Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is a patronymic, not a family name; this person is properly referred to by the given name Jón Hnefill.

Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson (29 March 1927 2 March 2010) was an Icelandic scholar and folklorist. He was a prolific author and is well known for his works on Old Norse religion.

In his 2000 book on Hrafnkels saga, he emphasised its heathen religious elements. While acknowledging that a large part of the story line probably represents 13th-century fiction, Jón Hnefill found evidence of an oral tradition in such aspects of the story as Hrafnkel's sacrifices and the behaviour of Freyfaxi.

Works

References