Prominence 258 m (846 ft) Elevation 258 m | Topo map 1725 I Brønnøysund | |
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Location Brønnøy, Nordland, Norway Similar Hestmannen, Sæterfjellet, Heilhornet, Dønnmannen, Rødøyløva | ||
Torghatten is a granite mountain on Torget island in Brønnøy municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is known for its characteristic hole, or natural tunnel, through its center. It is possible to walk up to the tunnel on a well-prepared path, and through it on a natural path.
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Map of Torghatten, 8900 Br%C3%B8nn%C3%B8ysund, Norway
On 6 May 1988, Widerøe Flight 710 from Namsos to Brønnøysund crashed into the side of the mountain, and all the 36 passengers and crew died.
Tunnel
According to legend, the hole was made by the troll Hestmannen while he was chasing the beautiful girl Lekamøya. As the troll realized he would not get the girl, he released an arrow to kill her, but the troll-king of Sømna threw his hat into the arrow's path to save her. The hat turned into the mountain with a hole in the middle. Also, Felice Vinci has linked the legends about Torghatten to the Homeric myth of Polyphemus.
The tunnel is 160 metres (520 ft) long, 20 metres (66 ft) wide, and 35 metres (115 ft) high. It was formed during the Scandinavian ice age. Ice and water eroded the looser rocks, while the harder ones in the mountain top have resisted erosion.