Saint Elof spring
The Sankt-Elof-Quelle ( Swedish Sankt Elofs källa ) is located between Borgholm and Köpingsvik on the rocky promontory of Köpings klint on the Swedish island of Öland .
Pile of sacrifices
At the small spring, which is not very productive , a heap of sacrifices (in Swedish : offerkast ) is remarkable. Piles of sacrifices were made when travelers added a stone or twig when they passed a place where, according to tradition, something memorable had happened. Öland has a few piles of sacrifices, mostly made of small stones. On the mainland, they mostly consist of brushwood .
Legend
The legend associated with the source and the heap of sacrifices relates to the time when paganism and Christianity fought for rule. Elof was a prison guard at Borgholm Castle , which was built in the 13th century and has been in ruins since the 16th century . The historically not fixable "castle woman" Gunnel fell in love with him, but her feelings remained unanswered. The legend is based on the story of Potiphar's wife from the Old Testament. An Öland ballad from the Middle Ages describes Elof's story. When Elof fell asleep, Gunnel takes the keys to the castle's dungeon and releases the prisoners. She later tells her husband that Elof released the prisoners. The innocent Elof was put in a barrel that was tied to two continuous horses. At Köpings Klint, Elof's neck hit the protruding rugged cliff, so that a spring leaped out. The ledge and the spring are still there today. Finally the wild foals stopped in Kapelludden and Elof took his last breath. A small stone chapel stood here in the Middle Ages, which was demolished in 1816. Today there is a newly built chapel here , which again bears the name St. Elavi Chapel .
Web links
- Sankt-Elof-Quelle - entry in the database "Fornsök" des Riksantikvarieämbetet (Swedish)
Coordinates: 56 ° 52 ′ 43 " N , 16 ° 41 ′ 31" E