Grane
Encyclopedia
is a municipality in Nordland
county
, Norway
. It is part of the Helgeland
traditional region
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Trofors
. There are several other villages including Fallmoen, Leiren
, Majavatn
, and Strendene. The European route E06 highway and the Nordlandsbanen
railway line run through the municipality from south to north.
. Initially, Grane had 1,746 residents. The municipal boundaries have not changed since then.
) is named after the old Grane farm ("Grane" 1661), since the first church was built there in 1860. The name Grane is pronounced with a long a and short n, which is not palatalized
. It is seemingly a simple and plain name, but many questions arise regarding both valid meanings for the word and the spoken forms it takes. The spoken form is most peculiar. It is distinct from other genuine old farm names in the area in that it is uninflected, with no definite form and consequently no distinct case (neither dative
nor genitive
). It is said short and crisp, regardless of what speech context it is found in.
What we seem to have is a farm name with a grammatical form presuming a standard only found among farms cleared in the Middle Ages
, and likely around the 12th century. But the Grane farm was not cleared before the mid-17th century and there is otherwise nothing to suggest a prior settlement. Thus we find a basic disparity without any easy explanation. Of course farm names sometimes follow environmental descriptions given in the vernacular of the time, but it is quite difficult to see what environmental aspect would yield the name form of "Grane" in the speech of the 17th century.
One possible explanation is that those who cleared the farm around 1650 simply borrowed the name from another known place in the country. It is not doubtful that those who cleared the farm came from Åneset in Vefsn
. But this does not preclude the notion that the name may have its roots elsewhere. Sagas say it stems from Jämtland
(Sweden
). And in Nord-Trøndelag
there are three settlements for which one finds the farm name "Gran" (of course pronounced without the final 'e'). Outside the northern regions, the farm name is found only in Askvoll
in Vestlandet. The name of that farm is also written Grane, and the pronunciation ([gra:nə]) is exactly the same. But it is rather insensible that the name could have been borrowed from there.
So if the name actually should be a local development in the Old Norse
speech forms of the Middle Ages
--there was surely quite a significant farm settlement in the central valleys of Vefsn
before the plague
--it was unlikely to have been used as the name for a farm. Rather it would have had to have been so well entrenched in its ancient speech form that it held over from the times of pestilence and Black Death
when settlers were reduced to meager numbers. This is possible, but still mere conjecture.
In the matter of the name's valid meaning, it is obvious to assume that it has its origins in the tree name 'gran' (spruce
). This should designate a place where spruces grow. This is an unlikely explanation for a name with local origins in the Middle Ages and makes little sense. Even though many spruces currently grow in that vicinity, recent pollen studies show that spruce forests came surprisingly late to that stretch of land. They were not present before the 13th to 14th centuries and it took several hundred years after that for spruce forest to proliferate in the Ner-Vefsn and Majavatnet settlements. Spruce trees were not likely characteristic of the Grane area in the Middle Ages.
Researchers into municipal naming practices have concluded that the stem 'gran', found in a series of names nationwide, cannot have its source in the environmental connection to spruce timber. At the root is certainly an Old Norse word which must have denoted something 'sharp', and which is now extant in only a few Norse dialects with traditional meanings. Used in a place name, the stem would probably signify 'something which protrudes up from the landscape.'
is from modern times; they were granted on 18 July 1980. The arms show a salmon
, a symbol of the rich salmon rivers Vefsna
and Svenningelva that run through the municipality. There are many small waterfall
s where in summer jumping salmon can be observed.
has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Grane. It is part of the Indre Helgeland deanery
in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland
.
. Grane includes many lakes including Fiskelausvatnet
, Gåsvatnet
, Jengelvatnet
, Majavatnet
, Mellingsvatnet
, Nedre Fiplingvatnet
, Sefrivatnet
, and Storsvenningvatnet. The main river Vefsna
also runs through the valley. There are two national parks that are partially located in Grane: Børgefjell National Park
and Lomsdal–Visten National Park
.
