Gertrud Rask
Encyclopedia
Gertrud Rask was the first wife of the Danish-Norwegian missionary to Greenland Hans Egede
and was the mother of the missionary and translator Paul Egede
.
, Norway
, the third of six children of Niels Nielsen Rasch (1641–1704) und Nille Nilsdatter (d. 1716). Growing up in the harsh climate of northern Norway, she was 34 when she married Hans Egede
, the 21-year-old pastor of Vågan
in the Lofoten archipelago
. They had four children - Paul (1709–1789), Niels (1710–1782), Kirstine Matthea (1715–1786) and Petronelle (1716–1805).
Her husband's determination to establish a Greenland mission had become firm by 1710 at the latest; Gertrud Rask Egede strongly resisted his plan initially, but eventually she bent to his will after he promised not to go to Greenland without her.
, from which - at the conclusion of the Great Northern War
- they set sail for Greenland on the 12th of May 1721, arriving on that island's west coast on the 3rd of July. The remains of the house where the family lived together with about 25 other people from 1721 till 1728 are still preserved.
Despite her strong Pietist
bias, she supported her husband's missionary work among the Inuit
people, working among them as a nurse. In 1733, the Moravian Church missionaries of Nicolaus Zinzendorf
(known then as the Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine) arrived on a Danish ship and were allowed to establish New Herrnhut, south of Godthåb (now Nuuk
). One of the Moravians, however, had contracted smallpox
and spread the disease to many of the Inuit
, who had had no previous contact with smallpox and other diseases of Europe. A 1734 smallpox epidemic among the Inuit in Godthåb claimed the life of Gertrud Egede the following year.
In 1736 her husband brought her body to Denmark for burial at the St. Nikolai Church in Copenhagen
(now Kunsthallen Nikolaj) where Egede himself was buried on his death in 1758.
, a church in Qaqortoq
(then known as Julianehåb), a children's home and a restaurant in Nuuk have all been named after Gertrud Rask.
An icebreaking steamship, the Gertrude Rask, was launched in Nakskov
, Denmark in 1923. The 47-metre ship was used for Greenlandic trade and for several exploration trips from Copenhagen
to Greenland, but sank off Nova Scotia
in 1942.
Hans Egede
Hans Poulsen Egede was a Norwegian-Danish Lutheran missionary who launched mission efforts to Greenland, which led him to be styled the Apostle of Greenland. He established a successful mission among the Inuit and is credited with revitalizing Dano-Norwegian interest in the island after contact...
and was the mother of the missionary and translator Paul Egede
Paul Egede
Paul Egede was a Danish-Norwegian theologian, missionary to Greenland and scholar of the Greenlandic language....
.
Life in Norway
Gertrud Rask (the parish register records her as Gjertrud Nilsdatter Rasch) was born at Kveøy, TromsTroms
or Romsa is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, the third of six children of Niels Nielsen Rasch (1641–1704) und Nille Nilsdatter (d. 1716). Growing up in the harsh climate of northern Norway, she was 34 when she married Hans Egede
Hans Egede
Hans Poulsen Egede was a Norwegian-Danish Lutheran missionary who launched mission efforts to Greenland, which led him to be styled the Apostle of Greenland. He established a successful mission among the Inuit and is credited with revitalizing Dano-Norwegian interest in the island after contact...
, the 21-year-old pastor of Vågan
Vågan
Vågan is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Lofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Svolvær....
in the Lofoten archipelago
Lofoten
Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the Arctic Circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.-Etymology:...
. They had four children - Paul (1709–1789), Niels (1710–1782), Kirstine Matthea (1715–1786) and Petronelle (1716–1805).
Her husband's determination to establish a Greenland mission had become firm by 1710 at the latest; Gertrud Rask Egede strongly resisted his plan initially, but eventually she bent to his will after he promised not to go to Greenland without her.
Mission to Greenland
In 1718 the couple and their children moved to BergenBergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
, from which - at the conclusion of the Great Northern War
Great Northern War and Norway
The Great Northern War was the war fought between a coalition of Denmark–Norway, Russia and Saxony-Poland on one side and Sweden on the other side from 1700 to 1721. It started by a coordinated attack on Sweden by the coalition in 1700, and ended 1721 with the conclusion of the Treaty of Nystad,...
- they set sail for Greenland on the 12th of May 1721, arriving on that island's west coast on the 3rd of July. The remains of the house where the family lived together with about 25 other people from 1721 till 1728 are still preserved.
Despite her strong Pietist
Pietism
Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later. It proved to be very influential throughout Protestantism and Anabaptism, inspiring not only Anglican priest John Wesley to begin the Methodist movement, but also Alexander Mack to...
bias, she supported her husband's missionary work among the Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
people, working among them as a nurse. In 1733, the Moravian Church missionaries of Nicolaus Zinzendorf
Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf
Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf, Imperial Count of Zinzendorf and Pottendorf, , German religious and social reformer and bishop of the Moravian Church, was born at Dresden....
(known then as the Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine) arrived on a Danish ship and were allowed to establish New Herrnhut, south of Godthåb (now Nuuk
Nuuk
Nuuk, is the capital of Greenland, the northernmost capital in North America and the largest city in Greenland. Located in the Nuup Kangerlua fjord, the city lies on the eastern shore of the Labrador Sea and on the west coast of Sermersooq. Nuuk is the largest cultural and economic center in...
). One of the Moravians, however, had contracted smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
and spread the disease to many of the Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
, who had had no previous contact with smallpox and other diseases of Europe. A 1734 smallpox epidemic among the Inuit in Godthåb claimed the life of Gertrud Egede the following year.
In 1736 her husband brought her body to Denmark for burial at the St. Nikolai Church in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
(now Kunsthallen Nikolaj) where Egede himself was buried on his death in 1758.
Legacy
Roads in both Greenland and DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, a church in Qaqortoq
Qaqortoq
Qaqortoq is a town in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. With a population of 3,230 as of 2011, it is the most populous town in southern Greenland, and the fourth-largest town in the country. The name is western Greenlandic and means "[the] white [one]".- History :The area around...
(then known as Julianehåb), a children's home and a restaurant in Nuuk have all been named after Gertrud Rask.
An icebreaking steamship, the Gertrude Rask, was launched in Nakskov
Nakskov
Nakskov is a town in south Denmark. It is in Lolland municipality in Region Sjælland on the western coast of the island of Lolland. The town has a population of 13,560 . To the west is Nakskov Fjord, an inlet from the Langeland Belt that runs between the islands of Lolland and Langeland...
, Denmark in 1923. The 47-metre ship was used for Greenlandic trade and for several exploration trips from Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
to Greenland, but sank off Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
in 1942.