Like grotesque gargoyles on a medieval cathedral… On studying tafoni weathering on the south coast of Norway, a bizarre world is revealed. There are dragons, mythical beasts, grotesque masks – and Jabba the Hutt from Star Wars. Can you find him?

The collection of photos is inspired by the photo book “Mostri di pietra” by Nello Anselmi (2006), about tafoni “stone monsters” on the island of Elba. Like many places with tafoni weathering, Elba has an enormous amount of fantastic forms created by this special weathering phenomenon.

My collection of tafoni beasts comes from the islands of Flosta, Tromøy and Mærdø, near Arendal at the south coast of Norway. And here’s Jabba the Hutt:

Jabba the Hutt. Tafoni on the south coast of Norway. Photo by Per Storemyr

Read about tafoni on the south coast of Norway. In Norwegian, but you may try the article at Google translate.

Tafoni-forvitring på Sørlandskysten: Havets og landhevingens betydning

Also see my account of tafoni weathering on Elba:

Tafoni weathering on the island of Elba. Impressions and questions