Background
According to Olaus Petri, she was the daughter of Sune Sik.
According to Olaus Petri, she was the daughter of Sune Sik.
She attended the church from her favourite place in the church tower, to which she had once donated a bell. According to tradition, she often lived in this tower during insecure times.
The exact years of her birth and death are unclear. A traditional year quoted for her death is 26 October 1252. lieutenant is also considered, though, that this was the date of her burial, and that she had actually died in 1251.
lieutenant remains unclear if Ingrid Ylva was still alive at this point, though it is believed that she was.
However, she does not seem to have played any part at the royal court, and probably preferred to stay within her estates. Ingrid Ylva is known in various legends, and possibly in her time, as a so-called white witch.
She was said to be able to master magic, which she used for good purposes and for her family"s good fortune. A lot of stories were told about her magical skills.
One legend said that once, when Bjälbo was subjected to a surprise attack from the enemies of the family, Ingrid Ylva rushed to the top of the church tower, and, from there, she ripped open a pillow full of feathers which spread across the land, and turned into knights in armour.
These magical stories was far from slander. In the 13th century, the witch trials were hundreds of years in the future, magic was not illegal and the ability to master magic was considered a great and admirable skill. There was a clear separation between white and black magic, and not even black magic was yet connected to the Devil or punishable by death, as it would become later.
She was widely regarded for her ability to foretell the future.
Legend claims, that on her deathbed she predicted that her line would succeed to the Swedish throne, as long as her head was held high