Offerdal is a parish (so called ''socken'') and former municipality (pop. 2,100) in Krokom Municipality, Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. The seat of the former municipality Offerdal,

Änge Änge (from Old Norse ''engi'' 'meadow') is a locality situated in Krokom Municipality, Jämtland County, Sweden with 314 inhabitants in 2010. It is situated 50 kilometres northwest of Östersund, the capital of Jämtland. Änge was until 1974 the ...

, is situated 50 kilometres northwest of Östersund, the capital of Jämtland.

Geography and culture

Offerdal is a highland region with the highest peak being ''Makkene'', a peak in the ''Oldfjällen'' mountain range with an altitude of 1 266 meters above sea level. The south of Offerdal is a genuine agricultural area with a long history. In today’s Offerdal,

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...

is less important, but is still an important part of the local culture. The Sami people live in the mountain area in the north of Offerdal, in the villages ''Jänsmässholmen'', ''Frankrike'' and ''Olden''. The Sami in Offerdal are

Southern Sami Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

people and speak Southern Sami.

History

Jämtland has over 20 000 documented ancient monuments, the oldest one being an 8 000 year old arrowhead found in 1881 nearby

Kaxås Kaxås is a locality in the historical province Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. Kaxås is situated in Offerdal in Krokom Municipality, 60 kilometres northwest of Östersund Östersund (; sma, Staare) is an urban area (city) in Jämtland in th ...

in Offerdal (''Offerdalsspetsen''). Petroglyphs in

Gärde Gärde is a locality in the north of Offerdal in the historical province Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. Gärde is situated in Krokom Municipality, 70 kilometres northwest of Östersund, the capital of Jämtland. Gärde is a traditional villag ...

in the north of Offerdal were made approximately 7 000 years ago. These carvings consist primely of moose. Offerdal and other parts of Jämtland were Christianized in the middle of the 11th century. The church of Offerdal was built in the 12th century in Ede in central Offerdal. During the Norwegian time (1178-1645), Offerdal was one of the biggest municipalities in Jämtland. In 1645 Sweden received Offerdal as a part of the Treaty of Brömsebro. The etymology of the name Offerdal is

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

''Áflóadalr'' which roughly translates to 'the valley of the river running through the bog' (''á'' = 'river, ''flói'' = 'bog', ''dalr'' = 'valley'). Because Jamtlandic ''l'' in a post-''f'' position is pronounced as a retroflex ''r'', the false etymological "Offerdal" with ''offer'' = '(ritual) sacrifice' was introduced in documents when referring to the area.

Localities

*Ede *Tulleråsen *

Rönnöfors Rönnöfors is a locality in the historical province Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. Rönnöfors is situated in Krokom Municipality, 80 kilometres northwest of Östersund, the capital of Jämtland. Rönnöfors is situated in the north of Offe ...

*Jänsmässholmen *Olden * Landön * Kälom *Åflo

Notable people

Göran Boström Göran or Jöran (both pronounced ) is the Swedish form of George, not to be confused with the Slavic Goran. Notable people with the name include: *Göran Andersson, Swedish sport sailor *Göran Bror Benny Andersson Swedish musician, composer, ...

, Swedish artist from Änge, Offerdal *

Carl-Göran Ekerwald Carl-Göran Ekerwald (born 30 December 1923) is a Swedish novelist, literary critic, forest worker and teacher. Among his works are the short story collection ''Kumminåkern'' from 1962, and ''Skogvaktarens pojke'' from 2002. He was awarded the Do ...

, Swedish author from Änge, Offerdal * Lapp-Nils, violinist and composer of Swedish folk music *

Dan Olofsson Dan Olof Olofsson (born 24 September 1950 in Ekenäs, Finland) is a Swedish entrepreneur, business leader and philanthropist. Biography Dan Olofsson was born as the second oldest of five siblings in Ekenäs, Finland, where his father was emp ...

, Swedish entrepreneur and philanthropist from Kaxås in Offerdal * Torkel Persson, cross country skier from Frankrike in Offerdal

External links

Web site of Offerdal
{{authority control Populated places in Krokom Municipality Jämtland Diocese of Härnösand