Kærsgaard

The Devil visits Kærsgaard 

Having offended the Lord our God by burying her dog in the hallowed ground of the churchyard, estate owner Anna Trolle finds herself cursed. 

 

Around Christmas in 1723, the local priest is busy making the sign of the cross in front of all the windows at Kærsgaard Manor. Or so legend would have it. 

Anna Nielsdatter Trolle, the aged estate owner, has brought the priest in to keep the Devil from her door. She knows that she is fated to die on Christmas night, and she knows the Devil will come for her. And she knows why. 

The dog’s grave 

Anna Trolle has otherwise been a good, industrious estate owner for 48 years. She has established a school, and as a farmer she has been so far-sighted as to have sent two farm labourers to Germany to learn how to grow hops. Her actions result in her land becoming a leading area for hop cultivation. 

She also has a dog that she loves so dearly that she wants it buried in the churchyard. The priest initially refuses, but the lady of the manor insists. 

The original grave is identified and her pet’s body is disinterred. Her beloved dog is then given its own burial mound at Kærsgaard, topped with a fine cross. The mound is known as Korshøj today, but it is sometimes also called Hundehøj (Dog Mound). 

The Devil whips up a storm 

Anna Nielsdatter Trolle is not fated to ascend to heaven, the Devil himself will come for her. She knows this to be true. That is why, before that fateful night, she has the priest make the sign of the cross in front of all the windows. 

On Christmas night, the trees begin to rustle as a storm brews up over the estate. With a crash, a giant ash tree topples over, smashing a hole into Lady Trolle’s bedroom. In flies the Devil and carries the old lady away. 

Legend has it that when the servants look in on their aged mistress the following morning, they find the bed full of dust. So the Lady’s coffin has to be filled with stones instead of her dead body. 

The manor tales are written by Linda Corfitz