Jónas Hallgrímsson
Encyclopedia
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
. He was one of the founders of the Icelandic journal Fjölnir
Fjölnir (journal)
Fjölnir is an Icelandic journal which was first published in Copenhagen in 1835. The journal was used by Jónas Hallgrímsson and other Icelandic romantic nationalist poets to invoke nationalism in the hearts of the Icelandic people in the hopes of raising support for Icelandic independence....
, which was first published in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
in 1835. The magazine was used by Jónas and other nationalistic poets to invoke patriotic feeling in the hearts of the Icelandic people, in the hopes of inciting popular resistance
Resistance movement
A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to opposing an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign state. It may seek to achieve its objects through either the use of nonviolent resistance or the use of armed force...
against Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
rule. Jónas remains one of Iceland's most beloved poets, and composed some of the best-known Icelandic poems about land and nation.
Biography
Jónas was born in the north of Iceland, in Öxnadalur in EyjafjörðurEyjafjörður
Eyjafjörður is the longest fjord in central northern Iceland. It is located in the second most populous region of Iceland.-Physical geography:...
. He was the son of Hallgrímur Þorsteinsson, a curate, and Rannveig Jónasdóttir. He was the third of their four children; his siblings were Þorsteinn (b. 1800), Rannveig (b. 1802) and Anna Margrét (b. 1815). In 1816 Jónas' father drowned in a lake and Jónas was sent to live with his aunt. In 1821 he returned home to Öxnadalur to be confirmed, before going away to a school in Skagafjörður
Skagafjörður
Skagafjörður is a deep bay in northern Iceland.-Location:Skagafjörður is about 40 km long and 15 km wide, situated between Tröllaskagi to the west and the Tjornes Peninsula to the east. There are two municipalities in the area, Skagafjörður Municipality and Akrahreppur Municipality Skagafjörður...
, where he was taught by the Reverend Einar H. Thorlacius. He studied there for two years, and won a scholarship to attend the school at Bessastaðir
Bessastaðir
Bessastaðir is today the official residence of the President of Iceland and is situated on Álftanes, not far from the capital city, Reykjavík.- History :...
for a further six.
After passing his final examinations in 1829, Jónas moved to Reykjavík and was employed by a sheriff as a clerk, living in his home. During this time, he also worked as a defence lawyer. It is said that sometime in the winter of 1831 - 1832, Jónas proposed to a woman called Christiane Knudsen, but he was rejected.
In 1832 he sailed to Denmark, and passed the entrance exam for the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
. He began working for a law degree, but after four years switched to literature and natural sciences, excelling in both subjects. In 1835, along with fellow Icelandic students Brynjólfur Pétursson, Konráð Gíslason and Tómas Sæmundsson, he founded the patriotic journal Fjölnir
Fjölnir (journal)
Fjölnir is an Icelandic journal which was first published in Copenhagen in 1835. The journal was used by Jónas Hallgrímsson and other Icelandic romantic nationalist poets to invoke nationalism in the hearts of the Icelandic people in the hopes of raising support for Icelandic independence....
.
After graduation he was awarded a grant from the state treasury to conduct scientific research in Iceland, a project which he worked on from 1839 - 1842. He continued to pursue his interest in the natural history of Iceland, and to work on Fjölnir throughout his life, dividing his time between Denmark and research trips to Iceland. It was in Fjölnir that many of his poems and essays first appeared. Jónas also worked as a translator of foreign material, including scientific works. In these can be found many of the Icelandic words coined by Jónas. One of these, for an example, is reikistjarna, meaning planet. This is a compound word from the verb að reika (to wander) and the noun stjarna (star).
On the 21st May 1845 in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Jónas slipped on the stairs up to his room and broke his leg. He went to the hospital the next day, but died of blood poisoning
Bacteremia
Bacteremia is the presence of bacteria in the blood. The blood is normally a sterile environment, so the detection of bacteria in the blood is always abnormal....
, aged only 37.
