Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson (29 March 1927 – 2 March 2010) was an
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
ic
folklorist
Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...
,
philologist
Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...
, and theologian. He was the first professor of folklore at the
University of Iceland
The University of Iceland ( is, Háskóli Íslands ) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' s ...
and published extensively, particularly on
Old Norse religion
Old Norse religion, also known as Norse paganism, is the most common name for a branch of Germanic religion which developed during the Proto-Norse period, when the North Germanic peoples separated into a distinct branch of the Germanic peop ...
.
Early life and education
Jón Hnefill was born in Hrafnkelsdalur in
East Iceland, where his father farmed;
[ Merrill Kaplan]
"Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson (1927-2010)"
''Journal of American Folklore'' 124, October 2011, p. 318, .["Andlát: Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson"]
''Vísir'', 3 March 2010, retrieved 15 May 2021 . in 2000 he published a book arguing that ''
Hrafnkels saga Freysgoða'', which takes place in the valley, contains more historical truth about heathen religious practice derived from oral tradition than has been generally thought since
Sigurður Nordal Sigurður Nordal (14 September 1886 – 21 September 1974) was an Icelandic scholar, writer, and ambassador. He was influential in forming the theory of the Icelandic sagas as works of literature composed by individual authors.
Education
Nor ...
's 1940 book ''Hrafnkatla''. He was the eldest son in a family of ten children and one foster child; his brother Stefán became a
geneticist
A geneticist is a biologist or physician who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a scientist or a lecturer. Geneticists may perform general research on genetic processe ...
in
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
and his youngest brother Ragnar Ingi, a writer and academic in Icelandic literature.
["Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson"]
''Morgunblaðið'', 10 March 2010, retrieved 15 May 2021 .
After finishing school at
Menntaskólinn á Akureyri
The Akureyri Junior College ( is, Menntaskólinn á Akureyri , regionally also ; la, Schola Akureyrensis) is an Icelandic gymnasium (academic secondary school). It is one of the oldest educational institutions in Iceland.
The Menntaskólinn ...
in 1948, he earned a bachelor's degree in religious history, religious psychology, and philosophy in 1958 from
Stockholm University
Stockholm University ( sv, Stockholms universitet) is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, so ...
, a
Cand. Theol. in theology in 1960 from the University of Iceland, and a
Ph. Lic. in 1966 and PhD in 1979 in folklore from the
University of Uppsala
Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation.
The university rose to significance during ...
,
["Fræðafrumkvöðli fagnað", ''Fréttablaðið'', 30 March 2007]
p. 40
. where he studied under Dag Strömbäck
Dag Alvar Strömbäck (13 August 1900 – 1 December 1978) was a Swedish philologist and ethnologist who was a professor at Uppsala University and a specialist in Old Norse studies.
Biography
Dag Strömbäck was born in :se:Järbo församling, Up ...
.[
]
Career
In 1960, Jón Hnefill was ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...
, and he served as a priest in Eskifjörður
Eskifjörður (in original spelling; ), or Eskifjördur is a town and port in eastern Iceland with a large fishing industry. With a population of 1,043 it is one of the most populous towns in the municipality of Fjarðabyggð.
History
Eskifjörðu ...
for the next four years.[ He also worked as a journalist for the newspaper '']Morgunblaðið
''Morgunblaðið'' (, ''The Morning Paper'') is an Icelandic newspaper. ''Morgunblaðið''s website, mbl.is, is the most popular website in Iceland.
History
''Morgunblaðið'' was founded by Vilhjálmur Finsen and Ólafur Björnsson, brother of ...
'' and taught at a variety of Icelandic schools and institutions of higher education, including in the divisions of philosophy, social science, and theology at the University of Iceland[ and from 1969 to 1988 at ]Menntaskólinn við Hamrahlíð
Menntaskólinn við Hamrahlíð ( en, Hamrahlíð College, and usually referred to as MH) is a public gymnasium located in Hlíðahverfi, Reykjavík, Iceland. The school was founded in 1966 by the Icelandic Ministry of Education; with the first ...
