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{{Infobox_Kommune
{{original research|date=June 2008}}
| name = Ullensvang
{{Template:Ancient Greek religion}}
| herad = yes
'''Greek religion''' encompasses the collection of beliefs and rituals practiced in [[ancient Greece]] in the form of both popular public religion and [[cult (religion)|cult practices]]. These different groups varied enough so that one might speak of ''Greek religions'', though most shared similarities such as a belief in [[polytheism]].
| image_skyline = Utne Halfway stop.jpg
| idnumber = 1231
| county = Hordaland
| landscape = Hardanger
| capital = [[Kinsarvik]]
| language = [[Nynorsk]]
| demonym = Sørfjøre<br />Sørfjording
| coatofarms = Ullensvang_komm.png
| munwebpage = www.ullensvang.kommune.no
| governor = Solfrid Borge ([[Centre Party (Norway)|Sp]])
| governor_as_of = 2003
| arearank = 61
| area = 1399
| arealand = 1287
| areapercent = 0.43
| population_as_of = 2004
| populationrank = 245
| population = 3,513
| populationpercent = 0.08
| populationdensity = 3
| populationincrease = -9.6
| lat_deg=60 | lat_min=18 | lat_sec=42 | lon_deg=6 | lon_min=48 | lon_sec=53
| utm_zone=32V | utm_northing=6688135 | utm_easting=0379287 | geo_cat=adm2nd
}}


'''Ullensvang''' is a [[Municipalities of Norway|municipality]] in the [[Counties of Norway|county]] of [[Hordaland]], [[Norway]]. It is located in the [[Districts of Norway|traditional district]] of [[Hardanger]]. The administrative centre is the village of [[Kinsarvik]].
Greek peoples all recognized the 13 major Gods: [[Zeus]], [[Hera]], [[Poseidon]], [[Apollo]], [[Artemis]], [[Aphrodite]], [[Ares]], [[Dionysus]], [[Hephaestus]], [[Athena]], [[Hermes]], [[Demeter]], and [[Hestia]], though various lesser gods were also worshipped. Different cities worshipped different deities, sometimes with [[epithet]]s that specified their local nature.


The number of inhabitants has shown a decrease of some 500 between 1980 and 2004. This development can be seen in light of the general depopulation of rural [[Norway]]. The major part of Ullensvang is located near the [[Hardangervidda]] national park, Europe's biggest mountain plateau (highest point, Haarteigen, 1,690 meters above sea level). The general population, however, is confined to the narrow mountainsides and [[valley]]s along the [[Hardangerfjord]] especially in the rural centers of [[Kinsarvik]] (administrative center) and Lofthus.
Greek religion was declared to be a form of "[[paganism]]" by the [[Christian]] church that took over, and the term has also been used by followers of [[Hellenismos]], a modern reconstructed form of the ancient Greek religion.

The religious practices of the Greeks extended beyond mainland Greece, to the islands and coasts of [[Ionia]] in [[Asia Minor]], to [[Magna Graecia]] (Sicily and southern Italy), and to scattered Greek colonies in the Western Mediterranean, such as [[Massalia]] (Marseille). Greek religion tempered [[Etruscan mythology|Etruscan cult and belief]] to form much of the later [[Roman religion]].

== Terminology ==
[[Image:Map greek sanctuaries-en.svg|thumb|left|280px|Main sanctuaries of classical Greece.]]
It is perhaps misleading to speak of "Greek religion." In the first place, the Greeks did not have a term for "religion" in the sense of a dimension of existence distinct from all others, and grounded in the belief that the gods exercise authority over the fortunes of human beings and demand recognition as a condition for salvation. The Greeks spoke of their religious doings as "''ta theia''" (literally, "things having to do with the gods"), but this loose usage did not imply the existence of any authoritative set of "beliefs." Indeed, the Greeks did not have a word for "belief" in either of the two senses familiar to us. Since the existence of the gods was a given, it would have made no sense to ask whether someone "believed" that the gods existed. On the other hand, individuals could certainly show themselves to be more or less mindful of the gods, but the common term for that possibility was "''nomizein''", a word related to "''nomos''" ("custom," "customary distribution," "law"); to ''nomizein'' the gods was to acknowledge their rightful place in the scheme of things, and to act accordingly by giving them their due. Some bold individuals could ''nomizein'' the gods, but deny that they were due some of the customary observances. But these customary observances were so highly unsystematic.

