The circle's 16 standing stones form a ring with a diameter of 21 metres, and the tallest ones rise more than a metre above the ground. No one knows for sure what they were used for. Perhaps they were a burial site from the Bronze Age or Iron Age – or a sacred gathering place where our ancestors held ceremonies and told stories about life, death and gods.
The legend of St. Olav
According to legend, St. Olav himself sailed past here while fleeing from his enemies. When he arrived in Egersund, he is said to have sailed his ship over land, cleaving mountains and leaving wave-shaped mounds on both sides of the valley.
Along St. Olav's Way
Stoplesteinane is located right next to the old road ‘Den indre ridevei’ (The Inner Rideway), also known as St. Olav's Way, which is itself a small piece of living history between Egersund and Sokndal.
A journey through time and landscape
A visit to Stoplesteinane is a journey through both time and nature – from the mysticism of the Bronze Age to the legends of the Viking Age. Here, the stones stand as silent witnesses to the rituals, beliefs and lives of the past – waiting for you to experience a genuine piece of cultural history in Egersund.
