Swords in Rock

We flew to Stavanger this afternoon to spend the weekend at a massive family gathering for my wife's extended family. On our way to the venue we stopped at the site of the battle of Hafrsfjord just outside the city.

King Harald "Fairhair", the first king of Norway, won a great naval battle during the year 872 which resulted in the unity of Norway into one kingdom. The battle paved the way for Harald to gain control over most of western coast of Norway and rightly call himself king of the country.

In 1983 a monument by Norwegian sculptor and artist Fritz Røed was raised in Møllebukta at the northernmost end Hafrsfjord. The monument is called Sverd i Fjell (Swords in Rock) and represents the Battle of Hafrsfjord. The crowns on the top of the swords represent the three districts that participated in the battle.