Johan Nordahl Brun (21 March 1745 – 26 July 1816) was a Norwegian-Danish poet, dramatist, bishop of the

Diocese of Bjørgvin The Diocese of Bjørgvin () is one of the 11 dioceses that make up the Church of Norway. It includes all of the churches located in the county of Vestland in Western Norway, and those outside of Norway in the Seamen's Church. The cathedral cit ...

(1804–1816), and politician who contributed significantly to the growth of

national romanticism Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, contributing to the growing national consciousness.

Early life and family

Johan Nordahl Brun was born in

Byneset Byneset is a headland located in Trondheim Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The area is located just west of the city of Trondheim. The Trondheimsfjorden lies to the north, Orkdalsfjorden lies to the west, and the Gaulosen bay lies t ...

, just outside the city of

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...

in Søndre Trondhjem county,

, on 21 March 1745. He was born to the businessman Svend Busch Brun (1703–1784) and his wife Mette Catharina Nordal. He traveled to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

in 1767, where he passed his theological examinations. While at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

, Brun was a prominent member of

The Norwegian Society The Norwegian Society (''Norske Selskab'') was a literary society for Norwegian students in Copenhagen active from 1772 to 1813. Its members included authors, poets and philosophers. The Norwegian Society was formed in 1772 by Ove Gjerløw Meyer ...

(), a group of younger Norwegian authors, poets and philosophers. He was married on 2 September 1773 to Ingeborg Lind.

Nordahl Grieg Johan Nordahl Brun Grieg (1 November 1902 – 2 December 1943) was a Norwegian poet, novelist, dramatist, journalist and activism, political activist. He was a popular author and a controversial public figure. He served in World War II as a war c ...

(Johan Nordahl Brun Grieg) was a descendant of the bishop and was named after him.

Career

After leaving the university, Brun worked for a time as a secretary to Bishop

Johan Ernst Gunnerus Johan Ernst Gunnerus (26 February 1718 – 25 September 1773) was a Norway, Norwegian bishop and botanist. Gunnerus was born at Oslo, Christiania. He was bishop of the Diocese of Nidaros from 1758 until his death and also a professor of theology ...

. He was hired as the chaplain for the parish of

Byneset Church Byneset Church () is a medieval parish church of the Church of Norway in Trondheim Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the Byneset area of the city of Trondheim. It is one of the churches for the ''Byneset og Leinstrand'' ...

in 1772. In 1774, he was called to be the parish priest for the Holy Cross Church in

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

. He served in this post from 1774 until 1793 when he was promoted to the position of

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

of Bergen and

Nordhordland Nordhordland is a traditional district in the western part of Norway. The district consists of the northern portion of the old Hordaland county (now in Vestland county), north of the city of Bergen. It includes the municipalities Alver, Aus ...

. In 1804, Brun was appointed bishop of the

. He served as bishop until his death on 26 July 1816.

Literary works

In literary history, Brun found his place when he wrote the first Norwegian romantic nationalistic play, (1772). This play aroused a strong awakening of Norwegian spirit and was produced many times. He also wrote many poems, including

's first (unofficial) national anthem, " For Norge, Kiempers Fødeland" (1771), and published a book of Lutheran Hymns (1786). He was also the writer of the city of Bergen's anthem " Jeg Tog Min Nystæmte" (1790).

References

External links

Johan Nordahl Brun Hymns

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brun, Johan Nordahl 1745 births 1816 deaths 18th-century Norwegian clergy Bishops of Bjørgvin 18th-century Norwegian writers 18th-century Norwegian poets