Jo Gjende
Encyclopedia
Jo Gjende was a Norwegian
outdoorsman and freethinker
. He is believed to have been the model for Henrik Ibsen
’s Peer Gynt
.
He was born in Vågå
, the son of Tjøstolv Olsson Kleppe of Sygaard (a well-known rabble rouser, also called «Galin-Tjøstolv», who died in 1797) and Marit Pedersdotter (died 1803) from Horgje in Heidal
.
He had four siblings. He lived during the period 1803–1818 with his maternal aunt on Heringstad farm in Heidal and later took over the farm.
He was well known for reindeer hunting and sharpshooting in the Jotunheim mountains, and built many cabins or huts at Gjende
lake. He moved there in 1842. In 1850 he bought the mountain farm Brurusten in Murudal from Jakob Kleiven.
He took the name John Gjendin, and shortened it to Jo Gjende in his later days.
He was publicly skeptical about established Christianity. Occupied by natural philosophy, he participated frequently in discussions with the local minister. As a result he was recognized as a freethinker.
He died on the Brurusten farm in Murudal, and was buried in Vågå churchyard. On his grave is a small soapstone
monument, which shows a wild reindeer herd in flight, after a painting by Gerhard Munthe.
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...
outdoorsman and freethinker
Freethought
Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that opinions should be formed on the basis of science, logic, and reason, and should not be influenced by authority, tradition, or other dogmas...
. He is believed to have been the model for Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
’s Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"...
.
He was born in Vågå
Vågå
Vågå is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vågåmo....
, the son of Tjøstolv Olsson Kleppe of Sygaard (a well-known rabble rouser, also called «Galin-Tjøstolv», who died in 1797) and Marit Pedersdotter (died 1803) from Horgje in Heidal
Heidal
Heidal is a valley and parish within Gudbrandsdalen valley, in the county of Oppland, Norway.-History:Heidal parish was separated from Vågå as a separate municipality of its own on January 1, 1908. It was merged with the municipality of Sel on January 1, 1965.Heidal is a side valley of Gudbrandsdalen...
.
He had four siblings. He lived during the period 1803–1818 with his maternal aunt on Heringstad farm in Heidal and later took over the farm.
He was well known for reindeer hunting and sharpshooting in the Jotunheim mountains, and built many cabins or huts at Gjende
Gjende
Gjende is a lake in the Jotunheimen mountains in Norway's Jotunheimen National Park. The proglacial lake shows typical characteristics of glacial formation, being long and narrow—in length 18 km and in breadth 1.5 km at the broadest point with steep walls...
lake. He moved there in 1842. In 1850 he bought the mountain farm Brurusten in Murudal from Jakob Kleiven.
He took the name John Gjendin, and shortened it to Jo Gjende in his later days.
He was publicly skeptical about established Christianity. Occupied by natural philosophy, he participated frequently in discussions with the local minister. As a result he was recognized as a freethinker.
He died on the Brurusten farm in Murudal, and was buried in Vågå churchyard. On his grave is a small soapstone
Soapstone
Soapstone is a metamorphic rock, a talc-schist. It is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich in magnesium. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occurs in the areas where tectonic plates are subducted, changing rocks by heat and pressure, with influx...
monument, which shows a wild reindeer herd in flight, after a painting by Gerhard Munthe.