==Core concepts==
[[Image:Bust of Zeus.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Zeus, the king of the gods, and controller of thunder and the sky.]]
Whilst there were few concepts universal to all the Greek peoples, there were common beliefs shared by many.

===Theology===
Ancient Greek theology revolved around [[polytheism]]; that is, that there were many gods and goddesses. There was a hierarchy of deities, with [[Zeus]], the king of the gods, having a level of control over all the others. Each deity generally had dominion over a certain aspect of [[nature]], for instance, [[Poseidon]] ruled over the [[sea]] and [[earthquakes]], and [[Hyperion]] ruled over the [[sun]].

Whilst being immortal, the gods were not all powerful. They had to obey [[fate]], which overrided all. For instance, in mythology, it was [[Odysseus]]' fate to return home to [[Ithaca]] after the [[Trojan War]], and the gods could only lengthen his journey and make it harder for him, but they could not stop him.

The gods acted like humans, and had human [[vice]]s. They would interact with humans, sometimes even spawning children with them. Sometimes certain gods would be opposed to another, and they would try to outdo each other.

Some gods were specifically associated with a certain city. For instance, Athena was associated with the city of [[Athens]], Apollo with [[Delphi]] and [[Delos]], Zeus with [[Olympia]] and Aphrodite with [[Corinth]].

Identity of names was not a guarantee of a similar [[cult]]us; the Greeks themselves were well aware that the Artemis worshipped at Sparta, the virgin huntress, was a very different deity from the Artemis who was a many-breasted [[fertility rite|fertility goddess]] at [[Ephesus]]. When literary works such as the ''[[Iliad]]'' related conflicts among the gods these conflicts were because their followers were at war on earth and were a celestial reflection of the earthly pattern of local deities. Though the worship of the major deities spread from one locality to another, and though most larger cities boasted temples to several major gods, the identification of different gods with different places remained strong to the end.

====Twelve Olympians====
:''See [[Twelve Olympians]]''
[[Image:Aphrodite swan BM D2.jpg|thumb|right|Aphrodite riding a swan: Attic white-ground red-figured ''[[kylix]]'', ca. 460, found at Kameiros (Rhodes)]]
The most powerful gods were known as the Olympians, of which there were twelve. They were believed to reside at the top of [[Mount Olympus]]. The twelve deities were:
*[[Zeus]], god of thunder and the sky, and the king of the gods. Husband of Hera, and father to Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Persephone and Dionysus.
*[[Hera]], goddess of women, marriage and motherhood. Wife of Zeus.
*[[Poseidon]], god of the sea and earthquakes.
*[[Demeter]], goddess of the harvest, fertility, nature and the seasons.
*[[Ares]], god of war, frenzy, hatred and bloodshed.
*[[Hermes]], god of commerce, thieves and trade. Messenger to the gods.
*[[Hephaestus]], god of metalcraft and fire. Blacksmith to the gods.
*[[Aphrodite]], goddess of sex, love, beauty and fertility.
*[[Athena]], goddess of wisdom, crafts and strategic battle.
*[[Artemis]], goddess of the hunt, maidens and the moon.
*[[Hestia]], goddess of the hearth and home.
*[[Apollo]], god of the sun, light, healing, the arts, prophecy, the truth and archery.

====Lesser deities====
Lesser deities, who were in some way related to the Olympians, also existed. One of the most popular was [[Dionysus]] (who was commonly called Bacchus), a god of [[wine]] and spiritual ectasy, who was a son of Zeus. Another was [[Pan (mythology)|Pan]], a [[horned god]] of shepherds and [[folk music]], and [[Hekate]], a goddess of [[witchcraft]] and [[crossroads]].

