Den Danske Mercurius
Encyclopedia
Den danske Mercurius was a Danish
newspaper
, first published on August 1, 1666 by Anders Bording. He founded his versified newspaper, published in Danish
with the title Den Danske Mercurius. The newspaper was published on the order of the Sovereign. Its publishing was a turning point in the history of Danish journalism.
It was published on a monthly basis with two quarto
pages. It contained domestic and international news written in Alexandrine verse style, accompanied by reasoning in the form of small poems.
Regarding the messages from Denmark itself, news from the Royal Danish court took up the most space, but many other news topics were mentioned too, e.g. the arrival of foreign diplomats, appointments, meteorological phenomena and fires.
The name of the newspaper, Mercurius, referred to the messenger of the gods in Greek
and Roman mythology
, and had already been used for foreign newspapers, (e.g. the Mercure Francais from 1605), but in its form the Danish newspaper was an imitation of the versed La muze historique, which Jean Loret wrote for mademoiselle de Longueville, later the Duchess of Nemours
, from 1650.
Den Danske Mercurius continued its published for 14 years after the 1677 death of its founder, Bording, but its quality was diminished due to the lack of his founder's talent. After 1677, it was published by Jesper Als and Ahasverus Bartholin.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, first published on August 1, 1666 by Anders Bording. He founded his versified newspaper, published in Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
with the title Den Danske Mercurius. The newspaper was published on the order of the Sovereign. Its publishing was a turning point in the history of Danish journalism.
It was published on a monthly basis with two quarto
Quarto (text)
Quarto is a book or pamphlet produced from full 'blanksheets', each of which is printed with eight pages of text, four to a side, then folded two times to produce four leaves...
pages. It contained domestic and international news written in Alexandrine verse style, accompanied by reasoning in the form of small poems.
Regarding the messages from Denmark itself, news from the Royal Danish court took up the most space, but many other news topics were mentioned too, e.g. the arrival of foreign diplomats, appointments, meteorological phenomena and fires.
The name of the newspaper, Mercurius, referred to the messenger of the gods in Greek
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
and Roman mythology
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...
, and had already been used for foreign newspapers, (e.g. the Mercure Francais from 1605), but in its form the Danish newspaper was an imitation of the versed La muze historique, which Jean Loret wrote for mademoiselle de Longueville, later the Duchess of Nemours
Nemours
Nemours is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-Geography:Nemours is located on the Loing and its canal, c...
, from 1650.
Den Danske Mercurius continued its published for 14 years after the 1677 death of its founder, Bording, but its quality was diminished due to the lack of his founder's talent. After 1677, it was published by Jesper Als and Ahasverus Bartholin.