Jens Zetlitz was a Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 priest and poet.

Born in Stavanger

Stavanger

Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...

, at the close of the 18th century he traveled to Copenhagen

Copenhagen

Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...

 to study theology. He became a member of Det Norske Selskab

The Norwegian Society

The Norwegian Society was a literary society for Norwegian students in Copenhagen. Its members included authors, poets and philosophers. The Norwegian Society was formed in 1772 by Ove Gjerløw Meyer...

, and became well known for his entertaining songs and drinking song

Drinking song

A drinking song is a song sung while drinking alcohol. Most drinking songs are folk songs, and may be varied from person to person and region to region, in both the lyrics and in the music...

s. He returned to Norway after completing his studies and served as vicar in Vikedal

Vikedal

Vikedal is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway.It was created as Vikedal formannskapsdistrikt in 1837. On 1 January 1923 the municipality was divided in three, creating the new municipalities Imsland and Sandeid. The split left Vikedal with a population of 924.On 1 January 1965 the...

 and later Kviteseid

Kviteseid

Kviteseid is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kviteseid...

 until he died.

He married Maren Elisabeth Bull (1761-1801). His daughter Axeliane Christine (1792-1855) married Jacob Kielland, one of the wealthiest people in Norway. The couple had five sons and five daughters. Through this marriage Jens Zetlitz had a large number of notable descendants; novelist Alexander Kielland

Alexander Kielland

Alexander Lange Kielland was one of the most famous Norwegian realistic writers of the 19th century. He is one of the so-called "The Four Greats" in Norwegian literature, along with Henrik Ibsen, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and Jonas Lie.-Background:Born in Stavanger, Norway, he grew up in a rich...

 was his great-grandnephew. The pop singer Bertine Zetlitz

Bertine Zetlitz

Bertine Zetlitz is a Norwegian pop singer. She is one of Norway's most popular performers.-Biography:Bertine Axeliane Robberstad Zetlitz began her musical journey at a young age, penning her first numbers aged just 12. After gaining a background in classical music, Zetlitz began to experiment...

 is the most famous currently living descendant.

A street in Stavanger

Stavanger

Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...

is named for Jens Zetlitz today.