars try to keep to this restricted definition; others are happy with a wider range of meaning, applying the word to Scandinavians and their culture from approximately 790 to the mid or late 11th century, especially outside the Scandinavian homelands.-age sculptured stones surviving from Gosforth shows that it must have been a ChristianChristian Name originally given to disciples of Jesus by outsiders and gradually adopted by the Early Church to designate all members of the church. centre of some importance in the 10th century. The area was settled by newly-converted Scandinavians in the late-9th century, and the carvings often show a mixture of Christian and Norse paganPagan Derived from Latin paganus, the Roman term for a rural dweller, this word came to be applied to those who were not Christian, particularly the followers of the classical religion of Greece and Rome and those who followed the pre-Christian religions of Europe images as the Vikings drew comparisons between their old and new beliefs. The Gosforth Cross in the churchyard is the tallest Viking crossCross Instrument of torture and execution used in the Roman Empire. The means by which Christ was put to death and therefore the primary symbol of the Christian faith, representing the means by which he is believed to have won forgiveness for humankind. The Cross may be represented as Tau-shaped (like a capital T); with a shorter cross-bar or with a circle enclosing the upper intersection (Celtic). In medieval art a cross made of living branches signifies the Tree of Life. St Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, is said to have discovered the True Cross (i.e. the Cross in Jerusalem on which Christ died) in 326. in the country, and has panels showing Christ’s crucifixionCrucifixion Execution by nailing or binding to a cross. Used frequently in the Roman Empire. The crucifixion of Jesus, recorded in all four Gospels, is believed by Christians to have made salvation available to humankind as well as scenes from Viking myth. Other sculpted 10th century stone inside the church includes ‘hogback’ style grave covers and the ‘fishing stone’.