Hellegropene i Storvika
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Storvika on Havøya lies a few hundred metres west of Strandgata, and therein lies what are believed to be ‘hellegroper’ Hellegroper are oval or rectangular pits that are set with stone on the bottom and sides. These pits were used to extract the oil from seal and whale blubber, to be used as a trading commodity. Hellegroper date from around the year 100 to the end of the Viking Age and were mostly in use between the years 600 to 900. The oil was used as a lubricant for wood and rope work as well as in the treatment and production of leather, therefore there was a large market for oil in Europe. There is still some discussion as to why hellegroper went out of use in the Middle Ages, but it is probably connected to shifting social and cultural patterns. In total there are 88 registered hellegroper in Måsøy municipality.