Swedish Folktales: Hälsingland

Forsa Church

Once upon a time in Tåsta, Högs socken, there lived a man by the name of Tatte, and whose son, Blacke (after whom the Blackås Mountain is named) lived in Nannestad in Forsa socken.

When father and son both converted to Christianity, they worked together to build Hög’s church. Since Blacke lived farther away than his father, he insisted that the bells would not call the congregation to worship until after he could be seen on Åsak Hill.

One Christmas morning Blacke was later than usual, and Tatte ordered the bells be rung anyway, and so the service had already begun by the time Blacke arrived at the church. In wrath, Blacke ripped the rune-carved iron ring off the churchdoor and tied it to the mane of his horse. He then swore to build his own church, and vowed to put it on the spot where the ring came loose and fell to the earth.

He then rode away like the wind. But when he was crossing the Forsa River the ice broke, and the horse plunged into the water. Horse and rider managed to fight their way to safety, and there on the shore the horse shivered and shook so violently from the cold that the iron ring fell out of his mane. As a knight, Blacke held his word, and built a church right there by the river, which took its name from the river where it was built: Forsa.