Did you know that every Danish church has a replica of a sailing ship hanging from the ceiling? There are around 1300 models hanging all over the country, the oldest being exactly 300 years old.
Since before the Christian era, belief was that offering a ship to the Gods would guarantee a safe trip to the crew. Once the Christianity spread in the country, the tradition was kept and the miniatures started being offered like any other ex-voto. Didn't expect to find such a thing in a reformed church though.
The symbol is especially powerful since the Church's history is full of marine metaphors. The life of a Christian is considered a journey over a tempestuous sea, with Jesus guiding him as a pilot. The Church itself is said to be a ship, with Christ as captain. A church, as a building, is divided in naves. And in Denmark the church ceilings were traditionally made of wood beams, as to represent a ship turned upside down.
Can anybody figure out what the anchor means?
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