Henning Frederik Feilberg
Encyclopedia
Henning Frederik Feilberg (6 August 1831, Hillerød
– 8 October 1921, Askov), was a Danish pastor, author and folklorist. His research and publications represent significant contributions to the field of Danish folklore
.
as a small child, later becoming a pastor there, following in his father's footsteps. In 1856, his interest in philology
and folklore was encouraged by the time he spent working as a curate with Eiler Henning Hagerup in Store Solt
to the south of Flensburg
. In 1869, when he was a pastor in Brørup
, he took a renewed interest in folklore, contributing to the journal Nordisk Månedsskrift. This led to a jounrney to Norway where he met Eilert Sundt
.
In 1891, on his retirement, he moved to Askov where he worked on a voluntary basis as a high school teacher while devoting the rest of his life to folklore. His collection and research was based on material from Jutland although he treated the subject from an international viewpoint, modelling his work on that of the Norwegian Eilert Sundt and Andrew Lang
and Edward Tylor from England. His extensive library of some 4,000 volumes provided comprehsive, international coverage of ethnology. By leaving his collection to a public institution, he can be credited for playing a significant role in the creation of the Danish Folklore Archives. He also helped to found the Danish Folklore Society (Danmarks Folkeminder) but he declined Axel Olrik
's invitation to become a member of the board.
and folklore, both of which were evidenced by his posthumous papers. His "Contribution to a Dictionary of Rural Jutlandic" (Bidrag til en ordbog over jyske almuesmål) (1886–1914) is so wide-ranging that it is virtually a Nordic encyclopedia of folklore, folk poetry, and folk beliefs. As a folklorist, he was particularly interested in researching basic phenomena, establishing relationships and providing general overviews (for example of peasant culture). His international approach is reflected in his collection of manuscripts, excerpts and records of foreign literature and his extensive correspondence with foreign scholars. His unpublished collection of some 250,000 references to the 19th and early 20th century literature of folklore is still considered an important reference work.
His most significant works on folklore are Dansk Bondeliv (Danish Farm Life, 1889–99) and Jul (Christmas, 1904).
Hillerød
Hillerød Kommune is a municipality in Region Hovedstaden . The municipality covers an area of 191 km² , and has a total population of 46,568...
– 8 October 1921, Askov), was a Danish pastor, author and folklorist. His research and publications represent significant contributions to the field of Danish folklore
Danish folklore
Danish folklore consists of folk tales, legends, songs, music, dancing, popular beliefs and traditions comuminicated by the inhabitants of towns and villages across the country, often passed on from generation to generation by word of mouth. As in neighbouring countries, interest in folklore grew...
.
Biography
Feilberg moved with his family to southern JutlandJutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
as a small child, later becoming a pastor there, following in his father's footsteps. In 1856, his interest in philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
and folklore was encouraged by the time he spent working as a curate with Eiler Henning Hagerup in Store Solt
Großsolt
Großsolt is a municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....
to the south of Flensburg
Flensburg
Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...
. In 1869, when he was a pastor in Brørup
Brørup
Brørup is a town with a population of 4,442 in Vejen municipality, Region of Southern Denmark in Denmark.Until January 1, 2007, Brørup was also a municipality in Ribe County. The municipality covered an area of 107 km², and had a total population of 6,485...
, he took a renewed interest in folklore, contributing to the journal Nordisk Månedsskrift. This led to a jounrney to Norway where he met Eilert Sundt
Eilert Sundt
Eilert Sundt was a Norwegian sociologist, known for his work on mortality, marriage and other subjects among the working class....
.
In 1891, on his retirement, he moved to Askov where he worked on a voluntary basis as a high school teacher while devoting the rest of his life to folklore. His collection and research was based on material from Jutland although he treated the subject from an international viewpoint, modelling his work on that of the Norwegian Eilert Sundt and Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang was a Scots poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University of St Andrews are named after him.- Biography :Lang was born in Selkirk...
and Edward Tylor from England. His extensive library of some 4,000 volumes provided comprehsive, international coverage of ethnology. By leaving his collection to a public institution, he can be credited for playing a significant role in the creation of the Danish Folklore Archives. He also helped to found the Danish Folklore Society (Danmarks Folkeminder) but he declined Axel Olrik
Axel Olrik
Axel Olrik was a Danish folklorist, and a pioneer in the methodical study of oral narrative.His Principles for Oral Narrative Research, recently translated by K. Wolf and J. Jensen, Bloomington, Ind., 1992, was first published in 1921, after Olrik's early death...
's invitation to become a member of the board.
Works
His two main areas of interest were dialectologyDialectology
Dialectology is the scientific study of linguistic dialect, a sub-field of sociolinguistics. It studies variations in language based primarily on geographic distribution and their associated features...
and folklore, both of which were evidenced by his posthumous papers. His "Contribution to a Dictionary of Rural Jutlandic" (Bidrag til en ordbog over jyske almuesmål) (1886–1914) is so wide-ranging that it is virtually a Nordic encyclopedia of folklore, folk poetry, and folk beliefs. As a folklorist, he was particularly interested in researching basic phenomena, establishing relationships and providing general overviews (for example of peasant culture). His international approach is reflected in his collection of manuscripts, excerpts and records of foreign literature and his extensive correspondence with foreign scholars. His unpublished collection of some 250,000 references to the 19th and early 20th century literature of folklore is still considered an important reference work.
His most significant works on folklore are Dansk Bondeliv (Danish Farm Life, 1889–99) and Jul (Christmas, 1904).