Blå Jungfrun, or "Blåkulla", is a Swedish

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 island in the Baltic Sea

Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...

. More precisely, it is situated in Kalmar Strait

Kalmar Strait

The Kalmar Strait, Kalmarsund, is a strait in the Baltic Sea, located between the Swedish island of Öland and the province of Småland of the Swedish mainland...

, between the provinces Småland

Småland

' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...

 and Öland

Öland

' is the second largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area of 1,342 km² and is located in the Baltic Sea just off the coast of Småland. The island has 25,000 inhabitants, but during Swedish Midsummer it is visited by up to 500,000 people...

. Administratively, it belongs to the municipality Oskarshamn

Oskarshamn

Oskarshamn is a coastal city and the seat of Oskarshamn Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 17,258 inhabitants in 2010.-History:The location of Oskarshamn was known as Döderhultsvik since the Medieval age...

. It is uninhabited and has an area of only about 0.7 km², though it rises 86 metres above sea level. Since 1926, it is one of the national parks of Sweden. As a national park, there are important limitations to the Everyman's right at Blå Jungfrun. For example, you are not allowed to make up a fire or spend the night on the island.

The island consists partly of bare rock, partly of dense hardwood forest. The black guillemot

Black Guillemot

The Black Guillemot or Tystie is a medium-sized alcid.Adult birds have black bodies with a white wing patch, a thin dark bill, and red legs and feet. They show white wing linings in flight. In winter, the upperparts are pale grey and the underparts are white. The wings remain black with the large...

 is a characteristic bird. There are several caves and an ancient stone labyrinth

Labyrinth

In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos...

.
The island plays an important role in Swedish folklore

Folklore

Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...

, where it is viewed as an evil and magical place. The name Blå Jungfrun (Blue Virgin) was originally used by sailors to avoid provoking the evil spirits who dwelt on the island. According to a widespread belief, related already by Olaus Magnus

Olaus Magnus

Olaus Magnus was a Swedish ecclesiastic and writer, who did pioneering work for the interest of Nordic people. He was reported as born in October 1490 in Östergötland, and died on August 1, 1557. Magnus, Latin for the Swedish Stor “great”, is a Latin family name taken personally, and not a...

 in 1555, witches meet there each Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great & Holy Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries, is the Christian feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles as described in the Canonical gospels...

. Carolus Linnaeus

Carolus Linnaeus

Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...

, who visited the island in 1741, was sceptical:

... women and fairy-tales ... generally say that all witches will go here (truly a rather difficult journey) each Maundy Thursday; but those who have visited the place once are not likely to return, and should find out the reason for the fable: If any place in the world looks hideous, this is surely one of the most cruel...

According to a still living tradition, anyone who removes a stone from the island will suffer from bad luck

Bad Luck

Bad Luck may refer to:* Harmful or negative luck* Bad Luck , a 1960 film directed by Andrzej Munk* "Bad Luck" * "Bad Luck" * Bad Luck, an album by Trophy Scars...

 until it is returned. Oskarshamn yearly receives stone shipments from people, often with an accompanying letter of warning describing the misfortunes and disasters which happened to them after removing a stone.

In summer, the island can be visited by tour boats from Oskarshamn

Oskarshamn

Oskarshamn is a coastal city and the seat of Oskarshamn Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 17,258 inhabitants in 2010.-History:The location of Oskarshamn was known as Döderhultsvik since the Medieval age...

 or from Byxelkrok

Byxelkrok

Byxelkrok is a locality situated on the northern end of Öland, Sweden....

.

External links

• Blå Jungfrun National Park from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
  Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
  The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is a Swedish government agency responsible for proposing and implementing environmental policies...
  
  
• Blå Jungfrun.info - Website with information about Blå Jungfrun.