Johan Nordahl Brun (21 March 1745 – 26 July 1816) was a Norwegian-Danish poet, dramatist, bishop of

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

(1804–1816), and politician who contributed significantly to the growth of

national romanticism Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, contributing to the growing national consciousness.

Early life and family

Johan Nordahl Brun was born in

Byneset Byneset is a former municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The municipality of Byneset encompassed the western part of what is now Trondheim municipality in Trøndelag ...

, just outside the city of

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

Sør-Trøndelag Sør-Trøndelag () was a county comprising the southern portion of the present-day Trøndelag county in Norway. It bordered the old Nord-Trøndelag county as well as the counties of Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, and Hedmark. To the west is the No ...

county,

, on 21 March 1745. He was born to the businessman Svend Busch Brun (1703–84) and his wife Mette Catharina Nordal. He traveled to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

in 1767, where he passed his theological examinations. While at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

, Brun was a prominent member of The Norwegian Society (), a group of younger Norwegian authors, poets and philosophers. He was married on 2 September 1773 to Ingeborg Lind.

Nordahl Grieg Johan Nordahl Brun Grieg (1 November 1902 – 2 December 1943) was a Norwegian poet, novelist, dramatist, journalist and political activist. He was a popular author and a controversial public figure. He served in World War II as a war corresponde ...

(Johan Nordahl Brun Grieg) was a descendant of the bishop and was named after him.

Career

After leaving the university, Brun worked for a time as a secretary to Bishop

Johan Ernst Gunnerus Johan Ernst Gunnerus (26 February 1718 – 25 September 1773) was a Norway, Norwegian bishop and botanist. Gunnerus was born at Oslo, Christiania. He was bishop of the Diocese of Nidaros from 1758 until his death and also a professor of theology ...

. He was hired as the chaplain for the parish of

Byneset Church Byneset Church ( no, Byneset kirke) is a medieval parish church of the Church of Norway in Trondheim Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the Byneset area of the city of Trondheim. It is one of the churches for the ''Byne ...

in 1772. In 1774, he was called to be the parish priest for the Holy Cross Church in

. He served in this post from 1774 until 1793 when he was promoted to the position of

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of Bergen and

Nordhordland Nordhordland is a traditional district in the western part of Norway. The district consists of the northern portion of the old Hordaland county (now in Vestland county), north of the city of Bergen. It includes the municipalities Alver, Austr ...

. In 1804, Brun was appointed bishop of the

Diocese of Bjørgvin The Diocese of Bjørgvin ( no, Bjørgvin bispedømme) is one of the 11 dioceses that make up the Church of Norway. It includes all of the churches located in the county of Vestland in Western Norway. The cathedral city is Bergen, Norway's second ...

. He served as bishop until his death on 26 July 1816.

Literary works

In literary history, Brun found his place when he wrote the first Norwegian romantic nationalistic play, (1772). This play aroused a strong awakening of Norwegian spirit and was produced many times. He also wrote many poems, including

's first (unofficial) national anthem, " For Norge, Kiempers Fødeland" (1771), and published a book of Lutheran Hymns (1786). He was also the writer of the city of Bergen's anthem " Jeg Tog Min Nystæmte" (1790).

References

External links

Johan Nordahl Brun Hymns
1745 births 1816 deaths 18th-century Norwegian clergy Bishops of Bjørgvin 18th-century Norwegian writers 18th-century Norwegian poets {{bishop-stub