Jørgen Moe
Encyclopedia
Jørgen Engebretsen Moe (22 April 1813 – 27 March 1882) was a Norwegian
bishop
and author
. He is best known for the Norske Folkeeventyr
, a collection of Norwegian folk tales
which he edited in collaboration with Peter Christen Asbjørnsen
.
in Ringerike
. He was the son of local farmer and politician Engebret Olsen Moe
. He first met Asbjørnsen while the two were preparing for exams at Norderhov
and soon found they had a shared interest in folklore
.
From 1841 Moe traveled almost every summer through the southern parts of Norway, collecting traditions in the mountains. In 1845 he was appointed professor of theology in the Norwegian Military Academy
. However, Moe had long intended to take holy orders, and in 1853 he did so. He became for ten years a resident chaplain
in Krødsherad
at Olberg Church and Sigdal Church in Sigdal
.
At his first parish he found inspiration for many of his most famous poems, like den gamle Mester (The Old Master) and Sæterjentens Søndag (Sunday at the Mountain Pastures). In 1863 he moved to Drammen
and became parish priest of Bragernes
, then in 1870 he moved again to Vestre Aker
, close to Christiania
. In 1875 he became Bishop
in the Diocese
of Agder
, based in Kristiansand
. He was a much beloved bishop, and his teaching had a great impact on his contemporaries.
Moe has a special claim on critical attention in regard to his lyrical poems
, of which a small collection appeared in 1850. Moe felt strongly that writing should be "objective," in the sense that it removed the ego from the narrative. Still, he strove to build and maintain a literary aesthetic in his work. He wrote little original verse, but in his slender volume are to be found many pieces of exquisite delicacy and freshness. Moe also published a delightful collection of prose stories for children, I Brønden og i Tjernet (In the Well and in the Tarn) , 1851; and En liden Julegave (A Little Christmas Present), 1860. Asbjørnsen and Moe had the advantage of an admirable style of narrative
prose. It was usual that the vigor came from Asbjørnsen and the charm from Moe, but it seems that from the long habit of writing in unison they had come to adopt almost precisely identical modes of literary expression.
Moe was appointed Knight of the Order of St. Olav in 1873 and was made commander of the 1st cross class in 1881. During January 1882, he resigned his diocese
due to failing health, and he died the following March. His son, Moltke, continued his father's work in folklore and fairy tales and became the first professor of the subject at Christiania University.
In 1881, Moe was appointed a Commander of the Order of St. Olav.
was enormous. To Norwegians
, the names Asbjørnsen and Moe have become synonymous with traditional folk tales, the way the name Brothers Grimm
is associated with German tales
. Not only did they collect and secure parts of the wealth of Norwegian fairy tales and edit them for common readers, but in doing this, they also contributed to the development of the Norwegian language
.
Even if other countries have a rich folk literature, Norwegians will normally claim that theirs, through the work of Asbjørnsen and Moe, is one of the most original and rich. Their work constitutes a very important part of Norwegian identity. Askeladden (Ash Boy), a character whose creativity and resourcefulness always wins him the Princess and half the Kingdom, is seen as something typically Norwegian. Some of his works of poetry are still cherished, not least because of the tunes set to them. His achievements in the Church are now mostly forgotten, except locally.
and Ringerike
in Buskerud
county. Ringerikes Museum is located in Hønefoss
at the site of the former Norderhov
rectory where Asbjørnsen and Moe first met. It is now the local museum for the Ringerike region and contains a collection of Asbjørnsen and Moe memorabilia. The museum is also noted for its collection of the private belongings of Jørgen Moe. In the 1930s, Marie Moe, Jørgen Moe's daughter, provided a gift consisting of several hundred objects from Jorgen Moe's private home.
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...
bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. He is best known for the Norske Folkeeventyr
Norske Folkeeventyr
Norwegian Folktales is a collection of Norwegian folktales and legends by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe. It is also known as Asbjørnsen and Moe, after the collectors.-Asbjørnsen and Moe:...
