Bjelland og Grindum

Bjelland og Grindum (or sometimes Bjelland og Grindheim) is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Bjelland where Bjelland Church is located. The 294 km2 municipality existed from 1838 until 1902. It was located in the Mandalen valley in the northern parts of the present-day municipalities of Lyngdal and Lindesnes in what is now Agder county.

History
The old (large) parish of Bjelland was divided on 1 January 1838 into two municipalities: Aaseral in the north and Bjelland og Grindum in the south (see formannskapsdistrikt law). Bjelland og Grindum had a population of 1,662 in 1835, just before the split. On 1 January 1902, the municipality of Bjelland og Grindum was dissolved and its land was split into two new municipalities: Bjelland (population: 907) and Grindheim (population: 909). These municipalities later became parts of Audnedal and Marnardal.

Name
The old parishes of Bjelland and Grindum were merged in 1838 and the new, resulting municipality was given the compound name Bjelland og Grindum, literally meaning "Bjelland and Grindum".

The parish of Bjelland is named after the old Bjelland farm (Bjárland) since the first Bjelland Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the word which means "farm" or "farmstead". The last element is which means "land" or "district".

The parish of Grindum is named after the old Grindum farm (Grindeimr) since the first Grindheim Church was built there. The first element is which means "gate" or "fence". The last element is which means "home" or "abode".