It was possible for a mortal human to become an immortal god. An example of this was [[Herakles]], who was the son of the god Zeus, but whom had a mortal mother. By performing great heroic deeds, and through his birth, Herakles eventually became a god.

[[Image:Statue of Zeus.jpg|thumb|right|A 16th century engraving of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia.]]

There were also [[Household deity|household deities]], akin to the Roman [[lares]].

===Afterlife===
:''See [[Greek Underworld]]''
The Greeks believed in an [[underworld]] known as [[Hades]]. This was where the dead would go if the correct burial observances had been carried out. If not, then the [[spirit]] of that person would drift around as a ghost forever.

===Mythology===
:''See [[Greek mythology]]''

Greek religion had a large [[mythology]]. It largely comprised of stories of the gods and of how they affected humans on Earth. Myths often revolved around heroes, and their actions, such as [[Herakles]] and his twelve labours, [[Odysseus]] and his voyage home, [[Jason]] and the quest for the [[Golden Fleece]] and [[Theseus]] and the [[Minotaur]].

Many of the myths revolved around the [[Trojan war]] between [[Greece]] and [[Troy]]. For instance, the epic poem, ''[[The Iliad]]'', by [[Homer]], is based around the war. Many other tales are based around the aftermath of the war, such as the murder of King [[Agamemnon]] of [[Argos]], and the adventures of Odysseus on his return to [[Ithaca]].

The Greek creation myth was told in [[Hesiod]]'s ''[[Theogony]]''.

The mythology largely survived and was added to in order to form the later [[Roman mythology]], and again became popular in [[Christianity|Christian]] post-[[Renaissance]] Europe.

===Scripture===
There was no one core scripture held by all followers of Greek religions, such as the [[Christian]] [[Bible]] or [[Islam|Islamic]] [[Qu'ran]].

===Ceremonies===
[[Image:CireneTempioZeus1999.jpg|thumb|300px|left|The ruins of a temple devoted to Zeus.]]
Greek ceremonies were performed at [[altar]]s. These typically were devoted to one, or a few, gods. A statue of the particular deity would often be placed upon it. [[Votive deposit]]s would be left at the altar. Sometimes [[animal sacrifice]]s would be performed here, with most of the flesh eaten, and the [[offal]] burnt as an offerring to the gods.

====Temples====
Often [[Greek temple|temples]] were built to the gods. Some of the grandest and most notable were the [[Temple of Zeus]] at [[Olympia]], and the [[Parthenon]], dedicated to the goddess Athena upon the [[Acropolis]] in [[Athens]].

Temples contained a central room known as a [[naos]], which contained a grand altar and statue of a deity. Priests would be employed to constantly monitor and give offerrings to the deity.

====Notable Ceremonies====
One ceremony was [[pharmakos]], a ritual involving expelling a symbolic scapegoat such as a slave, from a city or village in a time of hardship.

====Rites of Passage====
One rite of passage was the [[amphidromia]], celebrated on the fifth or seventh day after the birth of a child.

===Festivals===
Various religious festivals were held in ancient Greece.

===Morality===
One of the most important moral concepts to the Greeks was a fear of committing [[hubris]], which constituted many things, from excessive pride to [[rape]] and desecration of a corpse. It was a crime in the city-state of Athens.

==Mystery religions==
Those who were not satisfied by the public cult of the gods could turn to various [[mystery religion]]s. Here, they could find religious consolations that traditional religion could not provide: a chance at mystical awakening, a systematic religious doctrine, a map to the [[afterlife]], a communal worship, and a band of spiritual fellowship. Some of these mysteries, like the mysteries of [[Eleusis]] and [[Samothrace]], were ancient and local. Others were spread from place to place, like the mysteries of [[Dionysus]]. During the [[Hellenistic]] period and the [[Roman Empire]], exotic mystery religions like those of [[Osiris]] and [[Mithras]] became widespread.


