Which author wrote the lyrics for the national anthem of Iceland in 1874 that was officially adopted in 1944?

Matthias Jochumsson (1835-1920) was best known for his lyrical poetry and for writing the national anthem of Iceland, “Lofsongur” in 1874. He was a clergyman, poet, playwright, and translator, born in Skogar located in northwest Iceland.

Matthias travelled to the continent to study theology and to further his education. As an ordained Unitarian minister he served as a pastor in Iceland plus he was a newspaper editor and schoolteacher. Because of his love of languages and literature, he was a prolific translator, especially from English and the Scandinavian languages. His translations included Shakespearean plays including ‘Hamlet’, ‘Macbeth’, ‘Othello’ plus ‘Romeo and Juliet’.

The national anthem “Lofsongur” was composed with music by Sveinbjorn Sveinbjornsson (1847-1927) in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1874. It was officially adopted as the national anthem in 1944 when the country voted to end its personal union with Denmark and became a republic.

A version of the national anthem translated into English begins, “Our country’s God! Our Country’s God! We worship Thy name in its wonder sublime”. There are three verses to the entire national anthem considered notorious for being extremely challenging to sing and having a strong religious theme that has been the source of dispute in contemporary Iceland.