What really happened?

One of my Norwegian ancestors was
named Borger or Børger Bjerkenes.
He was probably born around 1550.

From 1593 to 1625 he was mentioned as
living on a farm called Søndre Bjerkenes
in Høland. Høland is north east of Moss,
closer to the Swedish border.

According to one source, he was the owner
of the biggest farm in Høland in his time,
a property that consisted of several smaller
farms.

He had at least six children:
1. Mogens Bjerkenes, born 1573, continued
the family farm, died around 1663
2. Reier Bjerkenes (my ancestor), probably
died in 1661
3. Berte Børgersdatter, born around 1583,
married to Tarvald Jonsen Vestby,
died after 1666
4. NN Børgersdatter, married to Erik Nes
5. Karen Børgersdatter. married to Brynild
Hjellebøl
6. Christofer Bjerkenes, died around 1660

So Borger / Børger himself seems to
have been fairly wealthy, the owner of
his own farm.
He had a family with children who got
married and who outlived him.

So what really happened on
Midsummer 1622?
At that time Borger / Børger must have
been in his seventies.
Despite his age, he seems to have gone
to Filefjell with another elderly Norwegian
and with a man from Skåne (Southern
Sweden), who lived in Fet in Norway
at the time.
Borger/ Børger "rode on a sheep" (??)
and brought with him six or seven pounds
of pork and butter.
Then the three, according to the
Swede's testimony, had sat
down on a table for a meal with the
devil himself!

In August 1624, two years later,
the man from Skåne, an outsider,
was persecuted for "diabolism".
I don't know for sure, but I would
imagine he was executed.

Borger / Børger Bjerkenes and the
other old man were also accused of
diabolism.
Borger / Børger managed to appeal
his case to a higher court, but seems
to have died while imprisoned,
waiting for the legal proceedings to
continue.
His family had to pay 70 riksdaler
to receive his dead body so that they
could bury him in the cemetery.

The other old man seems to have
been able to prove his innocence
and continued to live for another
twenty years!!
So Borger / Børger Bjerkenes may
perhaps have been proven innocent too,
if he had lived long enough.

But what did really lie behind this
accusation? I don't know.

Did he have enemies who wanted him
down because of his wealth, because of
the many farms he owned?

Was the priest and the church out to get
him because he was not coming enough
to the church on Sundays?

Was a Midsummer meal at Filefjell a
remnant of pre-Christian Norse
rituals?

Did he die in prison because he was old,
or was his life shortened because of the
difficult conditions in the local prison?

In any case, it seems that his wealth and
probably also the fact that he was a man,
helped him appeal his case to a higher court.

Borger / Børger Bjerkenes -
I will remember you.