Møysalen
Encyclopedia
Møysalen is at 1262 metres the highest mountain on the island Hinnøya
(the largest island on the mainland of Norway
), and the second highest mountain on any island in Norway. It is located within Møysalen National Park
.
The name derives from the Norwegian words møy, which translates to maiden
, and sal, which can be translated into either saddle
or hall
. South of the peak is two smaller peaks, named Lille Møya (The Small Maiden) and Store Møya (The Big Maiden), which according to local folklore
were two troll
maidens that were turned into stone. Møysalen is either the saddle or the roof of the hall of these two maidens.
Hinnøya
-Geography and environment:Covering an area of , it is the fourth-largest island in the country, and the largest off the mainland. The western part of the island is in the Vesterålen district, while the southwestern part is in Lofoten. As of 2006, it had a population of 31,851, of which the only...
(the largest island on the mainland of 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...
), and the second highest mountain on any island in Norway. It is located within Møysalen National Park
Møysalen National Park
Møysalen National Park is a national park located on Hinnøya in North Norway that preserves undisturbed coastal alpine landscape. The scenery is characterized by peaks jutting out of the ocean and fjords, the highest point is Møysalen . The park is largely undisturbed...
.
The name derives from the Norwegian words møy, which translates to maiden
Maiden
Maiden or Maidens may refer to:* A female virgin; see virginity* Maiden name, the family name carried by a woman before marriage; see married and maiden names* Maiden, the first of the three aspects of the Triple Goddess...
, and sal, which can be translated into either saddle
Saddle
A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...
or hall
Hall
In architecture, a hall is fundamentally a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age, a mead hall was such a simple building and was the residence of a lord and his retainers...
. South of the peak is two smaller peaks, named Lille Møya (The Small Maiden) and Store Møya (The Big Maiden), which according to local folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
were two troll
Troll
A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
maidens that were turned into stone. Møysalen is either the saddle or the roof of the hall of these two maidens.