Hieronymus Osius
Encyclopedia
Hieronymus Osius was a German Neo-Latin poet and academic about whom there are few biographical details. He was born about 1530 in Schlotheim
and murdered in 1575 in Graz
. After studying first at the university of Erfurt
, he gained his Masters degree from Wittenberg
university in 1552 and later lectured on Poetics
in the Philosophical faculty there. In 1558 he was crowned poet laureate in Copenhagen by King Christian III of Denmark
. Thereafter he held teaching positions in Jena
, Regensburg
and Graz
, identifying with Protestantism
in the religious conflicts of the time.
Osius was known as a pre-eminent poet whose works were frequently reprinted. They included his "Song on Christ’s Birth" (Carmen de natali Christi, 1557); an adaptation into Latin of the Homeric comic epic, the Batrachomyomachia
(Pugna ranarum et murium, the battle of the frogs and mice); an epic of the Dithmarschen
Peasants’ War (Historia belli Ditmarsici, 1560), which had only recently concluded and of which he also published a shorter version in German; and his collection of nearly 300 poems based on Aesop’s Fables (Fabulae Aesopi carmine elegiaco redditae, 1564).
Schlotheim
Schlotheim is a town in the Unstrut-Hainich district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 14 km east of Mühlhausen....
and murdered in 1575 in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
. After studying first at the university of Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
, he gained his Masters degree from Wittenberg
Wittenberg
Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a city in Germany in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, on the river Elbe. It has a population of about 50,000....
university in 1552 and later lectured on Poetics
Poetics
Aristotle's Poetics is the earliest-surviving work of dramatic theory and the first extant philosophical treatise to focus on literary theory...
in the Philosophical faculty there. In 1558 he was crowned poet laureate in Copenhagen by King Christian III of Denmark
Christian III of Denmark
Christian III reigned as king of Denmark and Norway. He was the eldest son of King Frederick I and Anna of Brandenburg.-Childhood:...
. Thereafter he held teaching positions in Jena
Jena
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.-History:Jena was first mentioned in an 1182 document...
, Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
and Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, identifying with Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
in the religious conflicts of the time.
Osius was known as a pre-eminent poet whose works were frequently reprinted. They included his "Song on Christ’s Birth" (Carmen de natali Christi, 1557); an adaptation into Latin of the Homeric comic epic, the Batrachomyomachia
Batrachomyomachia
Batrachomyomachia or the Battle of Frogs and Mice is a comic epic or parody on the Iliad, definitely attributed to Homer by the Romans, but according to Plutarch the work of Pigres of Halicarnassus, the brother of Artemisia, queen of Caria and ally of Xerxes...
(Pugna ranarum et murium, the battle of the frogs and mice); an epic of the Dithmarschen
Dithmarschen
Dithmarschen is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Nordfriesland, Schleswig-Flensburg, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, and Steinburg, by the state of Lower Saxony , and by the North Sea.-Geography:The district is located on the North Sea...
Peasants’ War (Historia belli Ditmarsici, 1560), which had only recently concluded and of which he also published a shorter version in German; and his collection of nearly 300 poems based on Aesop’s Fables (Fabulae Aesopi carmine elegiaco redditae, 1564).