Pilkällan i Sya

The willow spring in Sya is an ancient sacrificial spring where coins and other objects were offered. Religious ceremonies may also have been performed here. The water was believed to have a healing effect if drunk or used to pour over diseased areas of the body. The spring is as old as the birth of the village. Even today, remnants of ice river deposits can be seen in the form of pebbles. The spring flows upwards to the north, which makes it different from other springs.

The name Pilkällan comes from a time when pilgrims on their journey, perhaps to or from Vadstena, stopped to drink the spring's water and put their staff, which was often made of willow wood, in the ground. Willow wood is very easy to root and the soil was rich in water here. There have been 12 willow trees around the spring.

The cult of the spring dates back to the Neolithic period (2000-1500 BC). There were also pilgrim springs in the Middle Ages, where hikers could fortify themselves with the beneficial water and get some rest. The spring is located on the grounds of Sya Farm. According to tradition, the spring must be decorated with flowers and birch trees every midsummer, otherwise it will be bad luck for the cattle on Sya Farm. Some legends also say that bad luck befell everyone in the area if the spring was not dressed in midsummer, and no one has dared to depart from this tradition. This is why the spring is dressed every Midsummer's Eve at 9.00 am by people from near and far.

Next to the road between Pilkällan and Sya station stood three royal oaks. There are legends about them too. It is said that the oaks were planted at a meeting that took place at the site between three kings, and that the area would perish if these three oaks were ever cut down. The oaks fell during a severe storm in September 1969. Since then, a log from one of these royal oaks has been erected at Pilkällan. And the trunk is still there!

The site around Pilkällan is managed by Sya Hembygdsförening. Up by the road down to the spring there are old stone chairs with chains between them. Two of these have been gate posts at Halvö, which is on the border between Sya and Västra Harg. This is where Ka-Nilsa stood guard to get a gatepost when he opened for travelers. His real name was Karl Nilsson and he lived in a cottage by the road.

Pilkällan can be found if you go under the bridge in Sya towards Västra Harg. It is located about a hundred meters away on the left side.