==General Information==
=== The name ===
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old ''Ullensvang'' farm ([[Old Norse]] ''Ullinsvangr''), since the first church was built there. The first element is the [[genitive case]] of the name of the [[List of Norse gods and goddesses|Norse god]] ''Ullin'' (sideform of [[Ullr]]). The last element is ''vangr'' which means "[[field]]" or "[[meadow]]".


===Coat-of-arms===
The [[Coat of arms|coat-of-arms]] was granted on [[8 November]] [[1979]]. The arms are derived from the arms of [[Nobility|nobleman]] from the area, Sigurd Brynjulvsson Galte, and they can be seen on his gravestone dating back to 1302 at the local church. As it is the oldest [[Headstone|gravestone]] in the church, the arms were well known in the village, hence the choice for the arms of this [[knight]] as municipal arms.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ngw.nl/int/nor/u/ullensva.htm|author=Norske Kommunevåpen|date=1990|title=Nye kommunevåbener i Norden|accessdaymonth=27 September|accessyear=2008}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
Ullensvang used to be an annex of [[Kinsarvik]] parish, but in 1869 Ullensvang became the main parish and Kinsarvik became an annex to Ullensvang. At this time the municipality changed its name to ''Ullensvang''.
=== Origins ===


Kinsarvik and [[Odda]] were separated from Ullensvang as municipalities of their own on [[1 July]] [[1913]]. Most of Kinsarvik was merged back into Ullensvang on [[1 January]] [[1964]]. [[Eidfjord]] was merged with Ullensvang from [[1 January]] [[1964]] until [[1 January]] [[1977]].
=== Roman religion ===
When the [[Roman Empire]] conquered Greece, it took much of Greek religion and incorporated it into its own. The Greek gods were transformed into Roman deities and given new names; Zeus became [[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]], Hera became [[Juno (mythology)|Juno]] and Pan became [[Faunus]]. Some of the gods, such as Apollo, kept their original Greek names.


==Attractions==
=== Christianization ===
Ullensvang is Norway's biggest supplier of [[fruit]], especially sweet [[cherry|cherries]] and [[apple]]s. Every summer a cherry festival is held at Lofthus, where the Norwegian championship of cherry stone spitting is held (record: 14.24 meters, S.&nbsp;Kleivkaas). Each May a musical festival is held at Ullensvang Hotel (built in 1846), when musicians from all of Norway come to the village. The famous composer [[Edvard Grieg]] spent many summers at Lofthus, and the festival is held in his honor. During the summer, the population is doubled due to [[tourism]]. Attractions in addition to the previous mentioned, are the medieval churches at Lofthus (built in 1300 and Kinsarvik (built in 1160), several [[waterfalls of Norway|waterfalls]], the flowering season in May, and [[museum]]s at Aga, [[Utne]], and Skredhaugen.
{{main|End of Hellenic Religion}}


==References==
In the late 4th century CE, the Imperial courts were predominantly Christian, as was the populace{{Fact|date=July 2007}}; [[Christianity]] tolerated relatively few internal quarrels; and a deep conviction that right belief, [[orthodoxy]], was what mattered to God. The Christian emperors closed pagan oracles and temples, and ended the pagan games in a series of increasingly stringent decrees.
{{reflist}}
Finally, the public practice of the Greek religion was made illegal by the Emperor [[Theodosius I]] and this was enforced by his successors. The Greek religion, stigmatized as "[[paganism]]", the religion of country-folk (''pagani'') - other scholars suggest the force of ''paganus'' was "(mere) civilian" - survived only in rural areas and in forms that were submerged in [[Christianized rite]] and ritual, as Europe entered into the [[Dark Ages]].


{{Hordaland}}
The European [[Renaissance]] scarcely touched Greece. [[Renaissance humanism]] in Italy and western Europe included the rediscovery and reintroduction of the culture and learning of ancient Greek thought and philosophy, which included a renewed appreciation of the ancient religion and myth, reinterpreted from a humanist point-of-view.

