Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is 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

• Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson (2000). Þá hneggjaði Freyfaxi. Reykjavík: Háskólaútgáfan. ISBN 9979-54-431-7.

References

• Jón Hnefill Aðalsteinsson's obituary (in Icelandic)