Damestenen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Damestenen | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Damestenen | |
| Coordinates: 55°10′54″N 10°45′38″E / 55.18167°N 10.76056°E | |
| Location | Near Hesselager |
| Formed by | granite |
| Geology | Glacial erratic |
The Damestenen (lit. 'Stone of the Lady'[1]), also referred as Hesselagerstenen[2] (English: Large stone of Hesselager), is a glacial erratic located near Svendborg, in the south-east of Funen, Denmark.
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 fell midway.[9]
