Sweden Has a Cross-Shaped Hole in the Ground. Nobody Knows Who Made It

Deep in a Swedish forest, there’s a cross carved into the ground that nobody remembers making.

It’s nearly two meters long, almost as wide, and only a few centimeters deep. People have known about it for more than 150 years, but nobody knows who put it there.

For generations, locals also claimed something unusual happened inside the cross. Grass and moss supposedly refused to grow within its outline, even though plants grew perfectly well around it. And somewhere along the way, a story emerged about a body that might be buried underneath.

The Cross at Mikkola

The mysterious formation lies near the village of Röjden, in Sweden’s Värmland region, close to the Norwegian border. Locally, it’s known as Korset i Röjden, or the Cross of Röjden. Some people also call it the Cross at Mikkola.

Two shallow grooves meet at right angles, forming a cross in the earth. The marks are only about ten centimeters wide, making the whole thing surprisingly easy to overlook.

Visitors expecting an enormous stone monument might walk right past it. A small fence now protects the formation, and signs help people locate it.

The surrounding area is known as Finnskogen, or the Forest of the Finns. Finnish settlers established communities in these woodlands centuries ago, leaving behind a rich collection of local traditions and stories. The cross became one of the region’s more curious landmarks.

The Man Who Found It

One local story says a man remembered as Söstugubben discovered the cross while cutting vegetation with a scythe. As he worked, he noticed the unusual shape in the ground. Nobody seemed to know how long it had been there or who had made it.

Accounts from the region suggest the formation was already known by the middle of the nineteenth century. By that time, any explanation of its origins had apparently been lost.

What attracted attention was how clearly the grooves could be seen. According to local tradition, grass and moss grew around the cross but rarely inside it. People described the narrow channels as remaining bare even as the surrounding woodland changed with the seasons.

Another story claimed that someone collected soil from the cross and placed it in a flowerpot. Plants reportedly grew normally in the soil after it was removed. That only made the formation more puzzling to people who knew the legend.

The Story of the Secret Burial

One of the strangest explanations for the cross involves a funeral procession that never reached its destination as planned. According to local folklore, several men were carrying a coffin through the forest toward the cemetery at Dalby.

The journey was difficult, and the men eventually decided they had carried the body far enough. Rather than continue, they supposedly dug a grave in the woods and buried the deceased person there. But they still needed to arrive at the cemetery with a coffin.

The story says they filled it with stones and completed the journey, hoping nobody would discover what they had done. Some versions suggest the cross was carved into the earth to mark the hidden grave.

It would explain why someone might leave a Christian symbol in such an isolated location. Anyone who knew about the burial could return and find the spot.

Over time, the people involved would have died, taking the location’s history with them. The cross, however, remained.

The Forest’s Other Strange Stories

The region around Röjden has its own collection of unusual tales. One concerns a farmhouse known as Välgunaho, where residents reportedly experienced frightening incidents around the beginning of the twentieth century. According to accounts of the disturbances, stones appeared to fly through the air, furniture moved unexpectedly, and household objects behaved as though someone invisible were handling them.

Residents reportedly sought help as the incidents continued. The activity became so troubling that the family eventually left the property.

The buildings were later removed, leaving behind their foundations. Stories about the farmhouse and the mysterious cross became part of the same local tradition. Both were associated with places where ordinary explanations seemed difficult to find. For generations, people in the surrounding communities continued passing these accounts along.

A Researcher Visits the Cross

In 2011, Swedish UFO researcher Anders Berglund traveled to Röjden to examine the formation. He had heard about the cross and wanted to see the unusual markings for himself.

When he arrived, he found the small site surrounded by a protective fence. But the ground looked different from what he had expected. Grass was growing in the grooves, making the cross difficult to see.

Berglund photographed the site and recorded his observations. He also looked into the old stories surrounding its discovery and the possible burial.

His visit added another chapter to the cross’s history. Over the years, its appearance had changed, but the original question remained unanswered.

Whoever made the grooves had left no known explanation behind.

Still There After More Than a Century

The Cross of Röjden remains a local attraction in Värmland. People can still visit the small fenced area and see the marks in the ground.

The surrounding countryside has changed since the nineteenth century, but the formation has remained recognizable enough for generations of visitors to find it. Its unusual appearance continues to attract people interested in local history, old legends and unexplained places.

The burial story has never been connected to a confirmed grave beneath the cross. But it offers an intriguing explanation for why someone might have chosen that particular spot.

Perhaps the person who made the marks expected others to understand their meaning. They may never have imagined that the reason would eventually be forgotten.

A few shallow cuts in the earth were all they left behind.

And somewhere near Röjden, an old family story may still hold the answer.