Style
Jónas is considered one of the founding fathers, and best examples, of romanticismRomanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
in Iceland. The imagery in his poetry was strongly influenced by the Icelandic landscape. He is also known for introducing foreign metres
Meter (poetry)
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody...
, such as pentameter
Pentameter
Pentameter may refer to:*the iambic pentameter of the modern period*the dactylic pentameter of antiquity...
, to Icelandic poetry.
- Charming and fair is the land,
- and snow-white the peaks of the jokuls [glaciers],
- Cloudless and blue is the sky,
- the ocean is shimmering bright,
- But high on the lave fields, where
- still Osar river is flowing
- Down into Almanna gorge,
- Althing no longer is held,
- Now Snorri's booth serves as a sheepfold,
- the ling upon Logberg the sacred
- Is blue with berries every year,
- for children, s and ravens, delight.
- Oh, ye juvenile host
- and full-grown manhood of Iceland!
- Thus is our forefathers' fame
- forgotten and dormant withal."
Iceland
Translated by Gudmund J. Gislason
Beck, Richard, editor, Icelandic Lyrics: Originals and Translations, Thorhallur Bjarnarson, Publisher, Post Box 1001, Reykjavik 1930
Controversy over Jónas' Remains
In 1946, the bones of Jónas Hallgrímsson were moved from Copenhagen to Iceland. The main campaigner behind this was Sigurjón Pétursson, an admirer of Jónas who wanted to re-bury his remains in Öxnadalur, where Jónas grew up.Sigurjón came up against serious opposition from a number of the political élite, including Ólafur Thors
Ólafur Thors
Ólafur Thors was an Icelandic politician of the Independence Party, who served as Prime Minister of Iceland on five occasions:* 16 May 1942 to 16 December 1942* 21 October 1944 to 4 February 1947...
, who was then Prime Minister of Iceland
Prime Minister of Iceland
The Prime Minister of Iceland is Iceland's head of government. The prime minister is appointed formally by the President and exercises executive authority along with the cabinet subject to parliamentary support....
. The government informed him that Jónas' bones were state property, and would be buried at the national burial ground at Þingvellir
Þingvellir
|Thing]] Fields) is a place in Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland, near the peninsula of Reykjanes and the Hengill volcanic area. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological importance and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. It is the site of a rift...
, alongside the poet Einar Benediktsson
Einar Benediktsson
Einar Benediktsson was an Icelandic poet and lawyer.Einar Benediktsson's poetry was a significant contribution in the nationlistic revival leading to Iceland's independence. To this end, he was active both in establishing Landvarnarflokkurinn in 1902 and as the editor of Iceland's first daily...
.
However, the government proved unwilling to finance the excavation and transportation. Sigurjón covered most of the cost, even paying for Matthías Þórðarson, the director of the National Museum
National Museum of Iceland
The National Museum of Iceland was established on 24 February 1863, with Jón Árnason the first curator of the Icelandic collection, previously kept in Danish museums...
, to oversee the excavation. The process was a lengthy one, because a father and son had been buried on top of Jónas in 1875, and another couple in 1900, and they needed to be excavated first.
Finally, Sigurjón was able to transport the remains to Iceland. He drove north with them, intending to bury them in Öxnadalur in defiance of the government, but the priests there refused to perform the rites. The coffin stood in a church for a week before being driven back south and buried in the government's chosen spot on 16th November, Jónas' birthday. Since 1996, the date has been celebrated in Iceland as Icelandic Language Day
Icelandic Language Day
Icelandic Language Day is celebrated on 16 November each year in Iceland. This date was chosen to coincide with the birthday of the Icelandic poet Jónas Hallgrímsson....
.
Sources
- Jónas Hallgrímsson, Selected Poetry and Prose: The University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center presents this publicly accessible digital resource. It includes a wide range of materials that introduce the work of Icelandic poet and natural scientistNatural scienceThe natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
Jónas Hallgrímsson (1807-1845), generally acknowledged to be the most important and influential Icelandic poet of modern times. - Jónas Hallgrímson.is (In IcelandicIcelandic languageIcelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
)