Roskilde Cathedral

Köpenhamn · Denmark · Church

Beneath the cathedral a horse was buried alive with one leg cut off – as a three-legged hel-horse with glowing eyes it still portends death.

In the burial church of the kings at Roskilde, a World Heritage site and final resting place of forty Danish monarchs, rides Denmark's eeriest churchyard being: the helhest. According to legend, a great brewery horse was sacrificed when the cathedral was built and buried alive beneath the walls – one leg cut off so it could never run away. Ever since, it appears as a three-legged black horse with glowing red eyes, and whoever meets the hel-horse knows death is near. According to the local press, cathedral staff keep a protocol recording each time an employee sees a spectre in the church, and the helhest is among the most frequently reported – most recently said to have been seen galloping through the vaults and out through the locked Royal Door. Among sarcophagi and royal skulls, the legend never feels far away.

FAQ

Where is Roskilde Cathedral located?

Roskilde Cathedral is in Köpenhamn, Denmark.

More haunted places in Köpenhamn

• Østre Fælled (Fælledparken) Köpenhamn · Execution site
• The Køge House Cross (Torvet 2) Köpenhamn · Haunted house
• Hirschholm Palace Garden Köpenhamn · Castle ruin
• Munkebro, Roskilde Köpenhamn · Bridge
• Gurre Castle Ruin Köpenhamn · Castle ruin
• The Consistory House, University of Copenhagen Köpenhamn · Historic building
• Roskilde Library Köpenhamn · Library
• Lille Restrup Hovedgaard Jylland, Aalestrup · Manor

Image: CucombreLibre from New York, NY, USA / CC BY 2.0 — Wikimedia Commons