Iceland considers exhuming poet’s remains to confirm identity
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In Iceland, Kari Stefansson, a geneticist, and others have requested permission to open the grave of Jonas Hallgrimsson, a 19th-century poet and national icon, to verify the remains inside are actually his.
Hallgrimsson died in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1845 after a fall, and was initially buried there with several other people in the same grave. Following Iceland’s declaration of independence in 1946, his remains were repatriated to Iceland.
However, when the remains were moved, they were significantly degraded after a century underground, and it appears the bones of multiple individuals became mixed together. Authorities did not retain a skull or leg bones during the transfer. Jon Karl Helgason, a specialist in the case, believes rumours of mixed remains are false, while Pall Valsson, Hallgrimsson’s biographer, suggests many Icelanders prefer to preserve the mystery surrounding the poet’s final resting place.
Currently, Hallgrimsson’s modest tombstone rests near Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the location of the Althing, Iceland’s ancient parliament. The grave site is so neglected that it has been used as a helicopter landing pad and even a picnic spot. A decision to exhume the remains awaits legal approval and bureaucratic processes, which Kari Stefansson believes will take considerable time.
