Near the Skærtoft farm on Als stands an old oak tree that has created fear among the locals for centuries. Read more about the deadly tree, Paraplyen, here
GPS: 54.999279, 9.945595
Parking: It is possible to drive up the small road (Erbæk), but not recommended, as you would have to reverse to get back out again. We suggest instead to park at Skærtoft (55,0022007, 9,9435054) and walk from there
Good To Know: Paraplyen is a unique and beautiful tree, which is worth visiting in itself. If you park at Skærtoft, make sure to buy some bread from the bakery there, it is really good stuff
Nearby Attractions:
Paraplyen (“The Umbrella”) is a large, notable oak tree that stands at a bend in the country road near the Skærtoft estate. This piece of road was once part of a long driveway leading up to another estate, Erbæk, but many years ago it was cut off by the highway route between Fynshav and the northwestern part of Als.
Paraplyen functions as a Fire Tree for Skærtoft, and its name refers to its majestic crown, which spreads out widely across both road and field. As is the case with other fire trees in this part of Denmark, there is a lot of superstition connected to this old oak. Paraplyen is nevertheless a particularly notorious tree, which once inspired a lot of fear among young and old alike. Locals generally avoided walking too close to it and children were strictly forbidden to climb it. There are also stories about a headless foal haunting the area around the tree.
In September of 1908, at a time when the belief in the magic of fire trees generally had been waning for many years, a branch was sawed off, apparently because it had become too much of a nuisance for travellers. Stine Bonde, then a young girl living at Skærtoft, immediately felt that this would have terrible consequences. Many years later, she told of what happened shortly thereafter:
“I was 10 years old at the time and went to school in Helleved with another girl from Frydendal. We were riding on a milk cart where we held the containers by chains. When we passed the great oak on our field, there was suddenly a bump in the road. I was about to fasten my chain, and my friend offered to do it for me. But then she saw my sister, who was riding with us, lying on the road, while the coach was trying to steady the horses. I didn’t think that she could be dead, but went home to get my father who ran after me followed by my mother. But it was too late, she was dead. Then they got another cart and drove her home in it. The last thing I saw when they were carrying her inside, was that she was bleeding a lot. She was 11 years old. It happened just after we passed the tree, about 50 metres after it. I could never walk that way to school again.”
It happened yet another time that a branch was removed from Paraplyen, and shortly thereafter there was a devastating fire at the pig pen of Skærtoft. It is these kinds of accidents — whether coincidental or not — that have assured the superstition around Paraplyen surviving up until recent times, whereas most other fire trees on Als have been more or less forgotten.
Select Sources
- Mads Lidegaard — Danske Træer Fra Sagn og Tro
- V. J. Brøndegaard — Folk og Flora (Bind 1)
- V. J. Brøndegaard — Traditioner om Træer
