Kjell Aartun
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Kjell Aartun (6 July 1925 – 28 May 2023) was a Norwegian theologian and linguist. He was considered a leading expert on
Semitic languages The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are spoken by more than 330 million people across much of West Asia, the Horn of Africa, and latterly North Africa, Malta, West Africa, Chad, and in large immigra ...
, particularly the
Ugaritic language Ugaritic () is an extinct Northwest Semitic language, classified by some as a dialect of the Amorite language and so the only known Amorite dialect preserved in writing. It is known through the Ugaritic texts discovered by French archaeologist ...
. He was also known for several controversial theories on
runic Runes are the letters in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were used to write various Germanic languages (with some exceptions) before they adopted the Latin alphabet, and for specialised ...
interpretation and the origin of Minoan civilization. Aartun received a government scholarship ( statsstipendiat) in 1983 and received
HM The King's Medal of Merit The King's Medal of Merit (Norwegian: ''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') is a Norwegian award. It was instituted in 1908 to reward meritorious achievements in the fields of art, science, business, and public service. It is divided in two classes: gold ...
in Gold for his scientific work in 2001. He was a member of the
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters ( no, Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick Unive ...
from 1986.


Life and career

Aartun was born in Sjernarøy on 6 July 1925. He obtained the Cand.theol. degree in 1954, and an additional degree in Greek in 1956. He was a Research Fellow from 1956 to 1961 and a Research Fellow/Lecturer from 1962 to 1965. Aartun was Research Fellow in West Berlin from 1965 to 1968, and Lecturer/Associate Professor at Stavanger lærerhøgskole from 1968 to 1992. He was also a
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 con ...
in Jerusalem in 1971, director of the Swedish Theological Institute in Jerusalem in 1974 and
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 con ...
of Semitic Languages at
Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion dr. philos. degree in 1978, with a dissertation on the
Ugaritic language Ugaritic () is an extinct Northwest Semitic language, classified by some as a dialect of the Amorite language and so the only known Amorite dialect preserved in writing. It is known through the Ugaritic texts discovered by French archaeologist ...
in two volumes titled ''Die Partikeln des Ugaritischen'' (
Kevelaer Kevelaer ( Low Rhenish: ''Käwela'') is a town in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is the largest Catholic pilgrimage location within north-western Europe. More than 1 million pilgrims, mostly from Germany and t ...
, 1974/1978). In his extensive two-volume work on Minoan civilization, ''Die Minoische Schrift'' (
Harrassowitz Verlag Harrassowitz Verlag is a German academic publishing house, based in Wiesbaden. It publishes about 250 scholarly books and periodicals per year on Oriental, Slavic, and Book and Library Studies. The publishing house is part of the company Otto Ha ...
, 1992/1997), Aartun asserts that the ancient Minoan culture was Semitic. His book ''Runer i kulturhistorisk sammenheng'' (
Pax Forlag Pax Forlag is a Norwegian publishing house, established in 1964. The first manager was Tor Bjerkmann, who chaired the company from 1964 to 1972. Starting with Bjerkmann's new translation of George Orwell's ''Animal Farm'', Pax published 150 qu ...
, 1994) asserts that
Runic Runes are the letters in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were used to write various Germanic languages (with some exceptions) before they adopted the Latin alphabet, and for specialised ...
inscriptions found in Scandinavia were written in a Semitic language. These publications have made him a controversial figure among both non-linguists and mainstream linguists since the early 1990s, with critics accusing him of producing
pseudoscience Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable clai ...
. His autobiography, ''Et forskerliv i Janteland'' ("A Researchers Life in the Country of Jante"), was published in 2004. Aartun was the grandfather of singer-songwriter Susanne Sundfør. She dedicated her sixth studio album '' Blómi'' to Aartun, incorporating excerpts of his works in the lyrics. Kjell Aartun died on 28 May 2023, at the age of 97.


Selected publications

*''Die Partikeln des Ugaritischen'', 2 vol.,
Kevelaer Kevelaer ( Low Rhenish: ''Käwela'') is a town in the district of Kleve, in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is the largest Catholic pilgrimage location within north-western Europe. More than 1 million pilgrims, mostly from Germany and t ...
, Butzon & Bercker, 1974/1978 *''Die Minoische Schrift'', 2 vol.,
Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...
,
Harrassowitz Verlag Harrassowitz Verlag is a German academic publishing house, based in Wiesbaden. It publishes about 250 scholarly books and periodicals per year on Oriental, Slavic, and Book and Library Studies. The publishing house is part of the company Otto Ha ...
, 1992/1997 *''Runer i kulturhistorisk sammenheng: En fruktharhetskultisk tradisjon'',
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 ...
,
Pax Forlag Pax Forlag is a Norwegian publishing house, established in 1964. The first manager was Tor Bjerkmann, who chaired the company from 1964 to 1972. Starting with Bjerkmann's new translation of George Orwell's ''Animal Farm'', Pax published 150 qu ...
, 1994 *''Et forskerliv i Janteland'', Oslo, Kolofon, 2004


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aartun, Kjell 1925 births 2023 deaths Linguists from Norway Academic staff of Lund University Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters People from Finnøy Recipients of the King's Medal of Merit in gold Norwegian expatriates in Germany Norwegian expatriates in Israel Norwegian expatriates in Sweden