===Revivals===
{{main|Hellenic Polytheistic Reconstructionism}}
[[Image:YSEE ritual.jpg|thumb|250px|right|A ceremony at the annual Prometheia festival of the Greek polytheistic group [[Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes]], June 2006.]]
"Hellenismos", as the religion was named by the Emperor Julian the Philosopher called [[Julian the Apostate]] by Christians,{{Fact|date=February 2007}} has experienced a number of revivals, in the arts, humanities and spirituality of the [[Renaissance]] as well as contemporary [[Hellenic Reconstructionism]].

Many [[neo-pagan]] religious paths, such as [[Wicca]], use aspects of ancient Greek religions in their practice; [[Hellenic Reconstructionism]] focuses exclusively thereon, as far as the nature of the surviving source material allows. It reflects [[neo-Platonic]]/[[Platonic]] speculation (which is represented in [[Porphyry (philosopher)|Porphyry]], [[Libanius]], [[Proclus]], and [[Julian the Apostate|Julian]]), as well as Classical cult practice.

The overwhelming majority of modern Greeks are Greek Orthodox. According to estimates, there are perhaps as many as 45,000 followers of the ancient Greek religion out of a total Greek population of 10 million. The Neopagan revival is limited largely to the transient communities of the Greek islands and isolated mountain villages of the [[Pindos]] range and [[Western Macedonia]]. Temple worship is unknown; there are no real congregations.

==Notes==

*{{ent|1|West1}} [[Martin Litchfield West]], ''The Orphic Poems'', p.148, cf. Figure 2, entitled "Patterns of Shamanistic influence in Bronze Age and Archaic Greece" - a map showing the migration of Central Asian shamanism to the Greek colony of Olbia in Scythia (now in Ukraine), down to [[Proconnesus]], then down to [[Samos Island|Samos]]. On p.146, West writes: "There is reason to believe that in classical times, Shamanistic practice and ideology extended across the Steppes into the northern territories of the [[Indo-Europeans|Indo-European]] tribes, from Northwest India and [[Bactria]] to [[Scythia]] to [[Thrace]]. It is also in [[Ionia]] that we located the development in the sixth century [BC] of an ecstatic [[Dionysus|Bacchic]] cult which adopted [[Orpheus]] as its prophet (as also did [[Pythagoras]]). And we saw that this cult flourished right on the northern shore of the Black Sea, at Olbia, where a Scythian King participated in it (pp.17-18). One is led to wonder how much of the shamanistic influence which we detect in the culture of the archaic Ionians came to them in fact from their own [[Pontic]] colonies, and the direct contact with the Scyths which they had there." West then cites some works, including ''Shamanism'' by Mircea Eliade, pp. 390-1, 394-421 and ''Scythica'' by Karl Meuli.
*{{ent|2|West2}} M.L. West, ibid., p.17. "In another place Herodotus tells us of a cult of Dionysos Baccheios, Dionysos of the Bacchoi, at Borysthenes ([[Olbia, Ukraine|Olbia]]), one of the noteworthy of all Greek colonies".
*{{ent|3|Riu1}} Xavier Riu, ''Dionysism and Comedy'', p. 104, "Dionysus comes from the Outside-- the other world".
*{{ent|4|Smith1}} [[William Smith (lexicographer)|William Smith]], ''[[Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology]]'', 1870, article on Zeus, [http://ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/3655.html]
*{{ent|5|BBC}} Malcolm Brabant, {{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6283907.stm |title=Zeus devotees worship in Athens |publisher=http://news.bbc.co.uk |date=[[2007-01-27]] |accessdate=2007-01-24}}

