Damestenen
Glacial erratic
Damestenen is located in Denmark
Damestenen
Damestenen
Coordinates: 55°10′54″N 10°45′38″E / 55.18167°N 10.76056°E / 55.18167; 10.76056
LocationNear Hesselager
Formed bygranite
GeologyGlacial erratic

The Damestenen ("Stone of the Ladies" in English[1]), also referred as Hesselagerstenen[2] ("Large stone of Hesselager"), is a glacial erratic located near Svendborg, in the south-east of Fionia, Denmark.

Geography

The Damestenen compared with a human being

The boulder is the biggest glacial erratic in Denmark,[3] followed by the Tirslund Rock. It stands close to the village of Hesselager, some 20 km northeast of Svendborg; located in a field, it can be reached by a country lane named Damestenensvej.[4]

Features

The Damestenen consists of a block of light grey granite dating back to the last Last Glacial Period. Its height is 12 m,[5] the circumference is 46 m, and its weight is 1000 tons.[6]

History

The boulder is mentioned by the Danish theologian Erik Pontoppidan in his work titled Den Danske Atlas[7] (1763–1781). In 1840, during Christian VIII's kingdom, the boulder was analysed by the geologist Johan Georg Forchhammer, who suggested to excavate around it in order to determine its size[7] and to check if it was connected to the underground bedrock.[8] In 1843 the Damestenen was actually excavated on its northeast side.[7]

A folk legend tells that it was thrown from the north of the Langeland island by a female giant aiming to destroy the spire of Svindinge's church, but in spite of the giant's strength the stone felt midway.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Dame means "lady" in Danish; sten means "stone".
  2. ↑ Meddelelser fra Dansk geologisk forening (in Danish). Vol. 15. Bianco Lunos. 1965. p. 71. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  3. ↑ (in French), Valdemar Johan Heinrich Nordmann, Victor Christian Madsen (Danmarks geologiske undersøgelse), Compte rendu de la Réunion géologique internationale à Copenhague, 1928, C. A. Reitzel, 1930, p. 37.
  4. ↑ "Damestenen". Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  5. ↑ Or 10 m following other sources
  6. ↑ (in Danish) « Damestenen » on visitsvendborg.dk
  7. 1 2 3 "Damme Stone". Guideservice Danmark. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  8. ↑ "Dammestenen" (in Danish). GEUS (Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland ). Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  9. ↑ "Damestenen". The Megalithic Portal. Retrieved 22 November 2021.

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