The Hoburg Man

Gotland · Sweden · Stone formation

A sea stack with a human face guards Gotland's southern tip, and sailors greeted him – those who forgot did not grow old.

At the very end of Hoburgen, where limestone cliffs drop straight into the Baltic, stands a rauk that from the right angle is an old man's face: closed mouth, heavy brow. Gotlanders called him Hoburgsgubben and believed a giant lived inside the rock itself. One legend tells of a poor farming couple nearby who were visited by the giant; he claimed to have lived in the cliff for seven hundred years and struck a bargain with them over their future. Other versions have him demanding that passing ships salute him. Sailors rounding Hoburgen would take off their caps and call out a greeting, since forgetting was said to summon storm and shipwreck. At dusk, with seabirds screaming and swell hammering the cliff foot, the face is hard to look away from.

FAQ

Where is The Hoburg Man located?

The Hoburg Man is in Gotland, Sweden.

More haunted places in Gotland

• Hultungs-Per and the Black Hound in Bunge Gotland · Site of legend
• The Boy Who Laughed in Kräklingbo Church Gotland · Church
• Sundres avrättningsplats Gotland · Execution site
• Ghost Hotel Gasten (Liseberg) Västra Götaland · Amusement park
• The Dog That Leapt into the Grave, Locknevi Småland · Cemetery
• The Evil One in the Smithy, Malmbäck Småland · Haunted site
• The Strange Herdsman with Hooves, Knäred Halland · Site of legend
• The Protective Circle at Gammelstad Church Norrbotten · Church

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: Ny Björn Gustafsson · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons