Henning Frederik Feilberg (6 August 1831 in

Hillerød Hillerød () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 36,604 (1 January 2025)Askov Askov is a city in Pine County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 364 at the 2010 census. Minnesota State Highway 23 serves as a main route in the community, and Interstate 35 is nearby. History The village was originally within ...

), was a Danish pastor, author and

folklorist Folklore studies (also known as folkloristics, tradition studies or folk life studies in the UK) is the academic discipline devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currency in the 1950s to distinguish the ac ...

. His research and publications represent significant contributions to the field of

Danish folklore Danish folklore consists of folk tales, legends, songs, music, dancing, popular beliefs, myths and traditions communicated by the inhabitants of towns and villages across the country, often passed on from generation to generation by word of mo ...

Biography

Feilberg moved with his family to southern

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

as a small child, later becoming a pastor there, following in his father's footsteps. In 1856, his interest in

philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...

and folklore was encouraged by the time he spent working as a curate with Eiler Henning Hagerup in Store Solt to the south of

Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ; ) is an independent city, independent town in the far north of the Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. After Kiel and Lübeck, it is the third-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg's ...

. In 1869, when he was a pastor in

Brørup Brørup is a railway town, with a population of 4,557 (1 January 2025),Eilert Sundt Eilert Lund Sundt (8 August 1817 – 13 June 1875) was a Norwegian theologist and sociologist, known for his work on morality, marriage and other subjects among the working class. He was an early pioneer of the field of sociology in Norway. Ear ...

. He married in 1860 and had six children to Louise Anna Andersen von Nutzhorn (1831-1897). In 1891, on his retirement, he moved to Askov where he worked on a voluntary basis as a high school teacher while devoting the rest of his life to folklore. His collection and research was based on material from Jutland although he treated the subject from an international viewpoint, modelling his work on that of the Norwegian Eilert Sundt and

Andrew Lang Andrew Lang (31 March 1844 – 20 July 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a folkloristics, collector of folklore, folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectur ...

and

Edward Tylor Sir Edward Burnett Tylor (2 October 18322 January 1917) was an English anthropologist, and professor of anthropology. Tylor's ideas typify 19th-century cultural evolutionism. In his works '' Primitive Culture'' (1871) and ''Anthropology'' ...

from England. His extensive library of some 4,000 volumes provided comprehensive, international coverage of ethnology. By leaving his collection to a public institution, he can be credited for playing a significant role in the creation of the Danish Folklore Archives. He also helped founding the Danish Folklore Society (''Danmarks Folkeminder'') but he declined

Axel Olrik Axel Olrik (3 July 1864 – 17 February 1917) was a Denmark, Danish folklore, folklorist and scholar of mediaeval historiography, and a pioneer in the methodical study of oral narrative. Olrik was born in Frederiksberg, the son of the artist H ...

's invitation to become a member of the board."Præsten der blev sprogforsker og folklorist"
, ''Dansk Folkemindesamplings arkiv''. Retrieved 29 November 2011.

Works

His two main areas of interest were

dialectology Dialectology (from Ancient Greek, Greek , ''dialektos'', "talk, dialect"; and , ''-logy, -logia'') is the scientific study of dialects: subsets of languages. Though in the 19th century a branch of historical linguistics, dialectology is often now c ...

and folklore, both of which were evidenced by his posthumous papers. His "Contribution to a Dictionary of Rural Jutlandic" (''Bidrag til en ordbog over jyske almuesmål'') (1886–1914) is so wide-ranging that it is virtually a Nordic encyclopedia of folklore, folk poetry, and folk beliefs. As a folklorist, he was particularly interested in researching basic phenomena, establishing relationships and providing general overviews (for example of peasant culture). His international approach is reflected in his collection of manuscripts, excerpts and records of foreign literature and his extensive correspondence with foreign scholars. His unpublished collection of some 250,000 references to the 19th and early 20th century literature of folklore is still considered an important reference work. His most significant works on folklore are ''Dansk Bondeliv'' (Danish Farm Life, 1889–99) and ''Jul'' (Christmas, 1904)."H. F. Feilberg"
''Den Store Danske''. Retrieved 29 November 2011.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Feilber, Henning Frederik 1831 births 1921 deaths Danish folklorists Danish male writers 19th-century Danish philologists Danish ethnologists

Henning Frederik Feilberg Henning Frederik Feilberg (6 August 1831 in Hillerød – 8 October 1921 in Askov), was a Danish pastor, author and folklorist. His research and publications represent significant contributions to the field of Danish folklore. Biography Feilber ...

People from Hillerød Municipality

Biography

Works

See also

References

External links