Eigersund
Encyclopedia
Eigersund is a municipality
in Rogaland
county
, Norway
. Egersund landdisstrikt (rural district) was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt
). Augne
was separated from Eigersund in 1839. Helleland
and the town of Egersund
were merged with Eigersund on 1 January 1965.
coast to the border of Vest-Agder
. It borders Hå
in the north, Sokndal
in the south. The municipality is centered on the town Egersund, and includes the island Eigerøya. The landscape includes a lot of rivers and seas, as well as woods. The town itself is mostly industrial. The lakes Eiavatnet
and Teksevatnet
lie in the municipality.
Amongst the lakes in Eigersund is Grøsfjellvatnet
.
form of the name was Eikundarsund. The first element is the genitive case
of the name of the island Eikund (now Eigerøya
) and the last element is sund which means "strait
" or "sound
". The first element in the name of the island is eik which means "oak
" and the last element is the suffix
-und which means "plentiful of" (i.e. "the island covered with oak trees").
The form without the diphthong
[ei] (Egersund) is the Danish language
form of the name which is still preserved in the name of the town Egersund
.
are relatively modern. They were granted on 20 October 1972. The arms are partly a canting
since the name is supposedly derived from Eikundarsund and eik means oak. Oaks are also very common in the municipality. The arms show a yellow oak leaf on a green background.
(See also coat-of-arms of Nedre Eiker
, Songdalen
, Tingvoll
and Øvre Eiker
)
's writings. Later, Christian IV set up a battery there.
is an island off the coast of Egersund. The island has several well-known businesses and attractions including the Eigerøy war memorial from World War II. The island is connected to the mainland over Eigerøy bridge, which was completed in 1951. The island's coastline is characterized by a number of small bays, as well as Lundarviga. Eigerøya is divided almost in two of the large bay of Lundarviga. The island is surrounded by a number of small islets. Eigerøy Lighthouse
is located on a small islet off the southern tip of Eigerøya.
Municipalities of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
in Rogaland
Rogaland
is a county in Western Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum industry, and as a result of this, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%...
county
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Egersund landdisstrikt (rural district) was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...
). Augne
Ogna
Ogna is a village and former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway.Ogna was separated from Eigersund in 1839. It was merged with Nærbø and Varhaug to create the old municipality of Hå January 1, 1964....
was separated from Eigersund in 1839. Helleland
Helleland
Helleland is a village and parish as well as former municipality now located in Eigersund municipality in Rogaland county, Norway.Helleland is situated approx. 13 km outside Egersund along European route E39, a part of Norwegian national road system. Helleland parish clerical district included...
and the town of Egersund
Egersund
The town of Egersund was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . It was merged with the surrounding municipality of Eigersund January 1, 1965....
were merged with Eigersund on 1 January 1965.
Location
Eigersund extends from the North SeaNorth Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
coast to the border of Vest-Agder
Vest-Agder
In the 16th century, Dutch merchant vessels began to visit ports in southern Norway to purchase salmon and other goods. Soon thereafter the export of timber began, as oak from southern Norway was exceptionally well suited for shipbuilding...
. It borders Hå
Hå
Hå is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. Hå is the southernmost municipality in the district Jæren.The parish of Haa was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . It was divided into Nærbø and Varhaug in 1894. The municipality of Hå was created after the merger of Nærbø, Varhaug,...
in the north, Sokndal
Sokndal
Sokndal is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Dalane.The parish of Soggendal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
in the south. The municipality is centered on the town Egersund, and includes the island Eigerøya. The landscape includes a lot of rivers and seas, as well as woods. The town itself is mostly industrial. The lakes Eiavatnet
Eiavatnet
Eiavatnet is a lake in the municipalities of Eigersund and Sokndal in Rogaland county, Norway....
and Teksevatnet
Teksevatnet
Teksevatnet is a lake in the municipalities of Eigersund and Lund in Rogaland county, Norway....
lie in the municipality.
Amongst the lakes in Eigersund is Grøsfjellvatnet
Grøsfjellvatnet
Grøsfjellvatnet is a lake in the municipalities of Eigersund, Lund and Sokndal in Rogaland county, Norway....
