Perhaps you haven't been there yet? At Norheim, near the Karmsund bridge, stand five monoliths known as The Five Wicked Virgins. They are placed where the Karmsundet is at its narrowest, clearly visible to people sailing by. The name is linked to legends about Saint Olav, but actually, this is a star-shaped burial site from the younger Roman Iron Age.
Norse and local legends
It is assumed that the triangle shape of the grave was connected to Yggdrasil in the Viking era. The ancient poems Grimnismål and Gylfaginning narrate that Thor wades across the Karmsundet every day when he is going to the holy Yggdrasil tree where the gods convene.
Today, this monument carries the name "The Five Foolish Virgins", and is associated with a local legend about Olav the Holy and the Christianization of Norway: The legend says that Olav the Holy sailed through Karmsundet in connection with a visit to the royal farm at Avaldsnes, when five young girls stood at the shore offering themselves. The king is said to have shouted back that there they could stand in their shamelessness – and the girls turned into stone.
Here they still stand, looking out over the strait towards the Olav church at Avaldsnes…
Now you can see magnificent dancers from the Karmøy culture school visualize these stories. The mood is set by the culture school's musicians. Take a trip out to the cultural monument and download the Time Travel app!
Choreography: Ingeborg Beate D. Jønsson
Costume: Candice Bredesen
Music: Halvor Lillesund
Film: Erlend Bjelland, Absurd film
Concept: Camilla Vandvik/Ane Alvestad, Karmøy kommune
Outdoor Stage
Karmøy municipality has in recent years worked on digitally communicating its rich cultural heritage, accessible to everyone at any time.
Which characters could one encounter in the streets of Skudeneshavn during its heyday? What was it like for the neighbors when the Germans occupied Syreneset fort? These are glimpses of historical narratives in the Time Travel app.
We are fortunate to have many engaged contributors and partners; such as the Viking Club, Karmøy culture school, Scenekraft, Absurd Film, museums, musicians and actors.
Time Travel was launched in 2018 as a city walk in Old Skudeneshavn. Queen Sonja was actually among the first to test the app on her visit to Karmøy! Now in 2024, the app contains more than 20 films from all over Karmøy.