The legend of Torghatten
As you sail along Northern Norway’s Helgeland coast, look out for a mountain with a hole right through its heart. This is Torghatten, and the tale behind this landmark of the Norwegian coast is as dramatic as the view.
The legend of Torghatten mountain is deeply embedded in Norwegian mythology. At the centre of the distinctive, 258-metre-tall mountain is a hole that’s 160 metres long, 35 metres high, and 15 to 20 metres wide – that’s big enough for us to sail a Hurtigruten ship through!
The general consensus among scientists and geologists is that Torghatten's hole was formed thousands of years ago during the Scandinavian Ice Age. After a period sitting at a lower level, the mountain was pushed upwards, during which time the sea gradually eroded a hole through its layers of rock.
But the Torghatten legend is a much more exciting tale, one of frustrated desire, an arrow, and a hat. This being Norway, it is also a tale of giant trolls. Trolls are by far the most talked about mythical creature here, and us Norwegians spend much of our childhood hearing stories about these giants.
Before we begin, you need to know that trolls turn to stone the moment they’re touched by sunlight. It’s the reason we have so many strangely shaped mountains and rocks here in Norway!
How Torghatten got its hole
Suliskongen, the Troll King of Sulis, had seven troll daughters. These seven sisters irritated him so much that, one day, he couldn’t stand it any longer; he employed the beautiful maid Lekamøya to look after them.
Lekamøya and the seven sisters were bathing in the sea when the troll Hestmannen, the only son of Suliskongen’s enemy, spotted them and became consumed with desire for Lekamøya. Being a youth at the mercy of his passions, he mounted his horse and charged across the sea towards them.
Lekamøya saw him coming and commanded the seven sisters to run. The group took off, charging along Norway’s coast. It didn’t take long for Suliskongen’s daughters to notice that Hestmannen was an attractive troll prince, and the only son of a troll king. In quick succession, one after the other they stopped to let him catch them. But Hestmannen galloped past them all; his heart was set on Lekamøya.
As the sun started to rise, Hestmannen realised his chase was futile. He was not going to catch Lekamøya before the sun’s rays hit the ground. Instead, he fired his arrow at her in rage.
Fortunately for Lekamøya, the sight of seven sisters, a beautiful maid, and a giant horseman stampeding along the coast had attracted some attention. Among the onlookers was the Troll King of Sømna, who threw his hat in the way of the arrow to shield Lekamøya. The arrow pierced the hat, puncturing a hole straight through it.
At that moment, the sun rose, turning the seven sisters, Lekamøya, Hestmannen, and his hat to stone. As they fell, they formed the striking array of rocks and mountains in the region. The Sømna king's hat became Torghatten with the hole through the centre pierced by Hestmannen’s arrow.
Visit Torghatten with Hurtigruten
You can get closer to the hole – and even walk right through it – on one of our shore excursions on the Coastal Express and the Svalbard Line. Travelling by bus from Brønnøysund to Torget Island, we head to the foot of Torghatten from where we embark on a 30-minute hike to the centre.