.
Name
The Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
form of the name was Eikundarsund. The first element is the genitive case
Genitive case
In grammar, genitive is the grammatical case that marks a noun as modifying another noun...
of the name of the island Eikund (now Eigerøya
Eigerøya
Eigerøya is an island in Eigersund, Norway. The island covers an area of 19,9 km². Highest point is 131m a.s.l. Eigerøya is separated from the mainland by a narrow strait with length about 13 km. A bridge over the strait connects Eigerøya to the mainland. The island has fish processing...
) and the last element is sund which means "strait
Strait
A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...
" or "sound
Sound (geography)
In geography a sound or seaway is a large sea or ocean inlet larger than a bay, deeper than a bight and wider than a fjord; or it may be defined as a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land ....
". The first element in the name of the island is eik which means "oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
" and the last element is the suffix
Suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
-und which means "plentiful of" (i.e. "the island covered with oak trees").
The form without the diphthong
Diphthong
A diphthong , also known as a gliding vowel, refers to two adjacent vowel sounds occurring within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is a vowel with two different targets: That is, the tongue moves during the pronunciation of the vowel...
[ei] (Egersund) is the Danish language
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
form of the name which is still preserved in the name of the town Egersund
Egersund
The town of Egersund was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . It was merged with the surrounding municipality of Eigersund January 1, 1965....
.
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
are relatively modern. They were granted on 20 October 1972. The arms are partly a canting
Canting arms
Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name in a visual pun or rebus. The term cant came into the English language from Anglo-Norman cant, meaning song or singing, from Latin cantāre, and English cognates include canticle, chant, accent, incantation and recant.Canting arms –...
since the name is supposedly derived from Eikundarsund and eik means oak. Oaks are also very common in the municipality. The arms show a yellow oak leaf on a green background.
(See also coat-of-arms of Nedre Eiker
Nedre Eiker
Nedre Eiker is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Eiker. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mjøndalen. The old municipality of Eiker was divided into Nedre Eiker and Øvre Eiker on 1 July 1885.-Name:The Old Norse form of...
, Songdalen
Songdalen
Songdalen is a municipality in Vest-Agder county, Norway. Songdalen was created as a new municipality on 1 January 1964 through the merger of the former municipalities of Finsland, Greipstad and a small part of Øvrebø. The administrative center is the village of Nodeland. The central market area...
, Tingvoll
Tingvoll
Tingvoll is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Nordmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Tingvoll. Other villages include Meisingset, Kvisvik, and Torjulvågen.-General information:...
and Øvre Eiker
Øvre Eiker
Øvre Eiker is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Eiker. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hokksund. The old municipality of Eiker was divided into Øvre Eiker and Nedre Eiker on 1 July 1885.-Name:The Old Norse form of...
)
History
The place is mentioned in Snorri SturlusonSnorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
's writings. Later, Christian IV set up a battery there.
Eigerøya
EigerøyaEigerøya
Eigerøya is an island in Eigersund, Norway. The island covers an area of 19,9 km². Highest point is 131m a.s.l. Eigerøya is separated from the mainland by a narrow strait with length about 13 km. A bridge over the strait connects Eigerøya to the mainland. The island has fish processing...
is an island off the coast of Egersund. The island has several well-known businesses and attractions including the Eigerøy war memorial from World War II. The island is connected to the mainland over Eigerøy bridge, which was completed in 1951. The island's coastline is characterized by a number of small bays, as well as Lundarviga. Eigerøya is divided almost in two of the large bay of Lundarviga. The island is surrounded by a number of small islets. Eigerøy Lighthouse
Eigerøy Lighthouse
Eigerøy Lighthouse is a coastal lighthouse located at the at the small island Midbrød outside Eigerøya in Eigersund, Norway. It was established in 1854, and automated in 1989....
is located on a small islet off the southern tip of Eigerøya.
External links
- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics NorwayStatistics NorwayStatistics Norway is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876.Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All releases are published both in Norwegian and English...