Tjelvar's grave, Bronze Age stone ship burial in Boge, Gotland, Sweden
Tjelvar's grave is a Bronze Age stone ship burial in Boge, Gotland, measuring roughly 18 meters long and 5 meters wide. The stones are arranged to resemble a ship's form, with taller stones along the sides and a lower central section in between.
The site dates to the Bronze Age and was later named after the legendary figure Tjelvar, credited with bringing fire to the island. Excavations in the 1930s revealed a stone coffin containing cremated remains and pottery fragments.
The burial structure embodies an ancient belief that stone arrangements shaped like ships guided the departed to the next world. When you walk around it, you can feel how the layout creates a sense of journey and passage.
The site sits near Route 146 in eastern Gotland and is open to visitors year-round with no admission fee. You can explore it freely at any time without prior arrangements.
The grave bears the name of a legendary figure from the Gutasaga whose fire supposedly kept Gotland from sinking. This story connects ancient mythology with a physical location visitors can actually touch and walk around today.
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