Nordland
is a county in Norway in the North Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Nord-Trøndelag in the south, Norrbottens län in Sweden to the east, Västerbottens län to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The county was formerly known as Nordlandene amt. The county administration is...
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...
. It is part of the Helgeland
Helgeland
Helgeland is the most southerly district in Northern Norway. Generally speaking, Helgeland refers to the part of Nordland county that is located south of the Arctic Circle. The district covers an area of about , with nearly 79,000 inhabitants...
traditional region
Districts of Norway
The country Norway is historically divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords,...
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Trofors
Trofors
Trofors is the administrative centre of the municipality of Grane in Nordland county, Norway. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Austervefsna and Svenningdalselva which forms the large river Vefsna. The village of Leiren lies about to the southeast and the village of Majavatn lies...
. There are several other villages including Fallmoen, Leiren
Leiren
Leiren or Leira is a village in the municipality of Grane in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located at the northern end of the lake Nedre Fiplingvatnet. The municipal center of Trofors lies about to the northwest and the village of Majavatn lies about to the south. The local...
, Majavatn
Majavatn
Majavatn is a village in the municipality of Grane in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the eastern shore of the lake Majavatnet, just west of the boundary of Børgefjell National Park...
, and Strendene. The European route E06 highway and the Nordlandsbanen
Nordlandsbanen
The Nordland Line is a railway line between Trondheim and Bodø in Norway. Running for approximately 729 km, it is the Norwegian railway system's longest line, and the only one in Norway to cross the Arctic Circle. It is owned by the Norwegian National Rail Administration...
railway line run through the municipality from south to north.
General information
The municipality of Grane was established on 1 July 1927 when it was separated from the large municipality of VefsnVefsn
Vefsn is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Mosjøen....
. Initially, Grane had 1,746 residents. The municipal boundaries have not changed since then.
Name
The municipality (originally the parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
) is named after the old Grane farm ("Grane" 1661), since the first church was built there in 1860. The name Grane is pronounced with a long a and short n, which is not palatalized
Palatalization
In linguistics, palatalization , also palatization, may refer to two different processes by which a sound, usually a consonant, comes to be produced with the tongue in a position in the mouth near the palate....
. It is seemingly a simple and plain name, but many questions arise regarding both valid meanings for the word and the spoken forms it takes. The spoken form is most peculiar. It is distinct from other genuine old farm names in the area in that it is uninflected, with no definite form and consequently no distinct case (neither dative
Dative case
The dative case is a grammatical case generally used to indicate the noun to whom something is given, as in "George gave Jamie a drink"....
nor genitive
Genitive case
In grammar, genitive is the grammatical case that marks a noun as modifying another noun...
). It is said short and crisp, regardless of what speech context it is found in.
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, and likely around the 12th century. But the Grane farm was not cleared before the mid-17th century and there is otherwise nothing to suggest a prior settlement. Thus we find a basic disparity without any easy explanation. Of course farm names sometimes follow environmental descriptions given in the vernacular of the time, but it is quite difficult to see what environmental aspect would yield the name form of "Grane" in the speech of the 17th century.
One possible explanation is that those who cleared the farm around 1650 simply borrowed the name from another known place in the country. It is not doubtful that those who cleared the farm came from Åneset in Vefsn
Vefsn
Vefsn is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Mosjøen....
. But this does not preclude the notion that the name may have its roots elsewhere. Sagas say it stems from Jämtland
Jämtland
Jämtland or Jamtland is a historical province or landskap in the center of Sweden in northern Europe. It borders to Härjedalen and Medelpad in the south, Ångermanland in the east, Lapland in the north and Trøndelag and Norway in the west...
(Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
). And in Nord-Trøndelag
Nord-Trøndelag
is a county constituting the northern part of Trøndelag in Norway. As of 2010, the county had 131,555 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-least populated county. The largest municipalities are Stjørdal, Steinkjer—the county seat, Levanger, Namsos and Verdal, all with between 21,000 and...
there are three settlements for which one finds the farm name "Gran" (of course pronounced without the final 'e'). Outside the northern regions, the farm name is found only in Askvoll
Askvoll
is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre is the village of Askvoll....
in Vestlandet. The name of that farm is also written Grane, and the pronunciation ([gra:nə]) is exactly the same. But it is rather insensible that the name could have been borrowed from there.
So if the name actually should be a local development in the Old Norse
Old 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....
speech forms of the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
--there was surely quite a significant farm settlement in the central valleys of Vefsn
Vefsn
Vefsn is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Mosjøen....
before the plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
--it was unlikely to have been used as the name for a farm. Rather it would have had to have been so well entrenched in its ancient speech form that it held over from the times of pestilence and Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
when settlers were reduced to meager numbers. This is possible, but still mere conjecture.
In the matter of the name's valid meaning, it is obvious to assume that it has its origins in the tree name 'gran' (spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
). This should designate a place where spruces grow. This is an unlikely explanation for a name with local origins in the Middle Ages and makes little sense. Even though many spruces currently grow in that vicinity, recent pollen studies show that spruce forests came surprisingly late to that stretch of land. They were not present before the 13th to 14th centuries and it took several hundred years after that for spruce forest to proliferate in the Ner-Vefsn and Majavatnet settlements. Spruce trees were not likely characteristic of the Grane area in the Middle Ages.
Researchers into municipal naming practices have concluded that the stem 'gran', found in a series of names nationwide, cannot have its source in the environmental connection to spruce timber. At the root is certainly an Old Norse word which must have denoted something 'sharp', and which is now extant in only a few Norse dialects with traditional meanings. Used in a place name, the stem would probably signify 'something which protrudes up from the landscape.'
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...
is from modern times; they were granted on 18 July 1980. The arms show a salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
, a symbol of the rich salmon rivers Vefsna
Vefsna
The river Vefsna is the largest river in Nordland county, Norway. It is long and drains a watershed of . Its headwaters lie in the mountains of Børgefjell National Park at the lake Simskardvatnet. The river runs through the municipalities of Hattfjelldal, Grane, and Vefsn. The southern parts of...
and Svenningelva that run through the municipality. There are many small waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s where in summer jumping salmon can be observed.
- See also: Coats-of-arms for KvalsundKvalsundKvalsund is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kvalsund. Kvalsund was separated from the municipality of Sørøysund on 1 July 1869....
, Mandal and NordreisaNordreisaNordreisa is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Storslett.The municipality consists of the valley of Reisadalen, with the Reisa river and deep pine forests, surrounded by mountains and high plateaus. Most people live in...
Churches
The Church of NorwayChurch of Norway
The Church of Norway is the state church of Norway, established after the Lutheran reformation in Denmark-Norway in 1536-1537 broke the ties to the Holy See. The church confesses the Lutheran Christian faith...
has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Grane. It is part of the Indre Helgeland deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland
Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland
Sør-Hålogaland is a diocese in the Church of Norway. The Diocese covers the Lutheran Church of Norway churches located within Nordland county in Norway...
.
