Holger the Dane, Asleep Under Kronborg
In the dark cellars beneath Hamlet's castle, a great warrior sits asleep, his beard grown into the table. When Denmark is in danger, he will wake.
What was reported
Holger Danske, Holger the Dane, is a legendary knight who began as a hero of medieval French tales of Charlemagne. In Denmark he became a national figure, said to be sleeping in the casemates, the vaulted tunnels, beneath Kronborg Castle at Helsingør.
He sits with his head resting on a stone table, and his beard has grown right through it. One day, when Denmark faces its greatest danger, he will rise to defend the country. A large stone statue of him sleeping sits in the cellars today.
Explanations offered
Holger is one of Europe's sleeping heroes, like King Arthur and Frederick Barbarossa, whose return is promised in times of need. The story spread through Danish ballads and was popularised by Hans Christian Andersen. During the Second World War, a Danish resistance group took his name.
- When
- Told since the Middle Ages
- Where
- Kronborg Castle, Helsingør, Denmark
- Witnesses
- Danish folklore
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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