Ancient Norwegians said that was named after a royal named Hǫlgi. The
Norse form of the name was '
. The first element of the word is the genitive plural of ', a 'person from Hålogaland'. The last element is '''', as in 'land' or 'region'. The meaning of the
demonym '''' is unknown. Thorstein Vikingson's Saga, 1, describes it as a compound of Hial, "Hel" or "spirit," and "loge", "fire" – although this is largely discredited. The Gothic historian
Jordanes in his work ''
(also known as Getica''), written in
Constantinople , mentions a people "Adogit" living in the far North. This could be an old form of '
and a possible reference to the petty kingdom of Hålogaland. Alex Woolf links the name Hålogaland to the — the "Northern Lights" —, saying that Hålogaland meant the "Land of the High Fire", ' deriving from '''', which refers to fire. This is also discredited. A legendary interpretation is found in the medieval accounts of
Ynglingatal and
Skáldskaparmál; "
Logi" is described as the personification of fire, a fire giant, and as a "son of
Fornjót". In the medieval
Orkneyinga saga and the account of '''' ('How Norway was inhabited'), Fornjót is described as king of ", and ". The royal lineages of his children are discussed in these and other
medieval accounts. The beginning of the ''
("Saga of Thorstein son of Víking") discusses King Logi, who ruled the country north of Norway. Because Logi was larger and stronger than any other man in land, his name was lengthened from Logi'' to '
, meaning "High-Logi". Derived from that name his country became called ', meaning "Hálogi's land". The spelling of the name changed to modern-day Hålogaland. Another interpretation of the name is presented by
Halvdan Koht and Alfred Jacobsen (in Håløyminne 1, 1920): 'Háleygr' is derived from Proto-Scandinavian *HaÞulaikaR, with the elements *haÞu 'battle' and *laik- 'pledge', i.e., a wartime alliance of the many settlements in times of conflict. The
Hversu Noregr byggðist is a legendary account of the origin of various legendary Norwegian lineages. It traces the descendants of the primeval ruler
Fornjót (Fornjotr) down to
Nór, who unites the Norwegian lands. The Hversu account then gives details of the descendants of Nór and of his brother
Gór in the following section known as the '
("Genealogies", or ', "Founding of Norway"). The
Hversu account is closely paralleled by the opening of the Orkneyinga saga. In 873 AD, according to the
Egil's saga (written ) the
Kvens and Norse cooperate in battling against the invading Karelians. The chapter XVII of Egil's saga describes how
Thorolf Kveldulfsson (King of Norway's tax chief starting 872 AD) from
Namdalen, located in the southernmost tip of the historic Hålogaland, goes to
Kvenland again: Based on medieval documents, the above meeting took place during the winter of 873–874. Hålogaland's rather close vicinity to Kvenland is also demonstrated in the geographical chronicle '''' by the
Icelandic Abbot Níkulás Bergsson (Nikolaos), who provides descriptions of lands around Norway: As recorded in
Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar, King
Hákon Hákonarson settled some of the people of
Bjarmaland in the area surrounding the
Malangen fjord near modern
Tromsø in the 1230s or 1240s. According to
Saxo Grammaticus in his
Gesta Danorum, King Helgi of Hålogaland married a Princess Thora of Lappland and Bjarmaland, daughter of Prince Gusi, but in other sources he is only given as King of Lappland. In any event, for centuries the Norwegians of Hålogaland had extensive relations with both the Bjarmar and
Saami, and to some extent also the Kvens.
Modern usage In modern times, the term Hålogaland is used in a variety of senses. For some purposes, all of
Northern Norway,
Svalbard and
Jan Mayen are covered under the term Hålogaland. For other purposes the counties of
Nordland and Troms constitute Hålogaland. Hålogaland or even Mid Hålogaland are frequent terms covering the smaller districts of
Ofoten,
Lofoten and
Vesterålen, as well as the municipalities of
Gratangen,
Harstad,
Ibestad,
Kvæfjord, and
Tjeldsund of
Troms county. The term has also been used in this last sense, minus the Lofoten archipelago. The name is currently used by the
Dioceses of
Nord-Hålogaland,
Sør-Hålogaland, as well as by a
Court of Appeal,
a theater and a
large bridge. A derived name is
Helgeland which refers to southern Nordland. ==History==