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The church of Kärna. The ballad relates the tradition of why the church was built.
"Töres dotter i Wänge" ("Töre's daughter in Vänge"), "Per Tyrssons döttrar i Vänge" ("Per Tyrsson's daughters in Vänge"), etc., is a medieval Swedish ballad on which Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring is based.[1]
The location Vänge is in Malmskogen in Östergötland, Sweden. In the early 19th century, Erik Gustaf Geijer noted that people in the surrounding area still told numerous legends about the tragic events related in the ballad. A manuscript from 1673 reported the existence of the well of Vänge (Vänge brunn), which appeared at the spot where the young maidens in the story lost their heads. An old forest smithy in the vicinity was held to be still haunted at midnight by the apparitions of the young girls.[2]
[edit] Ballad
The ballad as recorded by Geijer:
- Pehr Tyrssons döttrar i Vänge,
- Kaller var deras skog
- de sufvo en sömn för länge.
- Medan skogen han lövas
- Först vaknade den yngsta,
- Kaller...
- Så väckte hon upp de andra
- Medan...
- (the rest is shown without the refrain)
- Så satte de sig på sänge-stock.
- Så flätade de hvarandras lock.
- Så togo de på sina silkesklä'r.
- Så gingo de sig åt kyrkan.
- Men när som de kommo på Vängelid
- Der möta dem tre Vallare.
- - Ant'en vill J bli' Wallare-vif,
- Eller vill J mista Ert unga lif?
- - Inte villa vi bli' Vallarevif,
- Heldre vi miste vårt unga lif.
- De höggo deras hufvu'n på björke-stock,
- Så rann der strax tre källor opp.
- Kroppen grofvo de ner i dy.
- Kläderna buro de fram till by.
- När som de kommo till Vänga gård,
- Ute för dem fru Karin står
- -Och vill J köpa silkes särkar
- Som nio jungfrur ha' stickat å virkat?
- - Lös upp Edra säckar och låten mig se,
- Kan hända jag tör känna dem alla tre
- Fru Karin slog sig för sitt bröst,
- Hon gångar för Pehr Tyreson opp
- - Det håller tre Wallare upå vår gård,
- De hafva gjort af med döttrarne vår.
- Pehr Tyrsson ta'r sitt svärd i hand,
- Hn högg ihjäl de äldsta två.
- Den tredje lät han lefva
- Tills han fick honom fråga:
- - Hvad heter eder Fader?
- Hvad heter eder Moder?
- - Vår fader, Pehr Tyrsson i Vänge;
- Vår moder fru Karin i Skränge
- Per Tyrson går sig åt smedjan
- Han lät smidja sig jern om medjan
- - Hvad ska' vi nu göra för syndamehn?
- - Vi ska' bygga en kyrka af kalk å sten.
- - Den kyrkan skall heta Kerna
- Den skall vi bygga upp så gerna.[2]
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- Pehr Tyrsson's daughters in Vänge
- Their forest was cold
- They slept a sleep too long
- While the leaves appear on the trees
- The youngest one woke up first
- Their forest...
- And so she woke up the others.
- While the leaves...
- -
- Then they sat up on their beds.
- So they braided each other's locks.
- So they put on their silken clothes.
- So they went to the church.
- But when they came to the pastures of Vänge
- They met three herdsmen
- - Either you will be the wives of herdsmen
- Or would you lose your young lives?
- - We do not want to be the wifes of herdsmen.
- We would rather lose our young lives.
- They cut off their heads on a log of birch.
- And so three wells appeared.
- The bodies were buried in the mud.
- The clothes were carried to the village.
- When they came to the estate of Vänge,
- Lady Karin met them outdoors
- -And would you buy silken robes
- That nine maidens have knitted and stitched?
- Untie your sacks and let me see,
- Maybe I will know all three of them
- Lady Karin beat herself on the chest,
- She went up to Pehr Tyreson
- - There are three herdsmen on our courtyard,
- They have slain our daughters.
- Pehr Tyrsson grasped his sword,
- He slew the two eldest ones.
- The third one he let live
- Until he could ask him:
- - What is your father's name?
- What is your mother's name?
- - Our father is Pehr Tyrsson in Vänge;
- Our mother is Lady Karin in Skränge
- Per Tyrson goes to the smithy
- He had iron crafted around his waist
- - What shall we do for our sins?
- - We shall build a church of lime and stone.
- - The church will be named Kerna
- We are fain to build it.[3]
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[edit] Notes and references
