Rykene or Rygene is a village located along the river Nidelva in Agder county, Norway. The village is primarily located in Arendal municipality, but a small portion of the village lies across the river in the neighboring municipality of Grimstad. Rykene is located about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of the town of Grimstad and about the same distance south of the city of Arendal. Historically, the village grew up due to its close proximity to forests as the timber was floated down river to the sawmills in Rykene. The village of Lindtveit lies about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to the northwest, the village of Løddesøl lies about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the north, the village of Gjennestad lies about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the northeast. The village sits at the junction of Norwegian County Road