==References==
{{Nofootnotes|list}}
* Albertus Bernabé (ed.), ''Orphicorum et Orphicis similium testimonia et fragmenta. Poetae Epici Graeci. Pars II. Fasc. 1.'' [[Bibliotheca Teubneriana]], München/Leipzig: K.G. Saur, 2004. ISBN 3-598-71707-5. [http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/2004/2004-12-29.html review of this book]
* [[Walter Burkert]], ''Greek Religion.'' Boston: Harvard University Press, 1987. ISBN 0-674-36281-0. Widely regarded as the standard modern account.
* Walter Burkert, ''[[Homo necans]]'', 1972.
*[[Arthur Bernard Cook|Cook, Arthur Bernard]], ''Zeus: A Study in Ancient Religion'', (3 volume set), (1914-1925). New York, Bibilo & Tannen: 1964. [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006BMDNA ASIN B0006BMDNA]
**Volume 1: ''Zeus, God of the Bright Sky'', Biblo-Moser, [[June 1]], [[1964]], ISBN 0-8196-0148-9 (reprint)
**Volume 2: ''Zeus, God of the Dark Sky (Thunder and Lightning)'', Biblo-Moser, [[June 1]], [[1964]], ISBN 0-8196-0156-X
**Volume 3: ''Zeus, God of the Dark Sky (earthquakes, clouds, wind, dew, rain, meteorites)''
* [[E. R. Dodds|Dodds, Eric Robertson]], ''The Greeks and the Irrational'', 1951.
* [[Mircea Eliade]], ''Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy'', 1951.
* Lewis Richard Farnell, ''Cults of the Greek States'' 5 vols. Oxford; Clarendon 1896-1909. Still the standard reference.
* Lewis Richard Farnell, ''Greek Hero Cults and Ideas of Immortality, 1921.
*Jack Finegan, ''Myth and Mystery: An Introduction to the Pagan Religions of the Biblical World'', 1989. ISBN 0-8010-2160-X
* [[George Grote]], ''A History of Greece: From the earliest period to the close of the generation contemporary with Alexander the Great'', 1846.
* [[Jane Ellen Harrison]], ''Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion,'' 1903. An early classic, against which many modern accounts have reacted.
* Jane Ellen Harrison, ''Themis: A Study of the Social Origins of Greek Religion'', 1912. [http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/eos/eos_title.pl?callnum=BL781.H32]
* Jane Ellen Harrison, ''Epilegomena to the Study of Greek Religion'', 1921.
* [[Karl Kerényi]], ''The Gods of the Greeks''
* Karl Kerényi, ''Dionysus: Archetypical Image of Indestructible Life''
* Karl Kerényi, ''Eleusis: Archetypal Image of Mother and Daughter.'' The central modern accounting of the [[Eleusinian Mysteries]].
* Karl Meuli, ''Scythica'', 1935.
* Jon D. Mikalson, ''Athenian Popular Religion.'' Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1983. ISBN 0-8078-4194-3.
* [[William Mitford]], ''The History of Greece'', 1784. Cf. v.1, Chapter II, ''Religion of the Early Greeks''
* Clifford H. Moore, ''The Religious Thought of the Greeks, 1916.
* Martin P. Nilsson, ''Greek Popular Religion'', 1940. [http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/gpr/]
* Martin P. Nilsson, ''History of Greek Religion'', 1949.
* Robert Parker, ''Athenian Religion: A History'' Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996. ISBN 0-19-815240-X.
* Andrea Purvis, ''Singular Dedications: Founders and Innovators of Private Cults in Classical Greece'', 2003.
* William Ridgeway, ''The Dramas and Dramatic Dances of non-European Races in special Reference to the Origin of Greek Tragedy, with an Appendix on the Origin of Greek Comedy'', 1915.
* William Ridgeway, ''Origin of Tragedy with Special Reference to the Greek Tragedians'', 1910.
* Xavier Riu, ''Dionysism and Comedy'', Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 1999. ISBN 0-8476-9442-9.
* [[Erwin Rohde]], ''Psyche: The Cult of Souls and Belief in Immortality among the Greeks'', 1925.
* [[William Smith (lexicographer)|William Smith]], ''[[Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology]]'', 1870, [http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/]
* William Smith, ''[[Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities]]'', 1870. [http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-dgra]
* [[Martin Litchfield West]], ''The Orphic Poems'', 1983.
* Martin Litchfield West, ''Early Greek philosophy and the Orient'', Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1971.
* Martin Litchfield West, ''The East Face of Helicon: west Asiatic elements in Greek poetry and myth'', Oxford [England] ; New York: Clarendon Press, 1997.


