Høvdingsete is a reconstructed Viking-age longhouse near Sandnessjøen, built on the site of one of northern Norway's most powerful chieftain farms. The building stretches 65 metres in length. This farm is prominently featured in Egils saga, one of the great Icelandic sagas. In the 870s, the chieftain Torolv Kveldulvsson married Sigrid, daughter of local lord Sigurd Herse, and took control of the estate. Torolv became one of Norway's wealthiest men and the first known exporter of stockfish from northern Norway, trading as far as England.
The story ends violently. Torolv fell out of favour with King Harald Fairhair, who arrived at Sandnes with 300 men, surrounded the longhouse during a feast, and set it ablaze. As Torolv charged out through the flames, he hurled his spear at the king but fell three feet short. The original memorial stone raised in his honour stood for a thousand years before being destroyed around 1900; a replacement now stands beside the longhouse.
Archaeological excavations in the 1980s uncovered cultural layers dating back to the 600s, boat rivets, German ceramics, and Helgeland's oldest known ploughed field, approximately 2,000 years old. Today visitors can attend Viking feasts, try axe throwing and archery, and explore the reconstructed hall. Open daily in summer, by appointment for groups the rest of the year.
The story ends violently. Torolv fell out of favour with King Harald Fairhair, who arrived at Sandnes with 300 men, surrounded the longhouse during a feast, and set it ablaze. As Torolv charged out through the flames, he hurled his spear at the king but fell three feet short. The original memorial stone raised in his honour stood for a thousand years before being destroyed around 1900; a replacement now stands beside the longhouse.
Archaeological excavations in the 1980s uncovered cultural layers dating back to the 600s, boat rivets, German ceramics, and Helgeland's oldest known ploughed field, approximately 2,000 years old. Today visitors can attend Viking feasts, try axe throwing and archery, and explore the reconstructed hall. Open daily in summer, by appointment for groups the rest of the year.
