Mysterious Bodies in Denmark

The Nordic countries have dark swamps where the bodies of people who were sacrificed to the gods thousands of years ago are kept.

The train from Hamburg, Germany, to Denmark rumbled through green fields and birch forests with golden sunlight shining through the leaves, taking the group of tourists, including journalist Adam Graham, to a land where bodies have been buried in mud for thousands of years.

These 2,000-year-old bogs have been found across northern Europe, from Ireland to Finland. Photo: Alamy.

Archaeologists believe that these bodies were victims who were murdered and then thrown into the swamps to perform rituals to the gods. They were often criminals and immigrants.

Denmark has one of the highest concentrations of bogs in the world, containing bodies that have remained largely intact for 2,000 years. The bodies were discovered by chance between 1800 and 1960, when the country was still using peat as fuel.

To better understand these mysterious deaths, Adam traveled to Vejle, a small city of just over 100,000 people located in the southeastern part of the Jutland Peninsula, 240 km west of Copenhagen. It is a beautiful place and is also home to archaeologist Mads Ravn, head of the Vejle Museum. He oversees a fascinating collection of artifacts, including Roman coins, swords, and swastika brooches, all found in the bogs and used as offerings to the gods (including the god of iron).

Talking to Mads in a dark room at the back of the museum,he saw the body of a womanHaraldskær was placed in a glass coffin. The expressions on her face showed shock, fear and shock. Adam said he was quite shy about facing the corpse.

Scientists have shown that most of the bodies found under the mud were brutally murdered, with some having ropes around their necks. Photo: Alamy.

"She was discovered by a peat digger in the bog in 1835. We believe she lived in the 10th century, during the reign of Queen Gunhildd. She was drowned by her own husband," Mads said, scratching his beard.

However, Mads added that the body was later re-identified as being at least 2,200 years old. The woman was found completely naked, wrapped in a cloak and submerged in the bog after she died. There was food in her stomach, which is believed to have been a last meal, and was unusual for a society of that time.

Adam's next stop was Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark, and a visit to the museum.Moesgaard. Here is the coffin of a man who was also found in the bog. His body was almost perfectly preserved under the deep mud, with his skin still almost intact, his face delicate. "He was a beautiful man,"archaeologist Pauline Asingh said.

"He was tied at the knees and his throat was slit by someone standing behind him. It sounds violent and barbaric, but sacrifice was an important part of people's cultural life at that time,"Pauline Asingh added.

The last stop on the journalist's journey was a small town.Silkeborg, 44 km from Aarhus. At the museumIn the town of Silkeborg there is the body of a Tollund man who is 2,400 years old. His body was also not badly damaged and was discovered in 1950. He was believed to have died from hanging, with traces of nooses. The body had full lips and Adam was struck by the mysterious smile of the corpse.

In the next room in the museum is an Elling woman, she was found 40 meters away from the Tollund man. She is said to have also been hanged, and has long, beautiful hair.

The journey was over, but what remained in Adam’s mind were the brightly colored swamps, glowing in the sun, surrounded by dense undergrowth. These places had held secrets for thousands of years, ancient customs, sacrificial practices, and terrifying sacrifices. The swamps had preserved everything within them for millennia, a reminder of their power and authority in the ancient world.

According to VNE