Mære
Encyclopedia
Mære is a village in the municipality of Steinkjer
in Nord-Trøndelag
county, Norway
. It is located along the European route E6
highway and the Nordlandsbanen
railway line, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of the town of Steinkjer
. The village of Sparbu
lies about 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) south of Mære. Mære Church
is located in this village.
The 0.47 square kilometres (116.1 acre) village has a population (2011) of 452. The population density
of Mære is 962 PD/km2.
, according to the Sagas
, Mære was one of the most important religious ceremonial places, with sacrifices to the Norse gods
. Under the medieval church at Mære, traces of preceding heathen hof
were found in archeological investigations during the 1960s, the only case in Norway so far of a pre-Christian building being found to have existed on the site of a church.
Steinkjer
is a town and a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Steinkjer, which is also the seat of the county government...
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...
county, 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 located along the European route E6
European route E6
European route E 6 is the designation for the main north-south road in Norway, and the west coast of Sweden, running from the southern tip of Sweden, at Trelleborg, into Norway and through almost all of the country north to Finnmark. The route ends close to the Norwegian border with Russia...
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, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of the town of Steinkjer
Steinkjer
is a town and a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Steinkjer, which is also the seat of the county government...
. The village of Sparbu
Sparbu
Sparbu is a village and former municipality in Nord-Trondelag county, Norway. It is located in the present-day municipality of Steinkjer. The village has a population of 584. The population density of Sparbu is ....
lies about 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) south of Mære. Mære Church
Mære Church
Mære Church is a parish church in the municipality of Steinkjer in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the village of Mære. The church is part of the Mære parish in the Nord-Innherad deanery in the Diocese of Nidaros....
is located in this village.
The 0.47 square kilometres (116.1 acre) village has a population (2011) of 452. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of Mære is 962 PD/km2.
History
In the early Viking AgeViking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
, according to the Sagas
Norse saga
The sagas are stories about ancient Scandinavian and Germanic history, about early Viking voyages, the battles that took place during the voyages, about migration to Iceland and of feuds between Icelandic families...
, Mære was one of the most important religious ceremonial places, with sacrifices to the Norse gods
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
. Under the medieval church at Mære, traces of preceding heathen hof
Heathen hofs
Heathen hofs or Germanic pagan temples were the temple buildings of Germanic paganism; there are also a few built for use in modern Germanic neopaganism...
were found in archeological investigations during the 1960s, the only case in Norway so far of a pre-Christian building being found to have existed on the site of a church.