Undal


Undal is a former municipality in Vest-Agder county in Norway. The municipality encompassed parts of the present-day municipalities of Audnedal and Lindesnes. The municipality encompassed most of the Audnedalen valley which follows the river Audna southwards to the sea.

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was Auðnudalr. The first element is the genitive case of the river name Auðna and the last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale". The river name is derived from the Norse word auðn which means "destruction".

History

The parish of Undal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. The municipality was short-lived and it existed only until 1845, when it was divided into the new municipalities of Nordre Undal in the north and Søndre Undal in the south. Prior to the split Undal had a population of 4,695.