«Nårekista» is large split boulder, which today can be found by Bjørkum.
It was originally located further ahead along Kongevegen, where it was «opened up» by splitting it in two.
The name is old Norse, and means coffin. It is 2.70 metres long and 1.40 metres wide. Both the bottom half and the lid are 80 centimetres thick.
According to legend, there was a wealthy giant, or maybe a troll, in the coffin – buried with all his riches.
Others believed that it was Olav the Sacred’s food basket, maybe left there when he rode through Lærdal in 1023 to force the people of Valdres to convert to Christianity.
When Nårekista was found along Kongevegen, 400 m further east, it was probably split i two by curios Kongevegen-labourers working on the road towards the end of the 1700s. They must have been disappointed.
Nårekista was moved here and put back together during the road improvement work around 2010.