, a collection of Norwegian folk tales
Scandinavian folklore
Scandinavian folklore is the folklore of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and the Swedish speaking parts of Finland.Collecting folklore began when Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden sent out instructions to all of the priests in all of the parishes to collect the folklore of their area...
which he edited in collaboration with Peter Christen Asbjørnsen
Peter Christen Asbjørnsen
Peter Christen Asbjørnsen was a Norwegian writer and scholar. He and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe were collectors of Norwegian folklore...
.
Biography
Jørgen Engebretsen Moe was born at the farm of Mo, at HoleHole, Norway
Hole is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Ringerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vik. Hole is located around lake Tyrifjorden and extends to the woodland around Oslo...
in Ringerike
Ringerike
oskar er kjempe kulRingerike is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Ringerike...
. He was the son of local farmer and politician Engebret Olsen Moe
Engebret Olsen Moe
Engebret Olsen Moe was a Norwegian politician.He was elected to the Parliament of Norway in 1815, representing the rural constituency of Buskeruds Amt. He was a farmer. He was re-elected in 1830, 1833 and 1839. He was the mayor of Hole from 1848 to 1849.Together with Marthe Jørgensdatter Moe he...
. He first met Asbjørnsen while the two were preparing for exams at Norderhov
Norderhov
Norderhov is a former municipality in Buskerud county, Norway.-Municipality:Norderhov municipality was established on January 1, 1838 . According to the 1835 census the municipality had a population of 7,234. On 22 April 1852 the city of Hønefoss was separated from Norderhov to constitute a...
and soon found they had a shared interest in folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
.
From 1841 Moe traveled almost every summer through the southern parts of Norway, collecting traditions in the mountains. In 1845 he was appointed professor of theology in the Norwegian Military Academy
Norwegian Military Academy
The Norwegian Army Academy was established in 1750. It is the oldest university-level educational institution in Norway, and one of the oldest active military academies in the world. Krigsskolen primarily educates officers for the Norwegian Army. There are separate academies for the Royal...
. However, Moe had long intended to take holy orders, and in 1853 he did so. He became for ten years a resident chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
in Krødsherad
Krødsherad
Krødsherad is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Noresund. The municipality of Krødsherad was established when it was separated from the municipality of Sigdal on 1 January 1901.-Name:The Old Norse form of the name was...
at Olberg Church and Sigdal Church in Sigdal
Sigdal
Sigdal is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Prestfoss. -Background:...
.
At his first parish he found inspiration for many of his most famous poems, like den gamle Mester (The Old Master) and Sæterjentens Søndag (Sunday at the Mountain Pastures). In 1863 he moved to Drammen
Drammen
Drammen is a city in Buskerud County, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the eastern and most populated part of Norway.-Location:...
and became parish priest of Bragernes
Bragernes
Bragernes is one of the central parts of the Norwegian city of Drammen.-Location:Bragernes is located on the northern side of the Drammen River and contains the famous town square Bragernes square , the town hall, the Drammen Theatre , Drammen park and most of the shopping and nightlife in Drammen...
, then in 1870 he moved again to Vestre Aker
Vestre Aker
Vestre Aker is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway.The previous municipality Aker was merged into the city of Oslo in 1948.The borough of Vestre Aker was organized as part of the 1 January 2004 reform. Previous boroughs...
, close to Christiania
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. In 1875 he became Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
in the Diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of Agder
Agder
Agder is a historical district of Norway in the southernmost region of Norway, corresponding to the two counties Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder. Today, the term Sørlandet is more commonly used.-Name:...
, based in Kristiansand
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
. He was a much beloved bishop, and his teaching had a great impact on his contemporaries.
Moe has a special claim on critical attention in regard to his lyrical poems
Lyric poetry
Lyric poetry is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings. In the ancient world, lyric poems were those which were sung to the lyre. Lyric poems do not have to rhyme, and today do not need to be set to music or a beat...
