Jarlshola

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Jarlshola (meaning "The Cave of the Earl") is a location in Melhus, Norway. It is thought to be the hiding place of Håkon Sigurdsson (Hákon Sigurðsson, Hákon earl) and Tormod Kark (Þormóðr Karkr, the slave of the jarl) on their last night before the infamous murder at Rimul.

[edit] Reference in Heimskringla

In the Saga of king Olaf Tryggvason in Heimskringla, Snorri Sturluson describes the arrival at and the departure from the cave (several lines about a dream the earl had, are here left out):

Fór jarl þá ok þræll hans með honum, er Karkr er nefndr. Íss var á Gaul, ok hratt jarl þar í hesti sínum, ok þar lét hann eptir mottul sinn, en þeir fóru í helli þann er siðan er kallaðr Jarlshellir. Þá sofnuðu þeir [...] Siðan stóð hann upp, ok gengu þeir á bøinn Rimul.[1]

In English:

Thereafter the earl went off with a slave he had, named Kark. There was ice upon Gaula, and the earl led his horse into the river and left his cape lying there; then they went on into a cave later known as The Cave of the Earl. There they fell asleep [...] Then he arose and they went to the farm Rimul.

[edit] Location of the cave

Since the mentioned happenings took place around year 995 AD, it has not been possible to determine beyond doubt the exact location of the cave. However, as one knows it was close to the still existing farm Rimul, there are only one location seeming to fit with the story. That is on the west side of Gaula near central Melhus in Sør-Trøndelag. The cave is easily reached by foot.