Gefion fountain

The Gefion fountain ( _da. Gefionspringvandet) is a large fountain on the harbour front in Copenhagen, Denmark. It features a large-scale group of animal figures being driven by the legendary Norse goddess, Gefjun.

It is the largest monument in Copenhagen and is used as a wishing well. The fountain was donated to the city of Copenhagen by the Carlsberg Foundation on the occasion of the brewery’s 50-year anniversary. It was originally supposed to be located in the main town square outside city hall, but it was decided instead to build it near the Øresund in its current location near Kastellet ("The Citadel").

It was designed by Danish artist Anders Bundgård, who sculpted the naturalistic figures 1897-99. The basins and decorations were completed in 1908. The fountain was first activated on July 14, 1908.

The fountain underwent extensive renovations starting in 1999. The fountain was out of commission for many years, and was re-inaugurated in September 2004.

Gefjun

The fountain depicts the mythical story of the creation of the island of Zealand on which Copenhagen is located. The legend appears in "Ragnarsdrápa", a 9th century Skaldic poem recorded in the 13th century Prose Edda, and in "Ynglinga saga" as recorded in Snorri Sturluson's 13th century "Heimskringla".

According to "Ynglinga saga", the Swedish king Gylfi promised Gefjun the territory she could plow in a night. She turned her four sons into oxen, and the territory they plowed out of the earth was then thrown into the sea between Sweden and the island of Fyn in Denmark. The hole became a lake called "Lögrinn" and "Leginum" (locative). Snorri identifies the lake "Löginn", as the lake of Old Sigtuna west of Stockholm, i.e., Lake Mälaren, an identification that he returns to later in the "Saga of Olaf the Holy". The same identification of "Löginn"/"Leginum" as Mälaren appears in "Ásmundar saga kappabana", where it is the lake by Agnafit (modern Stockholm), and also in "Knýtlinga saga".

In spite of Snorri's identification, tourist information about the fountain identifies the resultant lake as Vänern [ [http://uk.langelinie.dk/content.asp?ID=208&page=text&parentID=180 Langelinie Pavillonen’s description of The Gefion Fountain] ] [ [http://www.vejpark.kk.dk/vejepladser/pladser/gefion/historie.htm Copenhagen's "Vej or Park" (Roads and Parks Authority), information about the Gefion Fountain’s history, in Danish] ] [ [http://www.copenhagen.com/tourism/landmarks/gifion.asp?Menu=Tourism Information about Gefion Fountain from Copenhagen.com] ] [ [http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/composite-436.htm?productid=%7B16791F7B-AF8E-C2E2-FDAF-E94C00000000%7D&languageid=2 Information about Gefion Fountain from VisitCopenhagen.com] ] , Sweden's largest lake, citing the fact that modern maps show that Zealand and the lake resemble each other in size and shape.

Snorri, however, was well acquainted with Vänern as he had visited Västergötland in 1219. When he referred to this lake he called it "Vænir" [ [http://omacl.org/Heimskringla/ynglinga.html Snorri Sturluson, Heimskringla verse 33, Of King Adils' Death. English translation by Samuel Laing (London, 1844).] ]

References