Ekeberg Forest

Oslo · Norway · Forest

Inside the hill, the Ekeberg King holds court with his subterranean folk — linger in the woods at dusk and you risk being taken into the mountain.

The steep Ekeberg woods above the Oslofjord carry one of the city's oldest legend cycles: the Ekeberg King, ruler of the hidden folk, who dwelt in a treasure-filled mountain hall inside the ridge. Folklore collector P. Chr. Asbjørnsen, raised on Sunday outings here, wrote the tales down: women spirited into the hill, newborns swapped for changelings of the underground people, and feast music heard from within the rock at night. Popular wit insisted the Ekeberg King was the spitting image of the fabulously rich merchant Bernt Anker. These legends are counted as the very origin of Asbjørnsen's collecting life. Even now, when fog drifts up from the fjord between the pines and the Iron Age burial mounds, it is easy to see where the stories came from.

FAQ

Where is Ekeberg Forest located?

Ekeberg Forest is in Oslo, Norway.

More haunted places in Oslo

• Oslo Ladegård (the Old Bishop's Manor) Oslo · Manor
• St. Hallvard's Cathedral Ruins Oslo · Ruin
• Old Aker Church Oslo · Church
• Steilene Islands Oslo · Natural site
• Mangelsgården – Prinds Christian Augusts Minde Oslo · Historic building
• St. Margaret's Church Ruins, Maridalen Oslo · Ruin
• Odderøya – the Quarantine Station and Cholera Cemetery Agder · Cemetery
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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.