Fun Facts Friday: Georg Stiernhielm

Georg Stiernhielm (7 August, 1598 – 22 April, 1672) was a poet, civil servant and linguist often called “the father of Swedish poetry”.

“Georg Stiernhielm, 1598-1672” by David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl –
The picture is taken from Swedish Wikipedia.
Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

1. He was born as Jöran Olofsson in Vika, Sweden.
   
2. His father was a miner.
3. After he finished his studies in Sweden and Germany the young man became a judge.
4. In 1631 he was raised to the nobility and took on the name  Georg Stiernhielm.
5. Stiernhielm, literally means “Star Helmet”.
6. During his lifetime Mr. Stiernhielm was considered a pioneer of linguistics.
7. Stiernhielm’s most famous poem is Hercules, and tells of the young hero’s temptations with Lady Lust and her daughters.
8. Stiernhielm was the first Swedish poet to apply the verse meters of antique poets to the Swedish language.
9. In 1661 Stiernhielm was appointed councilor of war and in 1667 director of the college of antiquities.
10. Stiernhielm was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in December 1669.

Zohar – Man of La Book