Biography of Jón Ólafsson Indian Explorer # 86664
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The Life of Jón Ólafsson the Indíafari. Compiled by himself (1661), now published for the first time by the Icelandic Literary Society, with comments by Sigfús Blöndal.
Jón Ólafsson "Indíafari" (4 November 1593 – 3 May 1679) was an Icelandic writer and adventurer, from Svarthamr in Álftafjörður near Ísafjarðardjúp. He is best known for his journey to India, which he recounts in his autobiography, which is a unique source of information about the centuries and human life at that time.
His parents were Ólafur Jónsson and Ólöf Þorsteinsdóttir. Of their 14 children, three reached adulthood. His father died of dengue fever when Jón was seven years old.
In 1615, Jón boarded an English ship and negotiated with the captain for passage to England. From there he went to Denmark, where he became a gunner on the warships of King Christian IV of Denmark. Soon he made his way north to the White Sea, to Svalbard, and in 1622 he sailed south of the Cape of Good Hope, to Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka. Later he stayed in a fort in the Danish colony of Tranquebar in India. In 1624 he was taken injured to Denmark after a cannon explosion.
Two years later he returned to Iceland and settled at Bæ á Rauðasandur. He married Ingibjörg Ólafsdóttir and went with her home to Álftafjordur, and then lived at Tröð. From there the couple headed to the Vestmannaeyjar Islands, where Ingibjörg drowned, and their son died shortly afterwards. Jón remarried Þorbjörg Einarsdóttir and had a son, Ólaf, from whom several lineages have descended. With Þorbjörg he lived at Uppsala in Álftafjordur and finally until the end of his life in Eyrardalur, on Konungsjörður. In his old age he wrote his autobiography (around 1661). The narrative is divided into two main parts, the first of which describes his stay in Denmark and the journey to Svalbard, while the second describes his journey to India. The third part was added by Jón's son and describes Jón's life after his return to Iceland.
In general, Jón's account can be confirmed by contemporary sources. In some places, however, he specifies the wrong year or misremembers characters and positions. He was gifted with a good storytelling talent, and his descriptions of human life in Copenhagen and the customs of foreign nations are very lively. The biography is considered a unique source about human life and military service in the Danish navy in the 17th century. The Danes have had an excerpt made from it as reading material for children and young people in Danish schools.
Jón Ólafsson "Indíafari" (4 November 1593 – 3 May 1679) was an Icelandic writer and adventurer, from Svarthamr in Álftafjörður near Ísafjarðardjúp. He is best known for his journey to India, which he recounts in his autobiography, which is a unique source of information about the centuries and human life at that time.
His parents were Ólafur Jónsson and Ólöf Þorsteinsdóttir. Of their 14 children, three reached adulthood. His father died of dengue fever when Jón was seven years old.
In 1615, Jón boarded an English ship and negotiated with the captain for passage to England. From there he went to Denmark, where he became a gunner on the warships of King Christian IV of Denmark. Soon he made his way north to the White Sea, to Svalbard, and in 1622 he sailed south of the Cape of Good Hope, to Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka. Later he stayed in a fort in the Danish colony of Tranquebar in India. In 1624 he was taken injured to Denmark after a cannon explosion.
Two years later he returned to Iceland and settled at Bæ á Rauðasandur. He married Ingibjörg Ólafsdóttir and went with her home to Álftafjordur, and then lived at Tröð. From there the couple headed to the Vestmannaeyjar Islands, where Ingibjörg drowned, and their son died shortly afterwards. Jón remarried Þorbjörg Einarsdóttir and had a son, Ólaf, from whom several lineages have descended. With Þorbjörg he lived at Uppsala in Álftafjordur and finally until the end of his life in Eyrardalur, on Konungsjörður. In his old age he wrote his autobiography (around 1661). The narrative is divided into two main parts, the first of which describes his stay in Denmark and the journey to Svalbard, while the second describes his journey to India. The third part was added by Jón's son and describes Jón's life after his return to Iceland.
In general, Jón's account can be confirmed by contemporary sources. In some places, however, he specifies the wrong year or misremembers characters and positions. He was gifted with a good storytelling talent, and his descriptions of human life in Copenhagen and the customs of foreign nations are very lively. The biography is considered a unique source about human life and military service in the Danish navy in the 17th century. The Danes have had an excerpt made from it as reading material for children and young people in Danish schools.