The Swedish Pilot Project: How to elevate our legendary places?

Sagobygden is located in a specific area in the south of Sweden. A landscape that contains magical spruce forests and strange cairns, troll mountains, old borderlands and dark lakes where the neck lives.

In this area, Sagobygden has forty-three different so-called legendary places where something mysterious is said to have happened. Stories about wise old women, trolls and changelings. A dragon who guards his treasure and a shoemaker who outwits the Danish soldiers. An old mansion where it is said that you still can see the bloodstains on the wooden floor after the lady of the manor danced with the devil. Stories about giants and cunning thieves, about troll trees and sacred springs. Stories about poverty, ingenuity, cruel and sudden death. And stories about love.

Each of these places has a red wooden cabinet. When you open the cabinet you will see an illustration of the legend and you can also read the story in Swedish, English and German. Most of the cabinets are today around 25 years old and over the years they have been updated with different techniques. Ten years ago there was a phone number you could call to hear the story, today a QR code leads to an app where you can listen to the story in Swedish, English and German. But is this enough in today's fast and high-tech world?

Of the forty-three locations with cabinets that can be found in Sagobygden today, forty-two of them reflect an older storytelling tradition and convey stories from the mid-19th century and earlier. But cabinet number forty-three conveys a more recent story from when the famous rock band Metallica´s tour bus drove off the road and overturned one early morning in September 1986. The base player Cliff Burton was the only one on the bus that got killed. The story tells us about the beliefs that fate seems to govern our lives and about the playing card ace of spades – also known as the card of death.

Implemantation

Sagobygden is run by the non-profit association The Storytelling Network of Kronoberg, which has approximately 300 members. In April 2025 we invited the members to a digital meeting, where we asked them to share their favourite places and stories in Sagobygden. The aim was to see the legendary places with new eyes for the developing pilot that will be done within Living Heritage Journeys.

The road to the legendary place of Ivar´s Church takes you to "another time, another world". A bumpy, rocky winding road... But for Åsa and Kjell who wanted to highlight this particular place, it was not just because the place is so beautiful and the story about it so captivating, but also because they got engaged here. This gives the place other meanings than we have thought of, and shows how the local anchoring can be proof of this meaning.”

Skinnesjö, Blodberget

Several of the places highlighted during this meeting were described as giving the feeling of being transported to another time and another place, perhaps because several of the places are located a bit away from public roads.

The places give a feeling of time travel. The stories become stronger in environments like these. The lake, the forest, the paths, the moss, the silence…

Challenges

Strong stories – pale or problematic places

While several of the legendary places are described as very beautiful or with a fantastic view, there are also places that are downright boring or problematic – but where the story itself is very strong. 

How the village of Hörda was populated after the Black Death

During the Black Death in the mid 14th century, in a small village called Hörda, there were no survivors except one woman. Many years later a lone man came wandering… This story tells us about the longing for human life, the long journey and the meeting that repopulated the village. 

The place is situated at a crossroad with some houses around, and does not give the visitors any special feeling for the story.

The Iron Cross of Hylte

The story about the Iron Cross of Hylte tells us about the Nordic Seven Years' War (1563-1570) and how Danish troops came to Hylte farm. An army captain was given permission to visit his fiancée, but because he returned too late to his troops he was executed. On the site where he was shot a cross was raised, and it is said that the area is threatened by unrest if the cross is not maintained properly.

Today, the cross stands right outside a residential building, and those who live there today are probably not very happy about people walking into their garden.

The Bridegroom Rock

This is the story about Torbjörn, who had fought for the rebels against the Swedish king Gustav Vasa. On the run from the king´s men he met Inga and they fell in love. But Inga was to be married to another man and as the wedding procession walked passed the large rock on its way to church, the bridegroom was hit by an arrow. And out of the forest comes Torbjörn running. He takes Inga by the hand and the two lovers disappear into the forest never to be seen again. 

The large rock got the name The Bridegroom Rock and is placed right by the road, surrounded by dark spruce forest.

Places that have become too available – inaccessible as something good

We talk a lot about being accessible to everyone which is difficult when some places are very inaccessible, for example located on a mountain or far out in the forest without a road. At the same time, this can be part of the charm and experience.

Maria talks about her feelings about The Troll Mountain. She says that it used to be an interesting and magical place, but since the area became a National Park it has been too developed and arranged, with paved paths, toilets, parking lot, and therefore also a lot of visitors. It is no longer as exciting or fun to visit. The place has simply lost the charm that its former inaccessibility gave it.

Opportunities

Places that create new stories

In the 17th century, in the ancient and beautiful village of Hjärtanäs, lived a girl named Ragnhild. She had a child with Näcken, The Spirit of Water. 

But a story in one place can also lead to new stories, and sometimes reality surpasses poetry, like for example the story about Näcken in Hjärtanäs. Karin told us that she had a visit från America who were looking for a house where their ancestors had lived. And she was given this story: In the 1890s, Hjärtanäs Håkansgård was one of the largest farms in the village and they were doing well, but when the man suddenly died, his young wife was unable to manage the farm herself. The priest promised to help with the sale of the farm, but just like Näcken, he made the young widow pregnant. To avoid shame and with the help of the money from the sale of the farm, the young widow moved to America with her baby. And the priest eventually followed her there.

The legendary place of Cliff Burton Memorial Stone is a very popular place to visit and here the stories become more with time. For example, the one about the Mexican cover band that camped at the place and when they woke up early in the early morning the mist lay thick over the ground. They thought it was the spirit of Cliff Burton that surrounded them. 

The Sagobygden pilot

For the pilot that we have the opportunity to do in the project Living Heritage Journeys we have selected three legendary places that in turn tell the story of three strong women. Here we will try three different ways to highlight the places:

• Augmented Reality (AR), that can enhance the experience by letting visitors see more than what is actually visible in reality.

• Quiz, a way to make the experience engaging.

• Sound, a way to make the imagination enhance the experience.

Looking ahead

In recent years, not least during the pandemic, we have seen an increased interest in our legendary places. The ambition is to expand the number of locations in Sagobygden with even more contemporary stories and legends. At the same time we would like to highlight and develop the already existing legendary places, but it is important to take into account the unique conditions of each location, such as the environment, nature and history and accessibility, at the same time as a continuing work with destination development is sustainable and in a long-term way. 

This includes creating networks and an anchoring around each legendary place, both locally in the immediate area with residents, but also with companies and organizations, as well as with each municipality as the Region of Kronoberg and at certain places perhaps also The County Museum.

Stories can bring a place to life, and the place can, in turn, bring a story to life. Stories can orient us in the landscape, and they can spread local history and help strengthen the community across generational and cultural boundaries. At the same time, landscapes and places change, and people come and go, but as long as the story is told it lives on.

Conclusions

• Think long-term.
• All legendary places are different and must be viewed and treated separately for a successful development outcome.
• The developing of the legendary places must not be rushed. It's valuable that it takes time, trial and error really is to be applied here.
• Include the visitor aspect as well as the members, and importantly, ensure that Sagobygden is able to handle this long-term, both the maintenance and to bring these places to life.