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Helsingor, Denmark (May 29, 2018) The Sapphire Princess docked in Copenhagen this morning. David and I caught a train to Helsingor, which overlooks the Oresund strait about 45 minutes north of the city. “What’s in Helsingor?” you ask. Kronborg Castle. Built in the 15th century, it was the setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet. (I’ll write about the castle in a future blog.)
When we finished touring the castle proper, David and I headed to the dark cellar, home to Holger Danske. Well, home to a bigger-than-life statue of Holger Danske, created in 1907 by Danish sculptor Hans Peder Pederson-Dan (1859 – 1939). Holger Dansk was a fearsome 8th-century Viking warrior who, according to legend, received an enchanted sword from the fairy Morgana that made him invincible. Pederson-Dan sculpted the Viking warrior at rest on a chair, dressed in full armor. His arms are crossed, his head is bowed, and his beard has grown long, as if he has slumbered many years. If Denmark were threatened by enemies, though, Holger Dansk would awaken and rise up:
And then he will come forward and
strike out and be heard in all the lands of the Earth.
An awesome legend!
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