Ferkingstad is a village in

Karmøy Karmøy is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is southwest of the town of Haugesund in the traditional district of Haugaland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kopervik. Most of the municipality lies on ...

municipality in

Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. As of 1 January 2024, it had a population of 49 ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. The village is located on the western shore of the island of

, immediately south of the town of Åkrahamn and a few minutes north of the village of

Sandve Sandve is a village in Karmøy municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located on the southwestern part of the island of Karmøy, north of the town of Skudeneshavn, and it faces the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The village has ...

. Ferkingstad is known for its highly rich archaeological finds, ranging from the early

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

to the late

medieval era In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and t ...

Ferkingstad Church Ferkingstad Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Karmøy Municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Ferkingstad on the western side of the Karmøy (island), island of Karmøy. It is the church for t ...

is located in the village.

History

Legend claims that

King Ferking King Ferking was a semi-legendary figure recorded in local church literature. He lived in the 7th century, controlling a realm that included western parts of island of Karmøy, in southern Norway. The name Ferking is probably derived from the nic ...

is supposed to have founded the village and lived at Ferkingstad, where he had built large houses of stones. Ferkingstad is known for the remains of the large boat houses dating from the

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

which were reportedly erected by King Ferking. The legends also tell of the King's fortress (''Kongsborgen''), which was burnt to the ground during the 7th century. The Fartegn estate was later raised on the same site by Ferking's son, who also bore the name Fartegn.

References

External links

Fishermen's Memorial at Ferkingstad
Villages in Rogaland Karmøy {{Rogaland-geo-stub