HOLKAHESTEN (the Holkahorse) is the name of an old mythical creature that once roamed Gudhjem in days gone by. It has its place on the rock face along one side of the narrow lane known as Holkarenden, which leads from Holkadalen to Malkestien.
The horse rests during the day. But in the evening it rises and chases the children home – “grå som toggan, fæl, me longa ørn”. In olden times, it was therefore not advisable to venture into the valley after sunset.

Some years ago, local tourism representatives attempted to raise the creature, despite no shortage of warnings from wise people. The mythical beast kicked out so violently with its hind legs that it almost came loose; the lifting equipment went flying wildly through the air – and the creature settled back into its accustomed position. The following year, the man who had led the undertaking died.

HOLKAHESTEN entered the world of art when the painter Rich. Mortensen lived in Gudhjem in 1935 and later recalled:
“My studio was an attic room in the house at the entrance to Holkadalen, a dark ravine, at the bottom of which people said that ‘e Holkehertier’ dwelled. And there was probably some truth in that. The net I was supposed to use for my catch was a painter’s canvas …”

Later, the Holkahesten was depicted in individual works by Lisbeth Munch-Petersen in 1957, and since 2001 it has also lent its name to the artists’ association that exhibits at Gudhjem Museum every year – with “the horse on the poster” on several occasions.