[Amateur]

There was still "World Serpent" (Midgårdsormen) - in the old Norse religion until the adoption of Christianity. In the art of the peoples of Scandinavia at the time that the serpent, perhaps, dominated - both in itself and as an element of ornamentation (see 1, about 1030). Even during the transition to Christianity (in the XI - XII centuries). He did not immediately handed over their positions in the arts, and more than one hundred years represented, along with Christian symbols - and not just on runic stones (see 2, about 1060), even in the ornament of the Christian Churches (see 3 - church in Urnes, 1130, carving on the western wall). In 1880-ies. This serpent again briefly emerged from obscurity, but there is already completely lost its religious significance and became one of the elements of the so-called decor Nordic (nordisk, fornnordisk) style in painting, architecture and decorative art of the Scandinavian countries (see 4, mirror and candlesticks, alas, lost). Nordic style lasted little more than 10 years and together with the "Serpent" faded away, replaced with modern elements. Given such a short duration of this style and flourish as follows did not, therefore, good examples of things done in a pure Nordic style can be seen rarely. However, in the past 20 years, "World Serpent" is sometimes possible to meet again - on modern jewelry and leather goods, carried artels "folk art", mainly in the vicinity of Uppsala.