Anna Ovena Hoyer
Encyclopedia
Anna Ovena Hoyer (Koldenbüttel
on Ejdersted
peninsula 1584 – 27 November 1655) was a writer and poet
, originally German; active in Sweden
from 1632. She belonged to the anabaptist
s and was a critic of the Lutheranism
.
, literature and the Classics. She married Hermann Hoyer, stadtholder
in Ejdersted, with whom she had at least nine children. With her dowry
, amounting to 100,000 rixdollar
of Lübeck fineness, she helped to repay debts charged on her spouse's estates. She inherited the manor Hoyersworth (a part of today's Oldenswort
) in the North Sea coastal marsh
es at Hermann Hoyer's death on 13 September 1622.
She was influenced by Indian religion in her reluctance to kill anything living, and became influenced by the sectarians Nicolaus Knutzen Teting and Hartvig Lehmann, religious refugees from Flensborg, whom she gave asylum. She refused to participate in the church services and held her own. She ruined herself on charity
. In 1632, she sold her estate to Augusta of Denmark
and fled to Sweden, where she became a protégée of the queen, Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg
. In 1634 she visited Hoyersworth and experienced in October the devastating Burchardi flood
. In Sweden she resided in Västervik
and thereafter at a little property outside Stockholm until her death.
Koldenbüttel
Koldenbüttel is a municipality in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.-Geography und infrastructure:...
on Ejdersted
Eiderstedt
Eiderstedt is a peninsula in the district of Nordfriesland in the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein.-Overview:It is approximately 30 km in length and 15 km in width and has been created through diking from three islands: Eiderstedt around Tönning, Utholm around Tating, and...
peninsula 1584 – 27 November 1655) was a writer and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, originally German; active in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
from 1632. She belonged to the anabaptist
Anabaptist
Anabaptists are Protestant Christians of the Radical Reformation of 16th-century Europe, and their direct descendants, particularly the Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites....
s and was a critic of the Lutheranism
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
.
Biography
Hoyer was the only child of the wealthy Hans Owens (aka Johann Oven) and his wife Wennecke Hunnens was educated in astronomyAstronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, literature and the Classics. She married Hermann Hoyer, stadtholder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
in Ejdersted, with whom she had at least nine children. With her dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
, amounting to 100,000 rixdollar
Rixdollar
Rixdollar is the English term for silver coinage used throughout the European continent .The same term was also used of currency in Cape Colony and Ceylon. However, the Rixdollar only existed as a coin in Ceylon. Unissued remainder banknotes for the Cape of Good Hope denominated in Rixdollars...
of Lübeck fineness, she helped to repay debts charged on her spouse's estates. She inherited the manor Hoyersworth (a part of today's Oldenswort
Oldenswort
Oldenswort is a municipality in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, next to the river Eider.-Personalities:The founder of German sociology, Ferdinand Tönnies , was born here. A memorial of him has been unveiled 1990....
) in the North Sea coastal marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es at Hermann Hoyer's death on 13 September 1622.
She was influenced by Indian religion in her reluctance to kill anything living, and became influenced by the sectarians Nicolaus Knutzen Teting and Hartvig Lehmann, religious refugees from Flensborg, whom she gave asylum. She refused to participate in the church services and held her own. She ruined herself on charity
Charity (practice)
The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.- Etymology :The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas".Originally in Latin the word caritas meant...
. In 1632, she sold her estate to Augusta of Denmark
Augusta of Denmark
Princess Augusta of Denmark was the third daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark and Sophia of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, and Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp as the wife of Duke John Adolf...
and fled to Sweden, where she became a protégée of the queen, Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg
Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg
Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg was a German princess and queen consort of Sweden.She was the daughter of John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg, and Anna, Duchess of Prussia, daughter of Albert Frederick, Duke of Prussia....
. In 1634 she visited Hoyersworth and experienced in October the devastating Burchardi flood
Burchardi flood
The Burchardi Flood was a storm tide that struck the North Sea coast of North Frisia and Dithmarschen on the night between 11 and 12 October 1634. Overrunning dikes, it shattered the coastline and caused thousands of deaths and catastrophic material damage...
. In Sweden she resided in Västervik
Västervik
Västervik is a city and the seat of Västervik Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 20,694 inhabitants in 2005.- History :Västervik was first mentioned in 1275. The town was then located at the current location of Gamleby. In 1433 Eric of Pomerania decided to give it a charter and move it to its...
and thereafter at a little property outside Stockholm until her death.
Works
- Poem, (anonymous, Slesvig, 1617)
- «De denische Dörp-Pape» (anti-Lutheran publication), Paul Schütze (ed.), in: Zeitschrift der Gesellschaft für schleswig-holstein-lauenburgische Geschichte, vol. 15 (1885), pp. 243–299.
- «Posaunenschall vom Abendmahl im Königs Saal nach Babels Fall».
- «Ein Schreiben übers Meer gesandt an die Gemein in Engellandt aus einer alten Frauen Hand, die ungenandt Gott ist bekandt». (1649)
- «Geistliche und weltliche Poëmata» (collection) published in Amsterdam, 1655.
External links
- "Hoyers, Anna Ovena, Biographie, Gedichte", on: Meine Bibliothek, retrieved on 1 November 2011.
- Holger F. Rørdam, "Hoyers, Anna Ovena", in: Dansk biografisk leksikonDansk biografisk leksikonDansk biografisk leksikon is a Danish biographical dictionary that has been published in three editions...
, vol. VIII.: Holst - Juul, pp. 137seq.