Bjarni Jónsson Borgfirðingaskáld

Oddur Pálsson (University of Iceland)

Ed. by Ármann Jakobsson, University of Iceland
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.3.4: Icelandic Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Ármann Jakobsson (University of Iceland), Nicole Kennedy (University of Newcastle), Sven Hakon Rossel (Universitat Wien), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jakob Stougaard-Nielsen (University College London)

Dates

Born c. 1560
Died c. 1660

Places

Active in Iceland

Activities

Primary

Poet

Resources

Borgfirðingaskáld's Works

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Bjarni Jónsson was an Icelandic poet of the 16th and 17th centuries, often called Borgfirðingaskáld. The name refers to the region where he lived all his life. Bjarni was born in Fellsöxl in Borgarfjörður in western Iceland and grew up in Húsafell with his half-sister Sigurborg and brother-in-law Jón Grímsson. His exact year of birth is unknown, but it was somewhere between 1560 and 1580. He lived most of his life as a farmer in Fellsöxl and Bær, both in the same fjord, and died around 1640-1660 (Guðmundsson 451-56; Hugason 251). Bjarni is the best-known “common people poet” of his time; other well-known poets of the time such as Stefán Ólafsson, Bjarni Gizurarson, and Einar Sigurðsson from Eydalir were all educated and worked as priests (Hugason 251). However,…

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904 words

Citation: Pálsson, Oddur. "Bjarni Jónsson Borgfirðingaskáld". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 January 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=15204, accessed 21 February 2025.]