Four kilometres north of Skarnsundbrua, a rock dome at Kvennavika holds 13 fish figures carved into the stone 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. It is the largest known collection of fish carvings in northern Scandinavia.
What makes the site unusual is that all the figures appear to have been carved at the same time for a single purpose. The fish are placed in a deliberate pattern: lines drawn through their bodies converge at one point on top of the rock dome. Some researchers believe a shaman or ritual leader stood at that focal point, performing ceremonies to ensure good fishing for the group.
When the carvings were made, the land was still depressed from the weight of the ice age glaciers. The old shoreline sat 34 metres higher than today, putting this rock right at the water's edge. What is now a hillside above farmland was once a beach.
What makes the site unusual is that all the figures appear to have been carved at the same time for a single purpose. The fish are placed in a deliberate pattern: lines drawn through their bodies converge at one point on top of the rock dome. Some researchers believe a shaman or ritual leader stood at that focal point, performing ceremonies to ensure good fishing for the group.
When the carvings were made, the land was still depressed from the weight of the ice age glaciers. The old shoreline sat 34 metres higher than today, putting this rock right at the water's edge. What is now a hillside above farmland was once a beach.
