''Fjölnir'' () was an
Iceland
Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
ic-language journal published annually in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
from 1835 to 1847.
The journal was founded by the ''Fjölnismenn'' (literally, "men of Fjölnir"), four young Icelandic intellectuals who sought to revive national consciousness in Iceland in the hopes of raising support for
Icelandic independence. They were
Jónas Hallgrímsson,
Konráð Gíslason,
Brynjólfur Pétursson and
Tómas Sæmundsson.
All four were
Icelanders
Icelanders () are an ethnic group and nation who are native to the island country of Iceland. They speak Icelandic, a North Germanic language.
Icelanders established the country of Iceland in mid 930 CE when the (parliament) met for th ...
who had studied at
Bessastaðir and the
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University.
...
. They all contributed to the publication of the journal until 1838. The fifth annual copy was published and paid for by
Tómas Sæmundsson, who had moved back to Iceland, and had it printed in
Viðey. Publication then ceased for a few years, as
Jónas Hallgrímsson was occupied with his scientific research. A new issue was published in 1843, but at this point two societies, ''Fjölnisfélagið'' and ''Nokkrir Íslendingar'', had taken over publication, led first by Gísli Magnússon and later by
Halldór Kr. Friðriksson.
The last issue of the journal was published in 1847. It was dedicated to the memory of
Jónas Hallgrímsson, who had died in the spring of 1845.
There is no evidence of the distribution numbers of the first few volumes but in the years 1843-1845, 300-400 copies of volumes 6-8 were sold in Iceland and Denmark.
The volumes were most likely read aloud in large gatherings and loaned from farm to farm.
''Fjölnir'' introduced
romanticism
Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...
in Icelandic literature and poetry, and many of
Jónas Hallgrímsson's romantic poems were first published in the journal. It also spearheaded the revival of national and linguistic consciousness in Iceland. ''Fjölnir'' received a mixed reception among the Icelandic reading public, partly due to eccentric spelling conventions, and the perceived arrogance of the young ''Fjölnismenn''. Nevertheless, it made important contributions to the revival of Icelandic as a written language, and greatly influenced the cultural and political milieu in Iceland. Historian Gunnar Karlsson finds that it is difficult to determine the political influence of the volumes but that there can be little doubt that the volumes made a clear contribution to Icelandic poetry.
See also
*
Ný félagsrit
References
External links
''Fjölnir'' magazine viewable onlineat timarit.is
Annual magazines
Defunct literary magazines published in Europe
Defunct magazines published in Denmark
Defunct magazines published in Iceland
Icelandic nationalism
Linguistic purism in Icelandic
Magazines established in 1835
Magazines disestablished in 1847
Poetry literary magazines
Magazines published in Copenhagen
{{Europe-lit-mag-stub