Forssa Church
In the village Tåsta—Tattestad—in the parish of Hög, lived in former times a widely renowned man named Tatte, whose son, Blacke, after whom the high mountain, Blackåsberg, was named, dwelt in Nannestad, a village in the parish of Forssa.
When the father and son were baptized they together built the church of Hög, in commemoration of the event. Upon its completion Blacke, whose home was a long ride distant, stipulated that the bells, calling the people to worship, should never be rung until his white horse was seen on Åsaks Hill.
One Christmas day, when Blacke was later than usual, Tatte commanded that the bell be rung, and the services had already begun when Blacke arrived at the church. In anger he tore the runic engraved ring from the church door, with prayers bound it upon his horse, made a vow that he would build a church of his own where the ring fell to the ground, and mounting his horse, rode away at full speed.
While crossing Lake Forssa the ice broke, and the horse was plunged into the water, but both horse and rider, however, succeeded in reaching the shore, where the horse shook himself so violently that the ring was loosened and fell to the earth. Blacke kept his word and built a church, which, after the adjacent lake, was called Forssa Church.
The renowned hero, Starkad, the greatest warrior of the North, had offended a princess, therefore had fallen under the displeasure of the king, to escape whose wrath he wandered northward, where he took up his abode at Rude in Tuna, and it is related in the folk stories that he then took the name of “Ala Dräng,” or “Rödu Pilt.”
In Balbo, nine miles distant, in the parish of Borgajö, dwelt another warrior, Bale, who was a good friend to Starkad, and a companion in arms.
One morning Starkad climbed to the top of Klefberg, in Tuna, and addressed Bale, thus:
“Bale in Balbo, are you awake?”
“Rödu Pilt,” answered Bale, nine miles away, “the sun and I always awake at the same time; but how is it with you?”
“Poorly enough! I have only salmon for breakfast, dinner and supper. Bring me a piece of meat.”
“All right!” replied Bale, and in a few hours arrived in Tuna with an elk under each arm.
The following morning Bale stood upon a mountain in Balbo and shouted:
“Rödu Pilt, are you awake?”
“The sun and I awake always at the same time,” answered Starkad, “but how is it with you?”
“Oh, I have nothing but meat to eat—elk for breakfast, elk for dinner and elk for supper, come, therefore, and bring me a fish.”
“All right,” said Starkad, and in a little while he was with his friend, bearing a barrel of salmon under each arm.
In this manner the warriors kept each other supplied with fresh game from forest and sea, meantime spreading desolation and terror through the country, but one evening as they were returning from a plundering expedition to the sea, a black cloud appeared, and it began to thunder and lighten. Both hastened on the way, but reached no further than to Vattjom, when Starkad was struck dead by lightning. His companion buried him in a hill around which he placed five stones, two at his feet, one at each shoulder and one at his head, marking to this day the grave of Starkad forty feet in length.