, of which a small collection appeared in 1850. Moe felt strongly that writing should be "objective," in the sense that it removed the ego from the narrative. Still, he strove to build and maintain a literary aesthetic in his work. He wrote little original verse, but in his slender volume are to be found many pieces of exquisite delicacy and freshness. Moe also published a delightful collection of prose stories for children, I Brønden og i Tjernet (In the Well and in the Tarn) , 1851; and En liden Julegave (A Little Christmas Present), 1860. Asbjørnsen and Moe had the advantage of an admirable style of narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
prose. It was usual that the vigor came from Asbjørnsen and the charm from Moe, but it seems that from the long habit of writing in unison they had come to adopt almost precisely identical modes of literary expression.
Moe was appointed Knight of the Order of St. Olav in 1873 and was made commander of the 1st cross class in 1881. During January 1882, he resigned his diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
due to failing health, and he died the following March. His son, Moltke, continued his father's work in folklore and fairy tales and became the first professor of the subject at Christiania University.
In 1881, Moe was appointed a Commander of the Order of St. Olav.
Impact on Norwegian culture
Together with Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, the impact of Jørgen Moe on Norwegian cultureCulture of Norway
Norwegian culture is closely linked to the country's history and geography. The unique Norwegian farm culture, sustained to this day, has resulted not only from scarce resources and a harsh climate but also from ancient property laws. In the 18th century, it brought about a strong romantic...
was enormous. To Norwegians
Norwegians
Norwegians constitute both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegian people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in United States, Canada and Brazil.-History:Towards the end of the 3rd...
, the names Asbjørnsen and Moe have become synonymous with traditional folk tales, the way the name Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
is associated with German tales
German literature
German literature comprises those literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German part of Switzerland, and to a lesser extent works of the German diaspora. German literature of the modern period is mostly in Standard German, but there...
. Not only did they collect and secure parts of the wealth of Norwegian fairy tales and edit them for common readers, but in doing this, they also contributed to the development of the Norwegian language
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
.
Even if other countries have a rich folk literature, Norwegians will normally claim that theirs, through the work of Asbjørnsen and Moe, is one of the most original and rich. Their work constitutes a very important part of Norwegian identity. Askeladden (Ash Boy), a character whose creativity and resourcefulness always wins him the Princess and half the Kingdom, is seen as something typically Norwegian. Some of his works of poetry are still cherished, not least because of the tunes set to them. His achievements in the Church are now mostly forgotten, except locally.
Ringerikes Museum
Ringerikes Museum is the regional museum for the municipalities of HoleHole, Norway
Hole is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Ringerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vik. Hole is located around lake Tyrifjorden and extends to the woodland around Oslo...
and Ringerike
Ringerike
oskar er kjempe kulRingerike is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Ringerike...
in Buskerud
Buskerud
is a county in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark, and Vestfold. The county administration is located in Drammen.-Geography:...
county. Ringerikes Museum is located in Hønefoss
Hønefoss
Hønefoss is a city in Buskerud county, Norway, and the center of the municipality of Ringerike.In 1852, Hønefoss received town status and was separated from Norderhov. Hønefoss celebrated its 150th year of township in 2002...
at the site of the former Norderhov
Norderhov
Norderhov is a former municipality in Buskerud county, Norway.-Municipality:Norderhov municipality was established on January 1, 1838 . According to the 1835 census the municipality had a population of 7,234. On 22 April 1852 the city of Hønefoss was separated from Norderhov to constitute a...
rectory where Asbjørnsen and Moe first met. It is now the local museum for the Ringerike region and contains a collection of Asbjørnsen and Moe memorabilia. The museum is also noted for its collection of the private belongings of Jørgen Moe. In the 1930s, Marie Moe, Jørgen Moe's daughter, provided a gift consisting of several hundred objects from Jorgen Moe's private home.
Major works
- Samling af Sange, Folkeviser og Stev i norske Allmuedialekter, 1840
- Norske folkeeventyr, 1841-1852 (with Asbjørnsen)
- Digte, 1849 (poems)
- I Brønden og i Kjærnet, 1851
- At hænge på juletreet, 1855
- En liten julegave, 1860
- Samlede skrifter, 1877 (collected works)
Other sources
- Hodne, Ørnulf Jørgen Moe og folkeeventyrene: En studie i nasjonalromantisk folkloristikk (Universitetsforlaget. 1979) Norwegian