Our name is a contraction of “Hidden Denmark” and our aim is to provide an in depth guide to the wealth of mysterious and forgotten places found across the Danish landscape. Denmark has a fantastically rich collection of folklore, legends and fairy tales – stories that are inextricably linked to specific locations around the country, but which most people simply don’t know exist.
With our interactive map you can get an overview of legendary trees, sacred springs, haunted locations and much more from a wealth of written and oral sources. We also give you tips on how to plan your own adventures to these incredible places, and to dig deeper into the stories behind.
For more info, check our Site Guide at the bottom of the front page. The map and site is constantly growing, so be sure to bookmark the page and check in often.
Happy exploring !
Trees of legend are trees and bushes associated with legends and superstition. Disease trees, like sacred springs, can cure certain diseases if one performs rituals and sacrifices to them. For example, by crawling through a hole in the tree a certain number of times. The trees may be old, but the traditions much older. Other trees are the ward of an area or just a farm. Should it be felled, it is at risk of fire and disease.
The Miscellaneous category covers all the locations unfit for any of the other categories. Of course that doesn’t make them any less interesting or unique – perhaps the contrary!
This category covers everything from statues and monuments to road crucifixes and large wooden crosses. Whether placed on top of burial mounds, in the middle of fields or by the road side, the relics are a reminder of Denmark’s medieval Catholic past and saint worship. The locations and origin of these monuments are often based in legends and myths, and their actual background shrouded in mystery.
This category covers the impressive megalithic complexes, burial mounts and stone monuments left behind by the peoples of prehistoric times. Whether it’s passage graves, dolmens, mounds, menhirs or stone ships, the ancient constructions have been the subject of legends and fanciful tales about giants, trolls and fairies.
Sacred springs are found all over the country. These freshwater sources have been venerated in both Christian and pre-Christian times, and a great deal of them connected to a specific saint or legend. Pilgrims have sought the supposed healing powers of the water up until early modern times. Some have been maintained through the years, while others are lost to history.
Stones of legend are found all over the country. Of both large and smaller stones, stories have been told for centuries, if not millennia. Some legends recur from town to town, and similar stories are found in the rest of Scandinavia. As an example, a significant number of stones are said to have been hurled towards churches by angry trolls and witches. Other stones have served as local fertility symbols, of which is was said that they rotated when smelling freshly baked bread. The Bronze Age and Iron Age people’s imaginative petroglyphs reminds us that extraordinary stones have fascinated us since time immemorial.
This category contains an overview of the most noteworthy Danish close encounter cases that can be pinned to a defined location on the map: UFO’s that stop cars, landed flying saucers with occupants, and Denmark’s oldest UFO case – Just to name a few
This category covers locations plagued by ghosts, poltergeists and demonic possessions. Investigate the inexplicable paranormal phenomena from famous historical cases to the more unknown, but no less terrifying.