[[Category:Polytheism]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Hordaland]]
[[Category:Religion in Greece]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek religion]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek culture]]


[[da:Ullensvang]]
[[he:דת יוון העתיקה]]
[[de:Ullensvang]]
[[ta:பண்டைய கிரேக்க சமயம்]]
[[bpy:উল্লেনসভাং]]
[[zh:古希臘宗教]]
[[it:Ullensvang]]
[[nl:Ullensvang]]
[[no:Ullensvang]]
[[nn:Ullensvang]]
[[nds:Kommun Ullensvang]]
[[pl:Ullensvang]]
[[pt:Ullensvang]]
[[ro:Ullensvang]]
[[sl:Ullensvang]]
[[fi:Ullensvang]]
[[sv:Ullensvang kommun]]

Revision as of 14:28, 11 October 2008

Ullensvang Municipality
Ullensvang herad
Municipality
Flag of Ullensvang Municipality
Flag
Coat of arms of Ullensvang Municipality
Coat of arms
Hordaland within Norway
Hordaland within Norway
Ullensvang within Hordaland
Ullensvang within Hordaland
CountryNorway
CountyHordaland
DistrictHardanger
Administrative centreKinsarvik
Government
 • Governor (2003)Solfrid Borge (Sp)
Area
 • Total1,399 km2 (540 sq mi)
 • Land1,287 km2 (497 sq mi)
 • Rank#61 in Norway
Population
 (2004)
 • Total3,513
 • Rank#245 in Norway
 • Density3/km2 (8/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Decrease −9.6%
Demonym(s)Sørfjøre
Sørfjording[1]
Official language
[2]
 • Norwegian formNynorsk
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-1231[3]
WebsiteOfficial website
Data from Statistics Norway

lon_deglon_seclat_deglat_seclat_minlon_min

Ullensvang is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre is the village of Kinsarvik.

The number of inhabitants has shown a decrease of some 500 between 1980 and 2004. This development can be seen in light of the general depopulation of rural Norway. The major part of Ullensvang is located near the Hardangervidda national park, Europe's biggest mountain plateau (highest point, Haarteigen, 1,690 meters above sea level). The general population, however, is confined to the narrow mountainsides and valleys along the Hardangerfjord especially in the rural centers of Kinsarvik (administrative center) and Lofthus.

General Information

The name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Ullensvang farm (Old Norse Ullinsvangr), since the first church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the Norse god Ullin (sideform of Ullr). The last element is vangr which means "field" or "meadow".

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms was granted on 8 November 1979. The arms are derived from the arms of nobleman from the area, Sigurd Brynjulvsson Galte, and they can be seen on his gravestone dating back to 1302 at the local church. As it is the oldest gravestone in the church, the arms were well known in the village, hence the choice for the arms of this knight as municipal arms.[4]

History

Ullensvang used to be an annex of Kinsarvik parish, but in 1869 Ullensvang became the main parish and Kinsarvik became an annex to Ullensvang. At this time the municipality changed its name to Ullensvang.

Kinsarvik and Odda were separated from Ullensvang as municipalities of their own on 1 July 1913. Most of Kinsarvik was merged back into Ullensvang on 1 January 1964. Eidfjord was merged with Ullensvang from 1 January 1964 until 1 January 1977.

Attractions

Ullensvang is Norway's biggest supplier of fruit, especially sweet cherries and apples. Every summer a cherry festival is held at Lofthus, where the Norwegian championship of cherry stone spitting is held (record: 14.24 meters, S. Kleivkaas). Each May a musical festival is held at Ullensvang Hotel (built in 1846), when musicians from all of Norway come to the village. The famous composer Edvard Grieg spent many summers at Lofthus, and the festival is held in his honor. During the summer, the population is doubled due to tourism. Attractions in addition to the previous mentioned, are the medieval churches at Lofthus (built in 1300 and Kinsarvik (built in 1160), several waterfalls, the flowering season in May, and museums at Aga, Utne, and Skredhaugen.

References

  1. ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (2023-01-26). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
  4. ^ Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessdaymonth= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
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