.["Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson", ''Skólavarðan'', 1 April 2010]
p. 30
. In 1983–84 he was an Honorary Research Fellow at University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
.[
In 1988 he became the first ]docent
The title of docent is conferred by some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks at or below the full professor rank, similar to a British readership, a French " ''maître de conf ...
in folklore at the University of Iceland, and in 1992 the first professor.[ He was a full member of the ]Folklore Fellows
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging from ...
. In 1998 he was the recipient of a festschrift
In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...
, titled ''Þjóðlíf og Þjóðtrú''.
His scholarly work focussed on the area of Old Norse religion, particularly in Iceland, drawing on both philology and folkloristics. His PhD thesis, published in English as ''Under the Cloak'', concerned the role of shaman
Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...
ic trance in the decision taken in 2000 that Iceland would convert to Christianity
Conversion to Christianity is the religious conversion of a previously non-Christian person to Christianity. Different Christian denominations may perform various different kinds of rituals or ceremonies initiation into their community of believe ...
, and a number of his articles on Old Norse religion were collected in English translation as ''A Piece of Horse Liver''.[
During his lifetime he served as chairman of the Icelandic Folklore Association, the Icelandic Historical Association, and the Icelandic Teachers' Association, and was a board member of the Nordic Teachers' Association. He was also chairman of the East Iceland constituency council of the ]Independence Party
Independence Party may refer to:
Active parties Outside United States
* Independence Party (Egypt)
* Estonian Independence Party
* Independence Party (Finland)
* Independence Party (Iceland)
* Independence Party (Mauritius)
* Independence Part ...
.[
]
Selected works
Jón Hnefill published prolifically, in several languages. Among his books were:
*''Kristnitakan á Íslandi''. Reykjavík: Almenna bókafélagið, 1971;[Jónas Gíslason]
"Ritfregnir: Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson, ''Kristnitakan á Íslandi''"
''Saga'' 10.1 (1972) 197–204 . rev. ed. Háskólaútgáfan/University of Iceland Press, 1999. ["Kristnitakan á Íslandi", ''Dagblaðið Vísir'', 17 January 2000]
p. 17
.
*''Under the cloak: The acceptance of Christianity in Iceland with particular reference to the religious attitudes prevailing at the time''. Studia ethnologica Upsaliensia 4, 1978. (PhD thesis)
**''Under the Cloak: A Pagan Ritual Turning Point in the Conversion of Iceland''. Reykjavík: University of Iceland, 1979; rev. ed. 1999 [
*''Þjóðtrú og þjóðfræði''. Reykjavík: Iðunn, 1985
*''A Piece of Horse Liver: Myth, Ritual, and Folklore in Old Icelandic Sources''. Reykjavík: University of Iceland Press, 1998. (collected essays in English translation)
*''Þá hneggjaði Freyfaxi: Frá staðfræði til uppspuna í Hrafnkels sögu Freysgoða''. Reykjavík: Háskólaútgáfan/University of Iceland Press, 2000.
]
Personal life
He was married in 1955 to the writer and Member of Alþingi
The Alþingi (''general meeting'' in Icelandic, , anglicised as ' or ') is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ("thing fields" or "assembly ...
Svava Jakobsdóttir
Svava Jakobsdóttir (4 October 1930 – 21 February 2004) was one of Iceland's prominent 20th century authors and feminist politicians. Her writing was characterized by "a unique brand of surreal feminism." Her father ''(Hans) Jakob Jónsson''Tor ...
, who died in 2004; they had one son, Jakob S. Jónsson, a director and playwright. He had two sons from previous relationships, Kristján Jóhann Jónsson, who teaches Icelandic literature at the University of Iceland, and Örlygur Hnefill Jónsson, a lawyer.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adalsteinsson, Jon Hnefill
Jon Hnefill Adalsteinsson
Jon Hnefill Adalsteinsson
1927 births
2010 deaths
Jon Hnefill Adalsteinsson
Jon Hnefill Adalsteinsson
Old Norse studies scholars
Stockholm University alumni
Uppsala University alumni
Academic staff of the University of Iceland
Writers on Germanic paganism