Jón Guðmundsson
Jón lærði Guðmundsson (ˈjouːn ˈlairðɪ ˈkvʏðmʏntsɔn; 1574–1658) was an Icelandic autodidact, poet, and alleged sorcerer. He is considered a pioneer of Icelandic literary history, because he was the first to write a description of Icelandic nature and a critical account of a contemporary event, in Icelandic. His poetry gives insight into contemporary Icelandic folklore.
Also recorded as Jón Gudmundsson · Jon Gudmundsson · Jón Guðmundsson the Learned
Jón Guðmundsson
- Occupation
- poet
- Languages
- Icelandic
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Jón lærði Guðmundsson (ˈjouːn ˈlairðɪ ˈkvʏðmʏntsɔn; 1574–1658) was an Icelandic autodidact, poet, and alleged sorcerer. He is considered a pioneer of Icelandic literary history, because he was the first to write a description of Icelandic nature and a critical account of a contemporary event, in Icelandic. His poetry gives insight into contemporary Icelandic folklore.
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Biography
Guðmundsson, who lived in Strandir, was considered a great master of magic in 17th century Iceland. He was said to have turned around the Turkish slave ships from the coasts of Iceland more than once, an achievement which gave him widespread fame, and was described in popular prints. He was also said to have killed two ghosts between 1611-1612 with two of his poems: "Fjandafæla" and "Snjáfjallavísum". He had to leave his home region and was tried for sorcery several times during the 1630s, but managed to avoid the death penalty every time. Guðmundsson wrote an unbiased report of the Slaying of the Spaniards and as a result was declared an outlaw in his own country.
The recorded working language is Icelandic.
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Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Xavier Irujo, Viola Miglio (Hrsg.): Jón Gudmundsson Laerdi’s True Account and the Massacre of Basque Whalers in Iceland in 1615. Center for Basque Studies, Reno (Nevada) 2017. ISBN 978-1-935709-83-1.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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