Fjölnir

Icelandic periodical

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 26, 2026

Quick Summary

Fj\u00f6lnir was an Icelandic periodical founded in 1835 by Icelandic students in Copenhagen. The periodical aimed to revolutionize literary theory and practice in Iceland. The founders, known as the Fj\u00f6lnismenn, were antitraditional and rejected the use of rhymes. Fj\u00f6lnir played a significant role in shaping Icelandic national sentiments and preserving the country's language and literature based on its Old Norse roots. It was important to the future distinction of Iceland's language and literature. The periodical ceased publication in 1847.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

7 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Jónas Hallgrímsson
…Copenhagen, he founded the periodical Fjölnir (1835–47; “The Many-Sided”), in which he published much of his poetry (including his popular patriotic poem “Ísland” [“Iceland”]) and later his groundbreaking short stories. Fjölnir was important to the future of Icelandic national sentiments and to the future distinction of Iceland’s language and literature,…
Read More
…Copenhagen, he founded the periodical Fjölnir (1835–47; “The Many-Sided”), in which he published much of his poetry (including his popular patriotic poem “Ísland” [“Iceland”]) and later his groundbreaking short stories. Fjölnir was important to the future of Icelandic national sentiments and to the future distinction of Iceland’s language and literature,…
Read More

Icelandic literature
The 19th century
…men involved in the periodical Fjölnir (“The Many-Sided”), which aimed to revolutionize literary theory and practice. The so-called Fjölnismenn were antitraditional and rejected the use of rhymes.
Read More
…men involved in the periodical Fjölnir (“The Many-Sided”), which aimed to revolutionize literary theory and practice. The so-called Fjölnismenn were antitraditional and rejected the use of rhymes.
Read More