The Holy Spring
The holy spring (heliga källan), a spring or well that Swedish folk tradition credited with healing. Such springs, often named for a saint, were visited for cures on particular days, usually the saint's feast or a church holiday, and the water was drunk, bathed in, or carried home in flasks for the sick and the cattle. Pilgrims left offerings of coins, linen, or small crosses, often hanging them on a nearby tree, and some springs were said to swell, run warm, or glow before a miracle. When a cure failed, the spring might be slandered as having lost its power. Many Swedish holy springs became l