Jón Steingrímsson

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Jón Steingrímsson (born September 10, 1728 in the court Þverá near Blönduhlíð, Skagafjörður ; † August 11, 1791 in Prestbakki in the Síða area, north of Kirkjubæjarklaustur ) was an Icelandic Lutheran clergyman. He was a chronicler of the Laki disaster (Móðuharðindin) in 1783/1784.

Life and meaning

At the age of sixteen Jón started school in Hólar . In 1750 he graduated from there and became a deacon in Reynisstaður in the area of Skagafjörður . After the death of Jón Vigfússon, who ran a monastery there, Jón Steingrímsson began a relationship with his widow, Þórunn Hannesdóttir, who soon had a daughter from him. Jón then lost his position as a deacon; he was suspected of murdering Jón Vigfússon, although no evidence could be produced. Jón and Þórunn wandered around until Jón received ordination in 1761 . In 1779 he was assigned the Skaftafell area in southeast Iceland. Jón worked as a pastor in Kirkjubæjarklaustur , in the Síða area in south-east Iceland, from 1778. During the time of the eruption of the Lakagígar , which began on June 8th, 1783 and lasted until February 7th, 1784, Jón, who was also interested in natural science, wrote down his observations of the catastrophe, which had a lasting effect on Iceland and Europe. The geologist Þorvaldur Thoroddsen said in 1925 about Jón's reports that these were the best and most detailed that existed on the eruption.

Jón saw the catastrophe as a punishment from God for the supposedly excessive lives of many Icelanders. Jón Steingrímsson was best known for his so-called "fire sermons". On Sunday, July 20, 1783, he is said to have performed a miracle; he preached in spite of a flow of lava flowing towards the church; this dried up during his sermon and the church was spared from destruction. He is therefore known in Iceland as eldklerkur ( Eng . "Fire priest").

In 1784, Jón was charged with distributing money from the Danes to parishioners without authorization. Þórunn died in the autumn of 1784. In the winter of 1785, Jón began writing his autobiography , which he was able to complete in 1791. It is one of the most important autobiographies of the 18th century. In it he reflects his life, which he understands as martyrdom and trial before God. In 1786 Jón suffered from various illnesses and depression . From this he recovered with the help of his faith and married the pastor's daughter Margrét Sigurðardóttir, whose father worked in Stafholt .

Appreciation

In Kirkjubæjarklaustur a chapel, consecrated in 1974, commemorates Jón Steingrímsson. The priest is buried there.

The author Ófeigur Sigurðsson wrote the historical novel Skáldsaga um Jón (German: "Novel about Jón") , which was awarded the 2011 European Union Prize for Literature .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ timarit.is: 175. ártíð Jóns Steingrímssonar. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  2. ↑ a b Örn Bjarnason: Séra Jón Steingrímsson, líf hans og lækningar II. Læknablaðið, 2007. Accessed on August 24, 2012. (PDF; 626 kB)
  3. ↑ a b c d e Daisy Nejmann: A History of Icelandic Literature. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2006, pp. 242f.
  4. ↑ a b c eldmessa.is: Reverend Jón Steingrímsson. Retrieved on August 23, 2012. ( Memento of the original from February 17, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.eldmessa.is
  5. ↑ focus.de: volcanic eruption. No daylight for eight months. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  6. ↑ a b c nat.is: KIRKJUBAEJARKLAUSTUR CHAPEL. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  7. ↑ Þorvaldur Thoroddsen: The history of the Icelandic volcanoes. 1925. Quoted from: Jens Willhardt, Christine Sadler: Island. 3rd updated and revised edition. Michael Müller, Erlangen 2003, ISBN 3-89953-115-9 , p. 344.
  8. ↑ focus.de: volcanic eruption. No daylight for eight months. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  9. ↑ theeuropeanlibrary.org: The Autobiography of Jón Steingrímsson. Æfisaga Jóns prófasts Steingrímssonar. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  10. ↑ klaustur.is: The Chapel. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  11. ↑ legendhaftes-island.is: Literature Prize of the European Union 2011 to Iceland. Retrieved August 23, 2012.


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 Jón Steingrímsson
BRIEF DESCRIPTION icelandic priest
DATE OF BIRTH September 10, 1728
PLACE OF BIRTH Þverá farm near Blönduhlíð
DATE OF DEATH August 11, 1791
Place of death Prestbakki at Kirkjubæjarklaustur