Eggert Ólafsson (1 December 1726 – 30 May 1768) was an Icelandic explorer, writer and conservator of the Icelandic language. He also worked to revive the Icelandic culture and economy.

Background

He was the son of a farmer from Svefneyjar in Breiðafjörður. He studied natural sciences,

Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

, Grammar, Law, and Agriculture at the University of Copenhagen. He obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Copenhagen. In 1772 he posthumously published ''Reise igiennem Island'' (Travels in Iceland), an account of the scientific and cultural survey he conducted between 1752 and 1757. The book remains a seminal work on Iceland and its people. Eggert wrote on a wide range of topics. His writing has made him known for his pro-conservation stance on the Icelandic language, which has undergone significant change since the 18th century. Eggert was a devout patriot, and his literary works, chiefly his poems, burn with this fervor. He used his writings to stir up patriotism, which he felt were waning. He hoped to revive Icelandic culturally and politically, so that it would rise once again to its former glory. He went on a research trip around Iceland with

Bjarni Pálsson Bjarni Pálsson (17 May 1719 - 8 September 1779) was an Icelandic doctor and naturalist. On 18 March 1760 he was named the first Director of Health in Iceland. Life Bjarni was born in Upsum at Eyjafjörður to Páll Bjarnason and Sigríður � ...

(who later became Iceland's Director of Health) between 1752 and 1757. During this trip, they visited a great number of Icelandic natural sites and proposed geographical and infrastructural improvements to the regions they visited. Eggert and his wife, Ingibjörg Halldórsdóttir, drowned in 1768 when going back home from a winter sojourn i
Sauðlauksdalur
Their boat capsized in Breiðafjörður off the north-west coast of Iceland.

Matthías Jochumsson Matthías Jochumsson (11 November 1835 – 18 November 1920) was an Icelandic Lutheran clergyman, poet, playwright, and translator. He is best known for his lyrical poetry and for writing the national anthem of Iceland, "Lofsöngur", in 1874.

wrote a commemorative poem titled "Eggert Ólafsson" in his honour. Icelandic romantic poet Jónas Hallgrímsson also wrote a poem for Ólafsson; entitled "Hulduljóð", it was never finished. According to the historian Guðmundur Hálfdanarson, Eggert "is often regarded as the precursor of Icelandic nationalism."

References

External links

The poem "Eggert Ólafsson" by Matthías Jochumsson

The poem "Hestasæla" by Eggert Ólafsson with links to other poems by him
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eggert Olafsson 1726 births 1768 deaths Icelandic explorers Icelandic writers 18th-century Icelandic people

Background

References

Further reading

External links