King Ferking
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King Ferking was a semi-legendary figure recorded in local church litterature. He lived accordingly at the island of Karmøy, controlling a realm that included of western to southern parts of island of Karmøy. The legend was first recorded by Tormod Torfæus in Historia rerum Norvegicarum, about 1700.
The legend claims that King Ferking"... (the spellings Farking and Farthegn are both acceptable)..."lived at Ferkingstad, where he had built large houses of stones. The banquet halls were so huge that 5-600 men could dance in honour of the gold calf, which Ferking worshipped. To prevent anyone from taking the gold calf, Ferking buried it somewhere in this area. The hiding place is said to have been marked on a map that was destroyed when the vicarage of Falnes burned down in 1842.
King Ferking was a ruler of the sea, a wild Viking who spent most of his time on board a ship, and he brought home with him many treasures. The most beautiful treasure was some pearls that his queen wore during feasts in the King's manor." King Ferking (or Farthegn, as he was known then), was fighting King Augvald over the sovereignty of Karmøy. "The last battle between the two kings took place in a field about 500 meters from Stava, Ferkingstad. It was a fierce battle with a great loss of men, and King Augvald was deadly wounded.
King Augvald had several daughters. Two of them were female warriors or Skjøldmøy (Shieldmaidens). When they saw their father was killed, they screamed, leaped into the river and drowned. They were buried at Stava, and stones were erected on their graves. These stones are called the Skjoldmøyene (Shieldmaidens). The two stones (0.75m and 1.25m of height) were once part of a triangular cluster of stones.
The Legends don't tell us how King Farking died, but some people say that he was buried in a mound at Kvilhaug not far away from his manor. According to legend, his manor was burnt down, but '200 years later' a descendant also called Farthegn rebuilt the manor."
