Jarlshola
Encyclopedia
Jarlshola is a location in the municipality of Melhus
in Sør-Trøndelag
county, Norway
. The location is near the small farm of Rimul
in the Melhus urban area. It is thought to be the hiding place of Håkon Sigurdsson (also known as Hákon Sigurðsson, Hákon Earl
) and Tormod Kark
(or Þormóðr Karkr, the slave of the Jarl) on their last night before the infamous murder at Rimul
.
, by Snorri Sturluson
, there is a description of the arrival and departure from the cave (several lines about a dream
the Earl had are left out in this excerpt):
, there is only one location seeming to fit with the story. That is on the west side of the Gaula River near central Melhus in Sør-Trøndelag
county, Norway
. The cave is easily reached by foot.
Melhus
Melhus is a village and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Gauldalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Melhus...
in Sør-Trøndelag
Sør-Trøndelag
- References :...
county, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The location is near the small farm of Rimul
Rimul
Rimul is a farm in the municipality of Melhus in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is the scene of the murder of Håkon Sigurdsson by his slave Tormod Kark , as described in the Saga of king Olav Tryggvason in Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla.-Location:There is still a farm named Romol in the western...
in the Melhus urban area. It is thought to be the hiding place of Håkon Sigurdsson (also known as Hákon Sigurðsson, Hákon Earl
Earl
An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...
) and Tormod Kark
Tormod Kark
Tormod Kark was the slave and friend of Håkon Sigurdsson . Hoping for a reward, Kark killed the wanted earl and brought his head to enemy Olaf Tryggvason, later king of Norway. The murder happened at Rimul in Melhus...
(or Þormóðr Karkr, the slave of the Jarl) on their last night before the infamous murder at Rimul
Rimul
Rimul is a farm in the municipality of Melhus in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is the scene of the murder of Håkon Sigurdsson by his slave Tormod Kark , as described in the Saga of king Olav Tryggvason in Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla.-Location:There is still a farm named Romol in the western...
.
Historical references
In the Saga of king Olaf Tryggvason in the HeimskringlaHeimskringla
Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
, by Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
, there is a description of the arrival and departure from the cave (several lines about a dream
Dream
Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, philosophical intrigue and religious...
the Earl had are left out in this excerpt):
| Original text | English translation |
|---|---|
| Fór jarl þá ok þræll hans með honum, er Karkr er nefndr. Íss var á Gaul, ok hratt jarl þar í hesti sínum, ok þar lét hann eptir mottul sinn, en þeir fóru í helli þann er siðan er kallaðr Jarlshellir. Þá sofnuðu þeir [...] Siðan stóð hann upp, ok gengu þeir á bøinn Rimul. | Then the earl went off with a slave he had, named Kark. There was ice upon the Gaula River, and the earl led his horse into the river and left his coat lying there; then they went on into a cave later known as Jarlshola. There they fell asleep [...] Then they arose and went to the farm Rimul. |
Location
Since the mentioned happenings took place around year 995AD, it has not been possible to determine beyond doubt the exact location of the cave. However, as one knows it was close to the still existing farm RimulRimul
Rimul is a farm in the municipality of Melhus in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is the scene of the murder of Håkon Sigurdsson by his slave Tormod Kark , as described in the Saga of king Olav Tryggvason in Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla.-Location:There is still a farm named Romol in the western...
, there is only one location seeming to fit with the story. That is on the west side of the Gaula River near central Melhus in Sør-Trøndelag
Sør-Trøndelag
- References :...
county, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The cave is easily reached by foot.