Nissedal
Encyclopedia
Nissedal is a municipality
in Telemark
county
, Norway
. It is part of the traditional region
of Vest-Telemark
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Treungen
. The municipality of Nissedal was established on January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt
).
Nizidalr. The first element is the name of the lake Nizir, possibly from *Nið-sær, which is now called Nisser
, and the last element is dalr "valley, dale".
was granted on October 30, 1992, and was designed by Halvor Holtskog jr. The arms shows three red nisseluer, traditional red wool
en hats often associated with the nisse
, which were commonly worn until the late 19th century by farmers and common folk. It is a canting arms
, as the name Nissedal has been "translated" into a visual pun
with the three woolen hats, in spite of the name having nothing to do with the folkloric
nisse.
Municipalities of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
in Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
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 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,...
of Vest-Telemark
Vest-Telemark
The Vest-Telemark traditional district of Norway comprises the upper and western areas of the county of Telemark. The region consists of six municipalities: Fyresdal, Tokke, Vinje, Nissedal, Kviteseid and Seljord....
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Treungen
Treungen
Treungen is a village in, and the administrative centre of Nissedal municipality, Telemark county in Norway.Located just east of the village Tveitsund, it is a part of the urban area of the same name, which has a population of 361 as of 1 January 2009...
. The municipality of Nissedal was established on January 1, 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...
).
Etymology
The modern form of the name stems from 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....
Nizidalr. The first element is the name of the lake Nizir, possibly from *Nið-sær, which is now called Nisser
Nisser
Nisser is a lake in Norway. It is the 13th-largest lake in the nation by area with a surface area of 76.30 km², the 10th largest by volume at 7.19 km³, and the 13th deepest at 234 m. It is located in Nissedal municipality in Telemark county, and is Telemark’s largest lake...
, and the last element is dalr "valley, dale".
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...
was granted on October 30, 1992, and was designed by Halvor Holtskog jr. The arms shows three red nisseluer, traditional red wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
en hats often associated with the nisse
Tomte
A tomte , nisse or tonttu is a mythical creature of Scandinavian folklore. The tomte or nisse was believed to take care of a farmer's home and children and protect them from misfortune, in particular at night, when the housefolk were asleep...
, which were commonly worn until the late 19th century by farmers and common folk. It is a canting arms
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 –...
, as the name Nissedal has been "translated" into a visual pun
Visual pun
A visual pun is a pun involving an image or images .Visual puns in which the image is at odds with the inscription are common in Dutch gable stones as well as in cartoons such as Lost Consonants or The Far Side...
with the three woolen hats, in spite of the name having nothing to do with the folkloric
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...
nisse.