The cold air, buffeted by Arctic temperatures, billowed around me as I strolled across the pedestrianised square in front of Oslo’s Rathuset, or City Hall. I dodged one of the clunky blue trams as I headed towards the fortifications of the city’s Akershus Castle.
I’d been to Oslo many times for business. I knew the place well but had always explored the Norwegian capital in the evening so I’d never seen the city, if you know what I mean. After several years of business trips, I revisited as a tourist for a long weekend in Scandinavia.
To my right, a set of short sharp honks signalled the latest ferry was about to leave. These ferries connect to other parts of Norway; international ferries leave from elsewhere. I paused for a second as the engines churned sea water against the jetty. In 2010, this harbour was the place where I had first seen frozen sea, much to my amazement.
The ageing ferry burped its way away from the dock. I could see the shape of another just off the horizon heading my way as I continued my way across to the castle. Akershus castle was on my list because of the Resistance museum. I figured I’d potter around the grounds of the castle while I’m at it, but I wasn’t aware of other interesting stories about the place.
The fortifications are not as large as I had imagined.
Maybe it’s because I’m used to the coastal fortifications in Malta.
Thinking about the harsh Oslo winters, I’m sure a more compact castle makes sense. I wandered round to find the main entrance into the place, figuring it wouldn’t be close to the water.
The castle overlooks the harbour to protect trade routes. It dates back to the thirteenth century1 and boasts that it never fell to a siege. Cynics remind us about the Nazi occupation but since Norway surrendered, it’s true to say the castle never fell to a siege.
Ghosts are also enlisted to help keep invaders out.
The Maiden’s Tower used to be one of the main entrances from the east. Since the castle has open seas to its west and south, any invasion happened from the east or north. A door is a natural weak point in any defence, so there must have been many military commanders who tried to storm the castle this way.
Knowing this, someone decided to bury a dog right at this entrance. The dog was a vicious sort and called ‘Malcanisen’ which translates as ‘Vicious dog’. The idea was simple: a vicious dog when alive would be an awful ghost when dead2. I think this is first time I heard of a plan to have a ghost for a specific reason.
There were no animals, of any sort, waiting for me.
Like any castle and fortress, many people died here either in battle or as prisoners. It is part of the human condition to think a place must be the cause of so much suffering, rather than the sheer amount of evil in our fellow human. Tales about someone breathing on your neck, or of cackling women are the fruit of someone’s imagination.
I can’t say I saw anything as scary as anything of the sort. And yet, the level of detail in the Resistance museum impressed me.
Now that truly is a scary story.
Leave a comment below with your crazy or odd ghost story!
- Akershus Castle; Visit Oslo; (Retrieved 2018-05-26) [↩]
- Akershaus Fortress – Norway’s most haunted; Travel Exploration; (Retrieved 2018-05-26) [↩]