Tuesday 24 January 2012

Standing Stone

This stone, which stands at the mouth of the Hafrsfjord in Stavanger, bears no inscription but is thought to date back to the Viking age. It stands atop a burial mound which is evidently pre-Christian. Similar stones can be found in neighbouring areas, and an old saying connects these with the Viking Chieftain Erling Skjalgsson (980 to 1028 A.D.). The story goes that after he was killed by Olav den Hellige, his men carried him home to Sola. At each place where they stopped to rest and had to place the bier on the ground, they later went back to raise a standing stone.

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