Carved from a piece of oak, Ø approx. 26 cm

Irminsul was the main edifice of the Saxons of old, which was a big oak or wooden column. The meaning of "Irminsul" comes from Irmin, which means "powerfully, divinely, or greatly" and Sul which means "a column" and is also spelled as "Irmensäule"
Another composite meaning would be that the Irminsul was from the ancient times; it may have been a huge Oak tree of magnificent proportions. This tree would have been regarded as Holy by the ancient worshippers.
This immense tree, would have gained notice by those who had previously settled in, or passed through the area in which it was seen by the great migrations of humanity in prehistory.
It has been sumised that the Irminsul might also have been a column of wooden construction; massive of size and made through great effort. It would have been of such size, that it appeared to stretch to the heavens, and support the sky on its massive "arms".
Sadly, its precise location is now unknown, and lost to History. It may have been at Eresburg, also known as Eresburg Castle, near Obermarsberg, which is the area of Nordrhine - Westfalen. Writings from the year 772 CE suggested it may have been located in other areas, as described in the "Regni Francorum" or the Annals of the Franconian Empire.
Other evidence comes from stones near the mountainous areas of Velmerstot. Velmerstot is the northernmost and highest mountain of the Egge mountain range; it lies in the circle lip of North Rhine-Westphalia, and divides into the two hill crests of Prussian and Lippi Velmerstot (which are between 468 and 441 meters above sea level respectively).
It is a sad point of History to note that the Irminsul was eventually destroyed by the Franks, on a command given by Karl the Great in the year 772 CE, during the Saxon wars. This cause of this war was brought about by the Franks, who sought to punish and convert the Saxons living there to worship Christ. These brave people desired to hold onto the old ways, and worship in their own beliefs, which was the way of their ancestors. These Saxons refused to have the Christian belief system forced upon them.
The Irminsul symbolizes the connection of the sky with the earth. The monk Rudolf of Fulda, to whom we owe the only other surviving recorded details concerning the Irminsul, and as written in the transcriptions of Alexandria.
Quoting from Chapter 3 of this work: "Truncum quoque ligni non parvae magnitudinis in altum erectum sub divo colebant, Patria eum lingua Irminsul appellantes, quod Latine dicitur universalis columna, virtus sustinens omnia". Which, when translated means: "A trunk of wood, of no small size, standing upright, was worshipped as divine, calling it in their native language "Irminsul", which from the translated Latin "the pillar of the universe which sustains all."
Another version of an Irminsäule, apparently of Roman origin, is in the Hildesheim cathedral and may still be seen. A reference to "THE" Irminsul is unclear. Nearby to this church is the area known as Irminseul/Irmenseul, Segeste, The Dragon mountain and the Worms Valley. This area may be the area where the events of the Nibelungenlied (Song of the Nieblungs) were played out over one thousand years ago!