Helje Danced to Death (Elverum)

Hedmark · Norway · Site of legend

A stranger spun dance-loving Helje like a whirlwind, and the fiddle played by itself — until she fell dead in his arms.

At Elverum they tell of Helje, a girl who could never dance her fill. One evening a strange man asked her to dance and spun her round like a whirlwind until she begged to catch her breath. Then he cried a rhyme that she would dance her fill, and danced ever wilder. The fiddler grew afraid and set down his fiddle, but it played on by itself. Only when he laid it in a chest and shut the lid did the music stop — but by then Helje was dead, and the stranger gone.

FAQ

Where is Helje Danced to Death (Elverum) located?

Helje Danced to Death (Elverum) is in Hedmark, Norway.

More haunted places in Hedmark

• Tölløv Knæsu and the Ride That Left Him Cross-Eyed Hedmark · Site of legend
• Tore Rönningen and the Devil on the Road to Gaustad Hedmark · Site of legend
• The Skinnarbøl Priest and the Fishing Net, Solør Hedmark · Site of legend
• The Priest's Black Book under the Pillow, Rendalen Hedmark · Site of legend
• Priest Zetlitz and the Black Book, Bø Telemark · Site of legend
• The Priest and the Candle That Couldn't Be Blown Out, Sauda Rogaland · Church
• The Sand Ropes on Kaupanger Shore, Sogndal Sogn og Fjordane · Natural site
• Fossesholm Manor Øvre Eiker, Buskerud · Manor

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.