Hellvi Explained

Official Name:Hellvi
Pushpin Map:Sweden Gotland
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Sweden
Subdivision Type3:Municipality
Subdivision Name3:Gotland Municipality
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Gotland County
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Gotland
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:40.32
Population As Of:2016
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:177
Timezone:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2

Hellvi is a populated area, a socken (not to be confused with parish), on the Swedish island of Gotland.[3] It comprises the same area as the administrative Hellvi District, established on 1January 2016.[4]

A Roman bronze mask from the 1st century has been found in Hellvi.

Geography

Hellvi is situated in the east coast of northern of Gotland. The socken has a long coastline with several bays and islands. It comprises most of Lake Fardume (Fardume Träsk) along with Storholmen island in the middle of the lake.[5] [6] The St Olofsholm peninsula makes up the south tip of Hellvi.[7] Just west of the peninsula are Ytterholmen and Hojskär islands.[8] [9]

Hellvi has seven nature reserves: Lörgeudd, Malms-Kyllaj, St Olofsholm, Sajgs, Ytterholmen, Storholmen and Träskvidar.[10] [11] There are stack areas in St Olofsholm and Kyllaj.[12]

The medieval Hellvi Church is situated in the socken.[13] On St Olofsholm peninsula is the ruin of the medieval Saint Olaf Chapel., Hellvi Church belongs to Forsa parish in Norra Gotlands pastorat, along with the churches in Lärbro, Hangvar, Hall and Hallshuk.[14] [15]

History

Bronze mask

In the 1980s, a ceremonial bronze mask made for the Roman cavalry, was found in Hellvi with the use of a metal detector. It was kept in the finder's home until that person died, a friend inherited the mask and turned it over to the Gotland County Administrative Board in the winter of 2010. It was made in the 1st century, depicting Alexander the Great and it probably came to Gotland around 300–400. On the forehead of the mask is an image of Hercules with his club and the Nemean lion's skin. When found, the mask was missing one eye, the remaining eye was made of silver and probably added later. The following summer, 2011, an archaeological excavation was made at the site where the mask was originally found. The site was an old stone foundation of a house, abandoned sometime during the 7th century. The second eye along with some other objects, such as drinking horns were discovered during the excavation. The mask was not buried but probably kept in the house along with the drinking horns. A posthole where the mask was found and some rivet holes on the mask suggests that it may have been mounted on a pole.[16] [17] [18]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Carlquist, Gunnar. Svensk Uppslagsbok. 1947–1955. Förlagshuset Norden. Malmö. 2nd. Hellvi socken. sv.
  2. Web site: Gotland i siffror 2017. Gotland in numbers 2017. www.gotland.se. Gotland Municipality. 5 January 2019. 30 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180130042935/http://gotland.se/64224. dead.
  3. The exact extent of the socken, now district, can be obtained by clicking on Kartinställningar and check the Socken box in the menu of this map from the Swedish National Heritage Board database.
  4. Web site: Förordning om district. Regulation of districts. 17 June 2015. Ministry of Finance. 5 January 2019.
  5. Web site: Hellvi. www.ne.se. Nationalencyklopedin. 5 January 2019.
  6. Web site: Storholmen . www.lansstyrelsen.se . Gotland County Administrative Board . 5 January 2019.
  7. Web site: S:t Olofsholm . www.lansstyrelsen.se . Gotland County Administrative Board . 5 January 2019.
  8. Web site: Ytterholmen Hellvi . www.guteinfo.com . Guteinfo . 5 January 2019.
  9. Web site: Bernt . Enderborg. Vandra på Gotland . www.guteinfo.com . Guteinfo . 5 January 2019.
  10. Web site: Malms-Kyllaj . www.guteinfo.com . Guteinfo.
  11. Web site: Träskvidar . www.lansstyrelsen.se . Gotland County Administrative Board . 5 January 2019.
  12. Web site: Malms-Kyllaj . www.lansstyrelsen.se . Gotland County Administrative Board . 5 January 2019.
  13. Book: Lagerlöf. Erland. Svahnström. Gunnar. Gotlands kyrkor. Gotland's Churches. sv. . 1973. Rabén & Sjögren. Stockholm. 91-29-41035-5. 178–179 .
  14. Web site: Församlingar på Gotland . www.svenskakyrkan.se . . 11 January 2019.
  15. Web site: Visby stifts indelning 2018 . www.svenskakyrkan.se . . 11 January 2019.
  16. Web site: Enderborg . Bernt . En romersk bronsmask, 100-talet e.Kr. . www.guteinfo.com . Guteinfo . 5 January 2019.
  17. Web site: Klint . Kerstin . Unik bronsmask visas på Gotlands Museum . www.gotland.net. 5 February 2015 . Gotland.net . 5 January 2019.
  18. Web site: Staflin . Mona . Bronsmask var troligen offergåva . 5 February 2015 . www.helagotland.se . Helagotland.se . 5 January 2019.