How about stepping back in time to a land of legends? That’s exactly what we’re doing here in Lejre Municipality. This place is far more than just a modern municipality in Region Zealand. It’s a region steeped in ancient history and shrouded in myth.
Lejre Municipality has an area of 240 square kilometers. Around 29,347 people call this place home as of January 2024. But its significance stretches back much further.
Lejre’s story is intertwined with tales of Viking kings and pagan rituals. In fact, Lejre is often compared to Gamla Uppsala in Sweden because of its important place in ancient history. Some even think Lejre was the real-world inspiration for Heorot. Heorot was the grand hall in the epic poem Beowulf.
According to early legends, Lejre was once the capital of a powerful Iron Age kingdom. This kingdom was ruled by the Skjöldung dynasty. Their stories appear in medieval texts like Saxo Grammaticus’ Gesta Danorum. The anonymous Chronicon Lethrense also mentions them.
Archaeological digs since the 1980s have confirmed that these legends have some basis in reality. Tom Christensen from Roskilde Museum led teams that found an extensive Iron Age and Viking Age settlement near Gammel Lejre or Old Lejre. They discovered postholes from large rectangular buildings. These buildings were probably halls belonging to powerful leaders.
Other finds suggest that Lejre was a hub for crafts, trade, and religious practices. Interestingly, there weren’t many weapons found. This suggests Lejre was more of a social and economic center than a military one. One remarkable discovery was a small silver Viking Age figurine known as Odin from Lejre. It depicts the god Odin sitting on his throne with ravens.
Around Lejre, you can find other interesting sites. There is a Viking-Age cemetery with ship settings. A ship setting is a burial site marked by stones arranged in the shape of a ship. There is also a large Iron Age cremation mound called Grydehøj. Furthermore, there are several burial mounds. Most of them are from the Bronze Age. One Neolithic chamber grave is known as Harald Hildetandshøy.
The Iron Age settlement complex was occupied from about 550 to 1000 AD. This confirms Lejre’s importance for almost 500 years. It lasted until Denmark converted to Christianity. After that, the royal capital moved to Roskilde.
Gammel Lejre’s impressive monuments and unique landscape have fascinated scholars for a long time. It has become a symbol of Danish national pride. Some scholars believed that pagan sacrifices took place every nine years in Lejre. This idea comes from Thietmar of Merseburg’s writings. A nearby wooded path and lake were identified as Herthadal. Herthadal was the sacred place of the goddess Nerthus. These ideas might be part of a myth about Lejre. However, it’s hard to separate reality from fantasy in this area.
Today, Lejre Municipality is home to the Land of Legends. Land of Legends is an archaeological open-air museum. It shows reconstructions from different periods of Danish history. You can see an Iron Age village with a sacrificial bog.
So, as we stand here in Lejre, we are surrounded by echoes of the past. Lejre is a place where legends come to life. It is a place that invites us to explore the fascinating history of Denmark. Lejre is a land of kings, gods, and ancient traditions.