Seljord – Sjøormtårnet

Probably every more-less knowledgeable traveler has heard of such attractions as Trolltunga, Preikestolen, Kjerag, Lofoten or Geirangerfjord. Indeed, for most of tourists, these names are almost synonymous with Norway. They are a must-see for anyone visiting the country of the fjords. It is not surprising, therefore, the long queue waiting for the entrance to the famous Troll Tongue to take a photo or crowd of people marching on the trail on Preikestolen.
Fortunately, Norway is not only postcard attractions that attract crowds of tourists. It is a country with a rich history and traditions. With thousands of local paths and routes, on which we can often be alone and during the whole day of the journey not meet a living soul. Many of these places, not advertised in tourist folders and visited mainly by local residents, are not inferior to the most known locations in terms of fantastic views and specific atmosphere. Among other things, that’s why I like to explore Norway just such, less known, hiding its charms in the shadow of places besieged by tourists.

One of those attraction is Selma, a prechistoric sea monster living in the depths of Lake Seljordsvatnet. Probably few non-Norwegians have heard that Scandinavians have their version of the Loch Ness monster. Well, they have, and this creature is a symbol of the town of Seljord (3000 inhabitants), which can be seen even in the coat of arms of the municipality of Seljord (commune), depicted in this shape since 1989.
Lake Seljordsvatnet is 15 km long, 1.8 km wide and has 150 m deep. This gives quite a lot of space below the surface to hide mysterious creatures.
As in the case of the Scottish Nessie, the existence of Selma (the name probably comes from the name of the town) is not fully confirmed. Over the years, various scientific expeditions have been organized to capture the monster, but none of them has even answered whether Selma is real. In 1988, the Discovery TV crew searched for traces of the legendary sea serpent, but nothing was found. Almost a decade later, in 1997, the Swedish cryptozoologist Jan Ove Sundberg founded the GUST organization (Global Underwater Search Team), looking for unknown aquatic animals throughout Europe. Several years of research using aircraft equipped with photographic equipment and ROV underwater robots have not produced results.
But many messages prove that the depths of the lake can be inhabited by a large snake-like creature. The first written reports about Selma date back to 1750. This story tells about a mysterious animal surrounded a man traveled by boat. Another story tells about a woman who, while doing laundry on the shores of the lake, noticed something crawling from the depths next to her. Frightened, she smashed the creature with a wooden oar used to whip the laundry. The snake-like creature, due to its small size, could have been the offspring of a giant living in the depths. Til today, over 100 Selma observations have been recorded.
Reports about the appearance of Selma on the surface of the lake do not arouse as much sensation among the inhabitants of Seljord as one would expect. She is a kind of town mascot and a magnet attracting tourists. People associated with Seljord are rather reluctant to talk about their experiences with the monster. Maybe they are afraid of crowds of tourists besieging the town. Maybe they don’t want to be fools who believe in unconfirmed monster legends. In any case, despite the many stories of appearance of the animal on the water surface, there is no credible picture of the monster from Seljordsvatnet. In 2012, a resident of Seljord, along with her friends and children, noticed Selma, and even managed to record her with the phone. This can be seen in the video below.

From 2011, on the edge of the lake, right next to the campsite, there is a lookout tower, an ideal place to observe the water surface and look out for Selma. To get to the place, exit road 36, near the intersection with E134, towards the camping. You can go through the camping or by the sandy beach along the southern shore of the lake to the bridge over the river. Behind the bridge, a wooden platform will lead us to the tower.
Other viewpoints are placed around the entire perimeter of the lake.