The ringing stone at Pynten
Type: Ringing stone
Local name: Klinkesteinen, Klangsteinen
Locality
County: Akershus
Municipality: Aurskog-Høland
Location: Pynten, Setskog
The stone is located along Grasmoveien, not far from the the old school at Pynten, which is closed down, and housing a privat residence. The stone is found around 70 meters north-west of Grasmoveien and about 100 meters north-east from the old school building, in the direction of Tvillingtjern. The area around the stone is slightly overgrown, after forest cutting in 2002.
Description
This is a boulder with an oval shape. Approximate measurements: length 2m, width 1.40m, height 0.7–0.8m. The stone does not appear to have been placed on top of smaller stones. It seems that the rock is of the same type as found elsewhere in the area. The best sound is at the end protruding towards the north, where there is air under the protrusion. The stone produces two distict pitches.
Cultural history and tradition
The earliest account of the Klinkestein is a single sentence in the book Akershus amt from 1897, where Johan Vibe writes (p. 210) that ‘between Lake Settensjøen and Grasmo there is a stone that makes a bell-like sound’. It is mainly the locals who have known about the stone. Asbjørn Østby went to Pynten school (now defunct), which is located next to the stone, and says that they used to play by the stone during recess. He remembers no particular traditions or stories about it. In an article in the newspaper Indre Akershus blad on 5 September 2017, Kåre Østby, who grew up nearby, says that he was told about the Klinkesteinen—as they called it—by his father and grandfather.
The same newspaper wrote on 3 June 1971 that a piece of the ringing stone in Setskog became Aurskog-Høland’s contribution to the Prøysen memorial grove at Marienlyst in Oslo (see photo). The idea, launched by Kjell Rydningen in NRK, and spread via the programme Søndagsposten lead by Otto Nielsen, was that stones from all the 449 municipalities of Norway should form a pile of stones (from the song ‘Steinrøysa neri bakken’) in memory of the author Alf Prøysen. The newspaper article says:
‘Our geology does not offer particularly original rocks, so we had to think again to find something that could be associated with stone and the life and work of Prøysen, and found that a piece of the well-known ringing stone at Pynten in Setskog was a worthy and symbolic contribution, replies mayor Olaf Morgenlien. This ringing stone of about one ton has been ground and turned by ice and water so that it is now oval like an egg, and at a whim of nature it has been left on top of a ridge. When you strike the stone, it gives a melodious sound reminiscent of a blacksmith knocking the anvil. Since Prøysen is the greatest song writer we have had—who has created joy and warmth with his sonorous melodies—we thought that this sonorous stone could be our symbolic gift to the Steinrøysa neri bakken -monument.Indre took the trip to the Ringing stone together with mayor Morgenlien and luckily we found that a suitable piece had fallen off it. It was taken to Åsmund Amundsrød’s monument engraving workshop at Bjørkelangen, where the initials of Aurskog-Høland municipality was carved. The stone has now been sent together with an accompanying letter that tells about the symbolism inherent in the contribution from Aurskog-Høland municipality.’
Sources: Johan Vibe: Akershus amt (Olaf Norli, Kristiania 1897), Indre Akershus blad 3 June 1971, and Indre Akershus blad 5 September 2017: https://www.indre.no/nyheter/kultur/setskog/du-vil-ikke-tro-hvilken-lyd-som-kommer-fra-denne-steinen-pa-setskog-hvis-du-slar-pa-den/s/5-25-75622.
Thanks to Tore Ødegaard (local historian) and Asbjørn Østby (local guide, former logger).
Photos: Asbjørn Østby (left) og Tore Ødegaard by the Klinkesteinen, the defunct school building at Pynten from Grasmoveien, faksimile from Indre Akershus blad 3 June 1971, Steinrøysa neri bakken at Marienlyst, Oslo.
Bilder
