Human head seen in a Norwegian mine and its disappearance
A caller named [name withheld], from Washington, tells Art Bell about a 1991 student trip in Norway. [name withheld] and a fellow student, [name withheld], enter a mine and see a human head with purple skin, no eyes, sunken cheeks, and brown disheveled hair. When [name withheld] looks away and back, the head is gone. The host thanks [name withheld] for the call.
This clip comes from the source recording. AI chose where it starts and ends, so it may start or end a little early or late. The word-for-word transcript is not published. You can hear the source recording on the Internet Archive (file “Ghost to Ghost 2001-2.mp3”, starting at 19:48). Is this you, or someone you know? Ask for a correction or removal.
The story as told
[name withheld], calling from Washington, says that in 1991 they were a student at the International Summer School in Oslo, Norway. [name withheld] says they were one of sixty students and two professors on a long weekend trip from Oslo to Bergen and back. On the last leg they stopped at a place [name withheld] calls Lofarverka, where they entered a Viking-style longhouse and sat down to eat dinner. [name withheld] says they were served chili, and that a student from Texas named [name withheld] sat across from them. After dinner, [name withheld] says, [name withheld] picked up a sugar cube and announced they would feed it to a goat in a nearby barnyard. [name withheld] says they told [name withheld] that a sign in Norwegian, English, and German said not to feed the animals, but [name withheld] stepped over a two-rail fence and walked around a little barn. According to [name withheld], [name withheld] then ran back, climbed over the fence, and said the goat was evil and wanted to kill them. [name withheld] says [name withheld] then noticed a mine and suggested exploring it. [name withheld] replied that [name withheld] had gotten lost in a castle in Bergen and had a bad sense of direction. [name withheld] says they walked into the mine. [name withheld] reports that [name withheld] looked to the left and said, [quote withheld] and then said there was a human head in there. [name withheld] says they looked and saw a human head with purple skin, no eyes, sunken cheeks, and brown disheveled hair. [name withheld] says they made a noise and turned away. When they looked back, the head was gone. The host thanks [name withheld] for the call.
Reported events, in order
- 0:22
[name withheld] says they were a student at the International Summer School in Oslo, Norway, in 1991.
- 0:30
[name withheld] says they were one of sixty students and two professors on a long weekend trip from Oslo to Bergen and back.
- 0:38
They stopped at a place called Lofarverka on the last leg of the trip.
- 0:52
They went into a Viking-style longhouse and sat down to eat dinner.
- 1:04
[name withheld] says they were served chili, and a student from Texas named [name withheld] sat across from them.
- 1:27
After dinner, [name withheld] picked up a sugar cube and said they would feed it to a goat.
- 1:37
[name withheld] says there was a barnyard with a little barn, possibly a petting zoo.
- 1:45
[name withheld] told [name withheld] that a sign said not to feed the animals.
- 2:08
[name withheld] stepped over the two-rail fence and walked around the little barn.
- 2:13
[name withheld] ran back, climbed over the fence, and said the goat was evil and wanted to kill them.
- 2:21
[name withheld] noticed a mine and suggested exploring it.
- 2:29
[name withheld] replied that [name withheld] had gotten lost in a castle in Bergen and had a bad sense of direction.
- 2:33
They walked into the mine.
- 2:38
[name withheld] looked to the left, said [quote withheld] and then said there was a human head in there.
- 2:46
[name withheld] looked and saw a human head with purple skin, no eyes, sunken cheeks, and brown disheveled hair.
- 2:58
[name withheld] made a noise and turned away.
- 3:05
When they looked back, the head was gone.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- observation· 2:50
[name withheld] says they saw a human head in the mine with purple skin, no eyes, sunken cheeks, and brown disheveled hair.
- observation· 3:05
[name withheld] says the head was gone when they looked back after turning away.
- hearsay· 2:13
[name withheld] reports that [name withheld] said the goat was evil and wanted to kill them.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
Firsthand, specific, and coherent, but the story offers an easy ordinary explanation (a prank or prop in the mine) that the caller does not address, and it is brief.
Evidence for and against
- Firsthand witness: [quote withheld]
- Specific details: year, places, names, sequence, and head description.
- Coherent sequence and answers to the host's prompts.
- An easy ordinary explanation: [name withheld] had just described a goat as evil and then suggested exploring the mine, and was the first to call attention to the head.
- No backing beyond the caller's story; [name withheld] does not speak on air.
- The caller does not acknowledge uncertainty or alternative causes.
- The labels showing who is speaking are uncertain for some lines.
- Some place names (Lofarverka) may be mistranscribed.
- 0:22
- 2:50
What the model inferred (not said on air): Component scoring: closeness to the source 20/25, specificity 14/20, internal consistency 15/20, alternative explanations 7/20, calibration 7/15; sum 63.
The caller's firsthand assertion plus a claimed second witness ([name withheld]) and checkable specifics (1991, Oslo, Bergen, Lofarverka), but nothing has been checked and no physical evidence is presented.
Evidence for and against
- Claimed second witness: [name withheld] was present and first said there was a human head.
- Checkable specifics: 1991, International Summer School in Oslo, Norway, Bergen, Lofarverka.
- No confirmation from [name withheld] on air.
- No photograph, recording, or physical trace.
- No outside check was performed.
- The place name Lofarverka is uncertain.
- 2:43
- 2:46
What the model inferred (not said on air): Score range 11 to 25: checkable specifics and a claimed other witness, but no independent verification.
A disembodied human head with purple skin, no eyes, sunken cheeks, and brown disheveled hair, seen in a mine and then vanishing, is genuinely unsettling. The brief story and the humorous chili and goat opening keep it from being more frightening.
Evidence for and against
- Vivid head description: [quote withheld]
- Appearing in a mine and disappearing when they looked away.
- A brief encounter with no threat or physical contact.
- Preceded by a humorous story about chili and a goat.
- The caller's emotional reaction is not used for scoring.
- 2:50
- 3:05
What the model inferred (not said on air): An entertainment-minded judgment based on content, not truth.
A disappearing, disembodied head in a Norwegian mine, described with unusual physical details, is not a stock haunted-house motif. The travel story frame and goat incident add distinctiveness.
Evidence for and against
- Unusual setting: a mine rather than a home or bedroom.
- Specific head description: purple skin, no eyes, sunken cheeks, brown disheveled hair.
- Vanishing on the second look.
- A disappearing ghost is a familiar ghost-story element.
- The brief story limits development.
- The comparison with the rest of the archive is not yet computed; this is a provisional score only.
- 2:21
- 2:50
What the model inferred (not said on air): The model's originality score is 70; the final score may be adjusted by comparison with the rest of the archive.
Scoring confidence 0.80 · analysis confidence 0.85 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The caller's firsthand testimony; A claimed second witness ([name withheld]), not on air; No physical evidence or documentation. The originality score blends the model's score (70) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- A prank or staged object by [name withheld] · [name withheld] had just claimed the goat was evil, then pointed out the mine and was the first to say there was a human head; the head could have been a prop or mask.
- Misidentification of an object or the lighting in the mine · The head is described as having purple skin and no eyes, which could match a mannequin, mask, or object seen in poor light.
- Expectation and suggestion after a prank-like incident · The group had just had a goat incident, and entering a dark mine could lead to misperceiving a shape or object.
What stands out
The story combines a travel anecdote with a disappearing, disembodied head in a mine. The head is described with unusual physical details (purple skin, no eyes, sunken cheeks, brown disheveled hair). The goat incident before it gives the sequence a prankish feel.
Related stories
Matched by shared recurring details, categories, and wording.