At the farm Husabø near Leikanger, a slender stone pillar rises 7.8 metres into the air. Baldersteinen is believed to be the tallest standing stone (menhir) in Norway, dating to somewhere between AD 500 and 800. It was placed here as a memorial, though no one knows for certain who it commemorates.
The stone's name has long been linked to the saga of Fridtjov den frøkne, the bold Viking hero. The saga tells of a great place of worship called Baldershagen, and some have claimed this refers to the area around Husabø, where the stone stands. According to that tradition, the menhir marks Fridtjov's grave. Scholars are divided: the saga was written down centuries after the events it describes, and no archaeological evidence directly supports the connection.
What the ground has revealed is striking in its own right. In 1994, archaeologists excavated about 100 metres south of the stone and uncovered Baldershagen, a large Iron Age burial field. On the outskirts of the mound, a man's grave from the Viking Age or slightly earlier was found. The stone itself, the burial field, and the rich finds together suggest that Husabø was a place of considerable importance for centuries. The stone stands just below Highway 55, visible from the road.
The stone's name has long been linked to the saga of Fridtjov den frøkne, the bold Viking hero. The saga tells of a great place of worship called Baldershagen, and some have claimed this refers to the area around Husabø, where the stone stands. According to that tradition, the menhir marks Fridtjov's grave. Scholars are divided: the saga was written down centuries after the events it describes, and no archaeological evidence directly supports the connection.
What the ground has revealed is striking in its own right. In 1994, archaeologists excavated about 100 metres south of the stone and uncovered Baldershagen, a large Iron Age burial field. On the outskirts of the mound, a man's grave from the Viking Age or slightly earlier was found. The stone itself, the burial field, and the rich finds together suggest that Husabø was a place of considerable importance for centuries. The stone stands just below Highway 55, visible from the road.
