Ólafía Einarsdóttir

Ólafía Einarsdóttir (28 July 1924 – 19 December 2017) was an Icelandic archaeologist and historian, specialising in Icelandic chronology. She was the first Icelander to complete a degree in archaeology.

Dr

Ólafía Einarsdóttir
Born28 July 1924
Hafnarfjörður
Died19 December 2017
Copehagen
NationalityIcelandic
CitizenshipDenmark
OccupationArchaeologist; Historian
Spouse(s)Bent Fuglende
Academic background
EducationUniversity of London
Alma materLund University
ThesisStudier i kronologisk metode i tidlig islandsk historieskrivning (1964)
Academic advisorsV Gordon Childe
Academic work
DisciplineViking Studies

Early life

Einarsdóttir was born in Hafnafjördur, a suburb of Reykjavík, on 28 July 1924.[1] Her parents were Einar Þorkelsson, Secretary General of the Althing, and Ólafía Guðmundsdóttir.[1] One of six children, her mother died in childbirth when Einarsdóttir was five; soon after her father became blind.[2] She was then adopted by some friends of her mother's and raised by them.[2] She was educated at Reykjavik High School and graduated from there in 1944.[1]

Career

Einarsdóttir moved to London and began a degree in Archaeology at the University of London, studying under V. Gordon Childe.[1] She graduated in 1948 and became the first Icelandic person to be awarded a degree in archaeology.[3]

After graduation she returned to Iceland and worked at the National Museum of Iceland, excavating pagan remains at the town of Brennistaði in Eiðaþinghá.[1] She then moved to Sweden to study for a MA degree in Medieval History at Lund University, which she graduated from in 1951.[1] She returned to work at National Museum of Iceland as a curator, but later resigned in protest at the conservative reforms the institution was making.[2] Einarsdóttir began her doctoral research at the University of Lund examining Icelandic sagas as historical texts; she was awarded her PhD in 1964.[4]

In 1963 she began work as an assistant professor at the University of Copenhagen and held the position until her retirement.[2]

Research

Einarsdóttir's research was concerned with the chronology and temporal structure of Icelandic saga literature.[5] She recognised three different dating systems used by Ari in the Íslendingabók.[5] She was also a proponent for an earlier timing for the conversion to Christianity in Iceland.[2] Her research also encompassed the use of Latin by Icelandic writers,[6] the cult of Guðmundr Arason,[7] Archbishop Absalon,[8] and many other subjects, including the role of women.[2]

Honours

Einarsdóttir was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Faculty of History and Philosophy at the University of Iceland in 2009.[1]

Legacy

The journal Ólafía, published by the Icelandic Association of Archaeologists since 2013, is named after her.[3]

Personal life

Einarsdóttir was married to Bent Fuglede, a mathematician, who she met whilst on a trip to Copenhagen.[9][2] Their son, Einar, was born in 1966.[1]

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References
  1. "Andlát: Ólafía Einarsdóttir". www.mbl.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  2. "Et liv er forbi: Ólafía Einarsdóttir".
  3. "Ólafía: Rit FF | Félag fornleifafræðinga". www.felagfornleifafraedinga.is. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  4. "Studier i kronologisk metode i tidlig islandsk historieskrivning – Nasjonalbiblioteket". www.nb.no. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  5. Králová, Kristýna. (2020). Fast goes the fleeting time. The miscellaneous concepts of time in different Old Norse genres and their causes. München: Herbert Utz. ISBN 978-3-8316-4826-9. OCLC 1159827294.
  6. Old Norse—Icelandic literature : a critical guide. Clover, Carol J., 1940–, Lindow, John. Toronto: University of Toronto Press in association with the Medieval Academy of America. 2005. p. 199. ISBN 0-8020-3823-9. OCLC 57697158.CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. Skórzewska, Joanna A. (2011). Constructing a cult : the life and veneration of Guðmundr Arason (1161–1237) in the Icelandic written sources. Leiden: Brill. p. 252. ISBN 978-90-04-19496-0. OCLC 729754188.
  8. Einarsdóttir 1924-, Ólafía (2000). "Absalon and the Norwegian civil war: Christian ideology of war and peace". Archbishop Absalon of Lund and his world: 37.
  9. "Bent Fuglede | lex.dk". Dansk Biografisk Leksikon (in Danish). Retrieved 2020-08-10.
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