Irminsul

The Sacred tree at Uppsala mentioned by the eleventh-century chronicler, archbishop Adam of Bremen, could have a direct relation to the Irmin pillar; the flight of Widukind and other Saxon nobles to Denmark in 777 after the victory of Charlemagne has been presented as an event mediating late pagan cultural exchanges between Saxons and Scandinavia. At this time Old Saxon and Old Norse may still have been mutually intelligible, and the two neighbouring cultures probably retained open transmission of ideas.

Horned Helmet

During the High Middle Ages, fantastical headgear became popular among knights, in particular for tournaments (see, for example, the depiction of Wolfram von Eschenbach and others in the Codex Manesse). Some coats of arms, for example that of Lazar Hrebeljanovic depict them. It is sometimes argued that Iron Age helmets would not have been worn in battle due to the impediment to their wearer. However, impractical adornments have been worn on battlefields throughout history.

Loathly Lady

The loathly lady can be found in The Adventures of the Sons of Eochaid Mugmedon, in which Niall of the Nine Hostages proves himself the rightful High King of Ireland by embracing her; the motif can also be found in stories of the earlier high kings Lugaid Laigde and Conn of the Hundred Battles. In her capacity as a quest-bringer, the loathly lady can be found in the literature of the Holy Grail, including Chrétien de Troyes’ Perceval, the Story of the Grail, Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival, and the Welsh Romance Peredur, son of Efrawg associated with the Mabinogion.