Hermann Jónasson (agronomist)

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Hermann Jónasson

Hermann Jónasson (born October 22, 1858 on the farm Víðiker in Bárðardalur ; † December 6, 1923 in Reykjavík ) was an Icelandic agronomist, politician and author of books about dreams and the supernatural.

Life

The farmer's son Hermann Jónasson was considered a talented athlete and wrestler ( Glíma ) at a young age . In 1884 he graduated in agronomy (búfræðipróf) from the then agricultural school in Hólar and was one of the first to graduate from this institution, which was founded in 1882. He then lived for a while in Denmark , where he studied at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University. Later he was director of a community college in Hléskógar in the Höfðahverfi area on Eyjafjörður (rural municipality Grýtubakki) and from 1888 to 1896 rector of the agricultural school in Hólar. From 1896 to 1905 he was a farmer in Þingeyri . After living alternately in Ólafsvík and Reykjavík , he stayed in the United States from 1917 to 1922 , then again in Reykjavík until his death.

Political activity

From 1900 to 1908 Hermann Jónasson belonged to the Icelandic parliament Althing as a representative of the then self-governing party (Heimastjórnarflokkurinn) . In 1903 he suggested the introduction of so-called “general compulsory work” or “civic compulsory work” (þegnskylduvinna) in parliament . This was discussed a lot in the following years. In its last version, which was introduced in a referendum in 1916 , it would have obliged every male Icelander between the ages of 17 and 25 to work once for twelve weeks. It was rejected in the vote with 91.76% no votes. Apart from that, Hermann Jónasson's parliamentary activities mainly focused on agricultural issues.

Writing

Hermann Jónasson founded the agricultural journal Búnaðarrit in 1887 , remained its editor until 1899 and wrote articles on agricultural topics. As a writer, however, he was particularly prominent with publications on dreams and the supernatural . In his book Draumar from 1912 he “corrects and completes” the Brennu Njáls saga , a well-known Icelandic saga , based on messages that Ketill, the son-in-law of the saga hero Njáll, transmitted to him every night in a dream. The book caused a sensation in Iceland at the time of its publication and was seriously discussed; In a contemporary review of the German magazine Mitteilungen der Icelandfreunde , the reviewer came to the conclusion that “you can get to the point however you want, it is to be taken seriously” and subsequently reproduced the “corrections” of the saga in detail.

The Dutch ethnologist Adriënne Heijnen cited Draumar in a study on the importance of dreaming in Icelandic society as an example of a new development at the beginning of the 20th century. Whereas the contents of dreams had previously only been exchanged informally in everyday life, they have now become the subject of a detailed presentation with scientific support - the theology professor Haraldur Níelsson and the philosopher and psychologist Guðmundur Finnbogason were involved in the publication . The epilogue by Guðmundur Finnbogason to Draumar shows that he thought it possible that future events could be predicted with the help of dreams. He called for such precognitive dreams to be precisely recorded in order to be able to confirm this scientifically. Heijnen sees the publication as part of an effort by Iceland's intellectual elite at the time to integrate traditional folk beliefs into a modern worldview through scientific experiments.

Works

  • Þegnskylduvinna . Reykjavík 1909.
  • Draumar . Ísafold, Reykjavík 1912.
  • Dulrunir . Reykjavík 1914.
  • Draumar and dulrúnir . Hliðskjálf, Reykjavík 1961 (new edition of Draumar and Dulrúnir with a biographical introduction).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d † Hermann Jónasson frá Þingeyrum . In: Tíminn . No. 44 , December 8, 1923, pp. 1 (Icelandic, timarit.is ).
  2. ↑ a b c d Æviágrip: Hermann Jónasson ( Icelandic ) Alþingi. October 5, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  3. ↑ W. Heydenreich: “General compulsory work” (þegnskylduvinna) on Iceland . In: Messages from friends of Iceland . 4th year, no. 1 , 1916, p. 14-23 , here p. 17 ( timarit.is ).
  4. ↑ 1916 Þegnskylduvinna ( Icelandic ) In: Kosningasaga . Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  5. ↑ a b W. Heydenreich: A piece from the Njálssaga corrected and completed by a dream . In: Messages from friends of Iceland . 1st year, no. 1 , 1913, pp. 12-14 ( timarit.is ).
  6. ↑ Adrienne Heijnen: The social life of dreams. A thousand years of negotiated meanings in Iceland . LIT, Vienna / Zurich / Berlin / Münster 2013, ISBN 978-3-643-90238-2 , pp. 225-226 .
  7. ↑ Adrienne Heijnen: The social life of dreams. A thousand years of negotiated meanings in Iceland . LIT, Vienna / Zurich / Berlin / Münster 2013, ISBN 978-3-643-90238-2 , pp. 226 .
  8. ↑ Adrienne Heijnen: The social life of dreams. A thousand years of negotiated meanings in Iceland . LIT, Vienna / Zurich / Berlin / Münster 2013, ISBN 978-3-643-90238-2 , pp. 227 .
Note: Icelanders are referred to by their first name or first and last name, but not just their surname. Further information can be found under Icelandic personal name .
personal data
SURNAME Hermann Jónasson
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Jónasson, Hermann
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Icelandic agronomist, politician and author
DATE OF BIRTH October 22, 1858
PLACE OF BIRTH Víðiker, Bárðardalur
DATE OF DEATH December 6, 1923
Place of death Reykjavík