There is some debate over the subject of this panel. Some scholars believe that it depicts the Visitation (Luke 1:30–56), the moment at
which Elizabeth (pregnant with John the Baptist) and Mary (pregnant with the Christ child) embrace, and the Baptist leaps for joy in
recognition of Christ’s divinity. Other scholars believe it represents the biblical sisters Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38–42), symbols
of the active and contemplative sides of monastic life. Still others believe that it is a deliberate conflation of the two subjects.
The concrete blocks and lower fragments of the panel were added by Duncan during his restoration of the cross. The difference in scale
between the hemlines and feet in the lower section and the proportions and drapery of the torsos in the upper section may indicate that
the block with the feet does not belong here and is, perhaps, part of a now lost monument. Unlike the other figures on this side of the
cross, the women wear sturdy shoes or slippers.
The inscription is unique on the monument for its combination of Latin and runic letters. It reads […] marþ[a] (left border); mar[ia]
m[…]r + (top border); dominnæ c[…] (right border). The words have been translated as either ‘Martha and Mary worthy women’, or, more
problematically, ‘Martha and Mary, mother of the Lord’.
