The sundial on Giske
0
On the southern wall of Giske Church, facing the sea, there is a sundial carved into one of the marble stones. A modern sundial consists of a circle split into 24, correlating to the 24 hours of the day. That division of the dial was new in the north and arrived with Chrstianity. But in the transition period between pre-christian and christian times, the dial had another kind of division. The sundial on Giske shows a division of the day’s time into 32. This means that the sundial dates from pre-christian times. The sundial has a line at each 11 ¼ degrees. However, christian time is also carved onto the dial in addition to the 32 divisions. The ‘third hour’ and ‘the ninth hour’ are drawn on. This is in accordance with the Icelandic ‘Christian Law’ which is a calculation of time relating to Spring. The Icelandic christian law expresses a compromise between the old pagan time system and the newer christian one.