Saint Sissela av Borrby

Saint Sissela of Borrby is one of Scania's three female saints. The others are Saint Magnhild of Fulltofta and Saint Tora of Torekov. There is no evidence that Sissela of Borrby was a historical person, and she has no known feast day. There are two versions of the legend of Sissela, recorded in the 19th century, which revolve around a warrior named Borre and a sacrificial spring known as Saint Sissela's or Saint Cecilia's spring, located in Borrby in southeastern Scania. Both accounts claim that the name Borrby is derived from the warrior. According to one account, recorded by vicar T. P. Brorström in 1833, the maiden Sissa was abducted by the evil warrior Borre, a legendary figure without historical evidence. He murdered her at the spring, which was subsequently named after her, and destroyed her brothers' fortress. The brothers later avenged Sissela, and the church in Borrby was built on the site of his fortress. According to the vicar, the brothers' fortress was located at the rectory in Borrby, at a designated part of a ruin. The second account was recorded by headmaster Nils G. Bruzelius in Ystad in 1869. According to this version, the ruin remains at the rectory are those of a convent where Sissela lived. Borre was a chieftain who proposed to her, but she was killed by the convent's inhabitants to prevent the wedding. The spring later emerged at that location. Borre attacked and demolished the convent but was chased up into the church tower and murdered by the inhabitants of the convent.