Tjelvar's Grave

Slite, Sweden

Tjelvar’s Grave is one of the best preserved stone ship settings in Gotland. According the legend Tjelvar, the first man lived in Gotland, is buried there. Archaeologists have dated the grave to made in the late Bronze Ages, 1100-500 BC.

Tjelvar’s grave is 18 metres long and 5 metres wide. The height of the gunwale stones diminishes towards the centre of the ship, which has also been ﬁlled with stones to form a boat-deck. A plundered stone-slab coﬃn, containing cremated bones and a few potsherds, was uncovered in an excavation in the 1930s.

References:

Wikipedia

Address

Gothem Tummungs 102, Slite, Sweden

See all sites in Slite

Details

Founded: 1100-500 BC
Category: Cemeteries, mausoleums and burial places in Sweden
Historical period: Bronze Age (Sweden)

More Information

www.segotland.se

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Gothem Church (5,8 km)

St. Lawrence's Church Ruins (26,1 km)
Visby Old Town (26,2 km)
St. Catherine's Church Ruins (26 km)
Gotland Museum (26,2 km)
Visby Cathedral (25,9 km)
St. Clement Church Ruins (26 km)
St. Hans' & St. Peter's Church Ruins (26,2 km)
Holy Spirit Church Ruins (25,9 km)
Powder Tower (26,3 km)

User Reviews

april evans (4 years ago)
We As cool to see the grave and we found berries to eat :).

Ryan Evans (4 years ago)
I'd like to think Tjelvar was a real person and is buried here.... even if the legend itself is apocryphal. Whoever was interred here though, it's a historic site and well worth a visit.

Ashraf B (4 years ago)
An interesting site with lots of history

Sebastian Hökby (4 years ago)
Peaceful spirits in the beautiful forests of Gotland

Jorgen Hedman (7 years ago)
En rofylld fascinerande plats.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright Klearchos Kapoutsis

Historic Site of the week

Beckov Castle

The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.

The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.

The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.

The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.