Jón Ólafsson of Grunnavík
Encyclopedia
Jón Ólafsson of Grunnavík (Jón Ólafsson frá Grunnavík, also known as Jón Grunnvíkingur or Grunnavíkur-Jón, 1705 – 1779) was an Icelandic scholar. Originally from Grunnavík
, Westfjords
, northwestern Iceland
, he was active in Copenhagen
, where he served as assistant to Árni Magnússon
.
He is the author of an Icelandic dictionary and a 1732 Runologia, a treatise on runology
.
As in the fire of Copenhagen
of 1728, the original manuscript of the Heiðarvíga saga
was lost along with a recent copy made by Jón Grunnvíkingur, he wrote down a summary of the saga from memory, which is the only form in which the saga's contents survive today.
The character of Jón Grindvicensis in Halldór Laxness
's historical novel Iceland's Bell
is based on Jón Grunnvíkingur.
Grunnavík
Grunnavík is a bay at the mouth of Jökulfirðir, in Westfjords, Iceland, located some 12 km to the ENE of Bolungarvík. Grunnavík was permanently inhabited up to 1962, but is today only occupied seasonally, as a summer resort.*Hornstrandir...
, Westfjords
Westfjords
The Westfjords or West Fjords is the name for the large peninsula in northwestern Iceland. It is connected to the rest of Iceland by a 7 km wide isthmus between Gilsfjörður and Bitrufjörður. The Westfjords are very mountainous; the coastline is heavily indented by dozens of fjords surrounded by...
, northwestern Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, he was active in 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...
, where he served as assistant to Árni Magnússon
Árni Magnússon
Árni Magnússon was an Icelandic scholar and collector of manuscripts. He assembled the Arnamagnæan Manuscript Collection.-Life:...
.
He is the author of an Icelandic dictionary and a 1732 Runologia, a treatise on runology
Runology
Runology is the study of the Runic alphabets, Runic inscriptions and their history. Runology forms a specialized branch of Germanic linguistics.-History:...
.
As in the fire of Copenhagen
Copenhagen Fire of 1728
The Copenhagen Fire of 1728 was the largest fire in the history of Copenhagen, Denmark. It began on the evening of October 20, 1728, and continued to burn until the morning of October 23. It destroyed approximately 28% of the city , left 20% of the population homeless, and the reconstruction lasted...
of 1728, the original manuscript of the Heiðarvíga saga
Heiðarvíga saga
Heiðarvíga saga or The Story of the Heath-Slayings is one of the Icelanders' sagas. It is badly preserved; 12 leaves of the only surviving manuscript were destroyed along with their only copy in the fire of Copenhagen in 1728...
was lost along with a recent copy made by Jón Grunnvíkingur, he wrote down a summary of the saga from memory, which is the only form in which the saga's contents survive today.
The character of Jón Grindvicensis in Halldór Laxness
Halldór Laxness
Halldór Kiljan Laxness was a twentieth-century Icelandic writer. Throughout his career Laxness wrote poetry, newspaper articles, plays, travelogues, short stories, and novels...
's historical novel Iceland's Bell
Iceland's Bell
Iceland's Bell is a historical novel by Nobel prize-winning Icelandic author Halldór Kiljan Laxness. It was published in three parts in the period between 1943 and 1946: Iceland's Bell , The Bright Jewel and Fire in Copenhagen...
is based on Jón Grunnvíkingur.