Ólafur Einarsson of Kirkjubær

Katelin Parsons (Árna Magnússon Foundation for Icelandic Studies)

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), Sven Hakon Rossel (Universitat Wien), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jakob Stougaard-Nielsen (University College London)

Dates

Born 1573
Died 1651

Places

Born in Iceland
Active in Iceland

Activities

Primary

Clergyman
Poet

Resources

Einarsson's Works

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Ólafur Einarsson (c. 1573–1651) was an Icelandic poet and university-educated clergyman who served as rector of the Latin school of Skálholt from 1600 to 1608. Ólafur’s father, Einar Sigurðsson of Eydalir (c. 1538–1626), was the leading religious poet of post-Reformation Iceland. Ólafur has largely faded into his father’s shadow as a hymnist, although he was extremely well-received during his own day. Over a hundred poems attributed to Ólafur survive, virtually all on religious themes. Unfortunately, few have ever been published or edited.

Ólafur grew up in relative poverty in a large household. His mother, Ólöf Þórarinsdóttir, was twenty when she married the thirty-year-old widower Einar Sigurðsson. They lived at Nes in Aðaldalur in North Iceland, where Einar served

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1714 words

Citation: Parsons, Katelin. "Ólafur Einarsson of Kirkjubær". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 March 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=15151, accessed 21 November 2024.]