At the request of Absalon, Bishop of Roskilde in Denmark, who when a student at Ste-Geneviève's had known him, William was sent to that country to reform Eskilsø Abbey, a monastery of canons in the Isle of Eskil.
Eskil |
The missionaries David, Eskil, and Botvid preached chiefly in Södermanland and Västmanland, in the area of Lake Mälaren.
Eskil wrote to Bernard of Clairvaux requesting twelve Cistercian monks from Cîteaux Abbey under the leadership of Robert, the first abbot of Herrevad, to come to Denmark to establish a new monastery.
Several of his sons, born or raised by Ingrid Ylva, would come to hold positions of power when grown: Eskil became lawspeaker in Westrogothia, Karl and Bengt both became bishops of Linköping and Birger became Jarl of Sweden, and later had his son elected king.
The song is composed by Thore Ehrling and Eskil Eckert-Lundin with lyrics by Hasse Ekman.