| Parish (Sokn) | Church Name | Location of the Church | Year Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grane | Grane Church Grane Church Grane Church is a parish church in the municipality of Grane in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Grane, about north of the municipal center of Trofors. The church sits along the European route E06 highway, just from the river Vefsna.... |
Grane | 1860 |
| Fiplingdal Church Fiplingdal Church Fiplingdal Church is a parish church in the municipality of Grane in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the north side of the tiny village of Leiren on the north end of the lake Nedre Fiplingvatnet. The church is part of the Grane parish in the Indre Helgeland deanery in the Diocese of ... |
Leiren Leiren Leiren or Leira is a village in the municipality of Grane in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located at the northern end of the lake Nedre Fiplingvatnet. The municipal center of Trofors lies about to the northwest and the village of Majavatn lies about to the south. The local... |
1915 | |
| Majavatn Church Majavatn Church Majavatn Church is a parish church in the municipality of Grane in Nordland county, Norway. It is located about south of Trofors in the village of Majavatn, just alongside the large lake Majavatnet. The church is part of the Grane parish in the Indre Helgeland deanery in the Diocese of ... |
Majavatn Majavatn Majavatn is a village in the municipality of Grane in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the eastern shore of the lake Majavatnet, just west of the boundary of Børgefjell National Park... |
1946 |
Geography
The municipality is located in the southern part of the county, along the border with Nord-TrøndelagNord-Trøndelag
is a county constituting the northern part of Trøndelag in Norway. As of 2010, the county had 131,555 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-least populated county. The largest municipalities are Stjørdal, Steinkjer—the county seat, Levanger, Namsos and Verdal, all with between 21,000 and...
. Grane includes many lakes including Fiskelausvatnet
Fiskelausvatnet (Grane)
Fiskelausvatnet is a lake that lies in the municipality of Grane in Nordland county, Norway. The lake lies in the northern part of Grane, about northeast of Trofors. The name means fish-loose-lake or no-fish-lake....
, Gåsvatnet
Gåsvatnet
Gåsvatnet is a lake that lies in the municipality of Grane in Nordland county, Norway. The lake lies in the southeastern part of Lomsdal–Visten National Park, just north of Norwegian National Road 73....
, Jengelvatnet
Jengelvatnet
Jengelvatnet is a lake in Norway that lies on the borders of the municipalities of Røyrvik and Grane and Hattfjelldal . The lake lies inside Børgefjell National Park and it drains to the south into the lake Namsvatnet....
, Majavatnet
Majavatnet
Majavatnet is a lake in the municipality of Grane in Nordland county, Norway. The lake lies just west of Børgefjell National Park in southern Grane. The village of Majavatn lies on the eastern shore of the lake. The European route E06 highway and the Nordlandsbanen railway line both run along...
, Mellingsvatnet
Mellingsvatnet
Mellingsvatnet is a Norwegian lake that lies in Namsskogan municipality in Nord-Trøndelag and Grane municipality in Nordland. The lake lies about west of the European route E6 highway on the border of the two municipalities....
, Nedre Fiplingvatnet
Nedre Fiplingvatnet
Nedre Fiplingvatnet is a lake that lies in the municipality of Grane in Nordland county, Norway. The lake lies just west of Børgefjell National Park. The village of Leiren is located about north of the lake....
, Sefrivatnet
Sefrivatnet
Sefrivatnet is a lake that lies in the municipality of Grane in Nordland county, Norway. The lake lies between the lakes Majavatnet and Storsvenningvatnet. The European route E06 highway and the Nordlandsbanen railway line both run along the eastern edge of the lake....
, and Storsvenningvatnet. The main river Vefsna
Vefsna
The river Vefsna is the largest river in Nordland county, Norway. It is long and drains a watershed of . Its headwaters lie in the mountains of Børgefjell National Park at the lake Simskardvatnet. The river runs through the municipalities of Hattfjelldal, Grane, and Vefsn. The southern parts of...
also runs through the valley. There are two national parks that are partially located in Grane: Børgefjell National Park
Børgefjell National Park
Børgefjell National Park is an inaccessible and undeveloped national park in Norway, straddling the border between Nord-Trøndelag and Nordland county, with a border to Sweden. The park is for the most part a reservation, with few trails or other facilities for visitors. Visitors can hike for...
and Lomsdal–Visten National Park
Lomsdal–Visten National Park
Lomsdal–Visten National Park is a Norwegian national park that was established on 26 June 2009. The park consists of a total protected area of . It is located in Nordland county, Norway, and covers parts of the municipalities of Brønnøy, Vevelstad, Grane, and Vefsn.The landscape is dominated by...
.
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...