Peter Freuchen

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Peter Freuchen, born Lorenz Peter Elfred Freuchen (February 2, 1886 Nykøbing Falster - September 2, 1957) was a Danish explorer, writer and traveler.

He spent many years in Thule, Greenland, living with the Polar Inuit. He worked with Knud Rasmussen, crossing the Greenland icecap with him.

Freuchen married three times: first, in 1911, to an Inuit woman named Navarana Mequpaluk (d. 1921), who died in the Spanish Flu epidemic after bearing two children (a boy named Mequsaq and a girl named Pipaluk); next, in 1924, to Magdalene Vang Lauridsen (the marriage was dissolved in 1944); and lastly, in 1945, to Dagmar Cohn.

He was also employed by the movie industry as a consultant and scriptwriter, specializing in Arctic-related scripts. Most notably MGM's Oscar winning "Eskimo/Mala The Magnificent" starring Ray Mala. In 1955 he won $64,000 on an American TV quiz-show on the subject "The Seven Seas".

During World War II, Freuchen was actively involved with the Danish resistance movement against the Germans, despite having lost a leg some years previously. He was imprisoned for a time by the Germans.

After his death, his ashes were scattered on a mountain near Thule.

[edit] Works

He wrote many books, including:

Grønland, land og folk, 1927 (Travelbook)
Storfanger, 1927 (Novel)
Knud Rasmussen. Mindeudgave. 3 vol, 1934 (Peter Freuchen, Therkel Mathiassen and Kaj Birket-Smith)
"Arctic Adventure: My Life in the Frozen North", Farrar & Rinehart, New York, Toronto, Copyright 1935.
Min grønlandske ungdom, 1936 (Memories)
Min anden ungdom, 1938 (Memories)
I al frimodighed, 1953 (Memories)
Fremdeles frimodig, 1955 (Memories)