Statue of Jón Arason, by Guðmundur Einarsson, in Munkaþverá

Jón Arason (1484 - November 7, 1550) was an Icelandic Roman Catholic bishop and poet, who was executed in his struggle against the imposition of the Protestant Reform in Iceland.

Background[link]

Jón Arason was born in Gryta, educated at Munkaþverá, the Benedictine abbey of Iceland, and was ordained a Catholic priest about 1504. Having attracted the notice of Gottskálk Nikulásson, bishop of Hólar, he was sent by that prelate on two missions to Norway. In 1522 he succeeded Gottskálk in the episcopal see of Hólar, but he was soon driven out by the other Icelandic bishop, Ögmundur of Skálholt. Bishop Ögmundur later opposed the imposition of Lutheranism to Iceland, but being old and blind by that time his opposition proved effectively meaningless.

By this point Jón Arason had become known for his great talents if somewhat erratic faith. He fathered numerous children who fought for his causes figuratively and later literally. This was despite the canonical obligation that Catholic bishops are to be celibate, but Iceland was distant enough from Rome in that age for clerical discipline to be very lax.

Struggle with the King[link]

After a brief exile in Norway Bishop Jón Arason became involved in a dispute with his sovereign, King Christian III, because of the bishop's refusal to promote Lutheranism on the island. Although initially he took a defensive rather than an offensive position on the matter, this changed radically in 1548. At that point he and Bishop Ögmundur joined their forces to attack the Lutherans. Bishop Ögmundur's contribution did not last, however, due to his infirmities, and he quickly faced exile to Denmark.

Jón Arason's continued resistance is thought to have come from a kind of primitive nationalism and simple ambition as much as religion. He resented the Danes changing the religious landscape of Iceland and felt their culture would be less disrupted by staying Catholic. Hence he took encouragement from a letter of support from Pope Paul III in continuing his efforts against the Lutheran cause. For the Pope, this seems to have been a generalized opposition to the spread of Protestantism, not necessarily support for the peculiarities of Jon's life or Icelandic culture. Still, the encouragement helped strengthen the opposition against the Lutherans into a kind of civil war.^{[citation needed]}

Jón Arason knew no bounds in his zeal toward that cause, as he fought for what he deemed to be a Catholic, Icelandic, and personal struggle against the Danes. In this struggle he had the help of his illegitimate children, who fought with him in various battles. However his attempt to capture his greatest adversary, Daði Gudmundsson, at the Battle of Sauðafell led to himself being taken prisoner and handed over to the king's bailiff. Legend states that, on hearing this, one of his feistier daughters rallied her forces to save him, but even if this is so her efforts proved unsuccessful. In 1550 Jón Arason and two of his sons, Are and Bjorn, were captured and beheaded. Christian Skriver, the king's bailiff, would later be killed by fishermen who favored Jón's cause.^{[citation needed]}

Legacy[link]

Memorial at the place of execution of Jon Arason, in Skalholt, south Iceland

Legends claim that as he was about to be beheaded, a priest called Sveinn was by his side to offer him comfort. Sveinn told Jón: Líf er eftir þetta, herra! ("There is a life after this one, Sire!") Jón turned to Sveinn and said: Veit ég það, Sveinki! ("That I know, little Sveinn!") Ever since veit ég það, Sveinki has been a part of the Icelandic treasury of sayings, in this case meaning that something totally obvious has been stated.^{[citation needed]}

References[link]

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Jon Arason". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Jon_Arason. 
• This article incorporates text from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article "Arason Jón" by E.A. Wang, a publication now in the public domain.

External links[link]

• Söguþættir og ættartölur Jóns biskups Arasonar á Hólum Primary sources on Jón's life
• (Jón Arason biskup og ætt hans): A concise, Icelandic overview of his life and main poetic works, the main biographies as well as the main novels etc. based on his life, and his ancestry

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2010)

Sigurður Bragason (born 16 August 1954) is an Icelandic baritone.

He studied in Germany and Italy after graduating from the Conservatory of Music in Reykjavík. He is one of Iceland’s best-known singers and is much sought-after as interpreter of Icelandic, Russian, German and Italian songs.

International career[link]

His international career has taken him to music festivals and such renowned concert halls in Europe and the United States as the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam 1998, Beethoven Haus in Bonn 1992,1993 and 1998, Temppeliaukion Kirko (The Rock-Church) in Helsinki 1997 and 1998, The Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York 1996 and 2000, the Wigmore Hall in London 1993 and 2001 and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in 2003.

Musical work[link]

Sigurður has also appeared in Tosca, La Boheme, The Magic Flute, Let’s Make an Opera, Dido and Aeneas, Carmina Burana under Willy Gohl, Messias, Bach Cantatas and Vespro della Beata Vergine by Monteverdi to name few of his musical roles. In 1995 Sigurður sang the lead role specially written for him in a new Icelandic opera “The Moonlight Island” by the Nordic Music Prize composer Atli Heimir Sveinsson on a tournee in Germany.

He is a sought-after interpreter of songs by the Icelandic composer Jón Leifs and has appeared in several television and radio programmes including WDR in Germany and BBC's “Comparing Notes”.

Discography[link]

Sigurður's first solo album with Icelandic and Italian songs appeared in 1989. His CDs include Songs of Light and Darkness with works by Tosti, Donizetti, Verdi, Respighi and Mussorgsky in 1993, Songs of the Master Pianists with works by Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Ravel and Rubinstein in 1995, accompanied by pianist Vovka Ashkenazy, and Mozart Arias with the Baltic Symphony Orchestra in 1999.

Sources[link]

• Samtíðarmenn 2003, Biography: Sigurður Bragason (in Icelandic)

External links[link]

• Artist's page