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Lost Swedish Mythical Castle Found In Dry Lake By Clever Archaeologist

Lost Swedish Mythical Castle Found In Dry Lake By Clever Archaeologist

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Lost for over three centuries, the so-called Swedish mythical castle of Sörby has been rediscovered in an ancient, ritualized landscape knitted together with sacrificed humans, animals and over a kilogram of gold. Until now this ancient mythical castle had only been a rumor among historians and archaeologists.

The castle was the largest castle in, which was once an island just off the southeast coast of Sweden in the Baltic Sea. Archaeologist Jan-Henrik Fallgren rediscovered the castle after finding a reference to it in a 1704 AD dissertation.

According to Sputnik News the researcher began hunting for the castle by following clues from the 18th century text. He first ventured to a dried-up lake at Skedemosse where a headland juts out from the bog known as Kvinnö. There, on that time Öland worn peninsula, the archaeologist discovered the lost mythical castle after it had been considered lost for over 300 years.

The long-lost mythical castle was discovered thanks to the curiosity of archaeologist Jan-Henrik Fallgren, who followed ancient clues to discover the castle ruins, now surrounded with land instead of water. (Sandby-borgs-vanner)

A Mystical Castle Built on an Ancient Sacrifice Site

Skedemosse was one of southern Sweden's most important ancient sacrificial sites. From as early as 400 BC until the 12th century AD communities of people gathered here to make sacrificial offerings to the gods. Almost 1 ton (about 1,000 kilograms) of human and animal bones have been recovered at this ritual site along with large quantities of weapons and gold. According to the local Skedemosse Museum, the most famous ancient find from the region is known as the “Skedemosse gold” which included seven necklaces of pure gold weighing a whopping 2.9 pounds (1.3 kilograms).

Skedemosse Museum offers a guided tour of the famous sacrificial bog that was active during the Iron Age in Öland. But now, all this might be shifted to make way for a new tour guiding visitors around the newly discovered mythical castle.

The western part of the ancient fortress was found enclosed on three sides by a stone defensive wall, which had once protected the castle walls. None of the castle’s wall stones remain and it is thought that they may have been repurposed and used to build the nearby Bredsättra Lutheran church.

An aerial view of the site where the long-lost mythical castle ruins were finally discovered. (Waxfilm screenshot)

Wiping Out The Winners For The Gods

In ancient days, when Skedemosse was still a lake, the castle was surrounded by water on three sides. This was no accident and meant the structure only needed defending on the east side. Understanding the castle was the largest on Öland, explorer Fallgren expected to discover the remains of buildings with the castle walls, but none were present. However, an article on SVT explains that ground penetrating radar was applied to the site and that, just as predicted, several house foundations were identified with a deep water well.

Sputnik News said the ancient castle wasn’t lived in full-time, but rather the farmers who worked the surrounding landscapes gathered there a few times a year “for parties and blots and during times of unrest.” It was during these gatherings that people, animals, weapons and gold were sacrificed to the gods to assure rich, disease-free harvests. News reports about this discovery say that horse races were arranged on shore embankments east of the lake, and that the winning horse was sacrificed to the gods.

Map of the area of Sweden where long-lost Sörby Castle (Borg) was discovered. The lake shown here is more of a bog but in ancient times this was a completely different landscape, and the castle was surrounded by water on three sides. (Waxfilm screenshot)

Silencing Critics With Hard Proof

Speaking with SVT, archaeologist Jan-Henrik Fallgren said when archaeological circles first became aware of his claim to have found the lost castle he was greeted with “extreme skepticism.” It was when he produced the radar images of the internal houses that he began receiving “a lot of congratulations from colleagues around Sweden and Scandinavia - and the world in fact,” says Fallgren.

Now Fallgren’s discovery has been verified. He said it’s “special and exciting” to realize that this ancient castle was built on a sacred island in a sacred lake. He added that the castle site was specifically used by farming communities to sacrifice people and animals to the gods for almost 2000 years.

So, what we have here, in conclusion, is an ancient castle specifically built for feasting and celebrating in the name of the primary deities who were believed to control agricultural success in this remote part of Europe.

Top image: A section of the defensive wall of the long-lost mythical castle known as Sörby Castle, which was discovered by archaeologist Jan-Henrik Fallgren in Sweden recently.          Source: Sandby-borgs-vanner

By Ashley Cowie

 
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Ashley

Ashley is a Scottish historian, author, and documentary filmmaker presenting original perspectives on historical problems in accessible and exciting ways.

He was raised in Wick, a small fishing village in the county of Caithness on the north east coast of... Read More

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