History once recorded an unbelievable fact that a king would rather be buried alive than surrender.
King Herlaug and 11 warriors were buried alive. (Illustration).
It all happened in 871 AD. At that time, King Harald Fairhair led his army to Namdalen. Along the way, this prince defeated and destroyed many small kings across the fjord in western Norway. In a tough battle with King Harald Fairhair, King Herlaug was defeated. However, instead of surrendering to the enemy and giving up his kingship, King Herlaug and 11 warriors accepted to be buried alive.
They were buried alive in a large mound on the island of Leka. In contrast to King Herlaug, his brother Rollaug chose to surrender and submit to King Harald – the sole ruler in Norway. Thus, Rollaug was made an earl of Namdalen by King Harald.
In the late 1700s, experts dug three tunnels into a large mound on the island of Leka – where King Herlaug and his soldiers were buried alive. One of the remarkable finds was that experts found the remains of a man leaning against a wall.
This set of remains is believed to be King Herlaug. In the early 19th century, the body of King Herlaug was displayed. The mound – the resting place of King Herlaug and 11 soldiers is considered to be larger than most Viking-era tombs discovered in Norway.