unknown depths

Lake Vättern was long considered to be bottomless. Two men tried to plot the depth off Omberg, where the lake was believed to be deepest. They joined together all the timber they had, but nothing reached the bottom. Finally, as they attached the last piece, a voice came from the depths: “Measure my length and you will know my depth!”

It’s said that in ancient times, to the west of Rödgavel Cave (Omberg), a skipper named Bojharthefinne lowered a line of 1100 arms length without reaching the bottom. In the 1600s, Per Brahe carried out measurements off Visingsö, without result, as did the Counts Oxenstierna on the Västgöta side. The bottom could not be reached. Finally, the Lady of the Lake herself intervened and expressed her dissatisfaction with all this measuring. The lead used to plumb the depths was inexplicably replaced with horse's heads and other unpleasant things that come out of the lake. Respect for the bottomless lake then grew to the point that nobody dared take part in the measurements any longer. South of Visingsö, the official depth is now 128 metres.

Underground rivers

There are several stories about underground rivers leading to other lakes, for example to Lake Vänern and even to Bodensjön in the Alps. One story tells of a young woman who drowned in Lake Vättern only for her body to be found in Bodensjön. The woman was identified with the help of the name in her psalm book. that sea monsters are associated with Vättern can be seen in Huskvarna, where Nessie takes the form of a sea snake beside the E4 motorway.

Several strange phenomena are also associated with underground currents or winds, including the stories of Vättern’s mirages or aerial images that can be seen in special weather conditions. Even today, tales are told of strange images appearing above the lake, and the most incredible things have been seen: sailing fleets, battles, castles, churches, even whole cities.

The world of giants

Next door to Nessie is the giant Vist, made by the artist Calle Örnemark in 1969. The area around Vättern is truly the world of the giants. There are many stories about the giants around Lake Vättern. How in anger that churches were built they threw stones to crush the Christian faith.

In 1962, Östergötlander Elis Åström related the following story:

According to folklore, these are the work of the Lady of the Lake, who, before a storm, moves her palaces and gardens to a calmer part of the lake. She is believed to have her home on the island of Jungfrun, off Vadstena.

The great sea monster

In 2003, egg shells were found in Motala Bay and the idea of a Baby Nessie – a relative of the Scottish Loch Ness Mon ster – really took off. But is there really something down in the depths? Fishermen have often talked about inexplicable water bubbles that have moved both boats and ice. They come from nowhere and then disappear again. Attempts have been made to measure and film the depths, but currents make it almost impossible. The fact

"The Lady of the Lake lived in Omberg. When Visingsö was built, it went like this. There was a giant and his wife who wanted to cross Vättern to get to Omberg.

"It's too wide to step over," said the giant woman. “You’ll have to shovel up some soil and throw it into the water.”

The giant took up a shovel of soil at Ombo Öjer on the Västgöta side, where you can still see the mark to this day. Where he let fall the earth, that’s the spot called Visingsö. They stepped on it to reach Gränna and from there they went to the Lady of the Lake in Omberg. She wanted to cook them pike, so her serving girl must rush to Hammarsundet in the far north and fetch one.”

Apparently the giants met to feast many times and were fed up with walking around Vättern. There are similar stories telling how Landsjön and Visingsö came into being when the giants were invited to parties in Västergötland.

The island of fairy tales

Where Vättern now lies was once was a large and fertile valley. Two kings, the Brothers Vätte and Vise, ruled over the kingdom in the valley. Vise was good and fair, while Vätte was evil and cruel. Vise married a beautiful princess from a nearby kingdom. Vätte was overcome by a fierce desire for his sister-in-law, killed his brother and took the princess for his wife. A large burial mound rose over Vise, which is today the island of Visingsö.

Vätte's love was not returned, and to escape from her new husband, the princess asked the mermaid for help. The mermaid decided to draw Vätte down into her realm, so she appeared as the princess at the wedding. Then she enchanted him and all of his possessions, farms and castles. The whole kingdom sank into the depths. The lake was then named Vättern.

Vätte was not happy down there in the deeps. On calm, beautiful summer days, he still tries to raise his drowned kingdom, and many have seen its image above the lake. But then the murdered brother, Vise, stirs in his mound on Visingsö, and all of Vätte’s buildings tumble back down into the depths again. Then Vättern’s king rages, and the waves of the lake are thrown against the beach, even if the wind is completely still.

The saying above comes from another of the peculiarities of the lake, that the water level is the same regardless of the precipitation. An unusually low water level was reported in 1826 and the harvest was good in the following years. Let’s hope this is also true in our times.