Niels Matthias Petersen (1791–1862), linguist, philologist, historian and literary historian, was born in Sanderum near Odense. During his school years he befriended Rasmus Rask, his senior by four years, who kindled his interest in Old Norse and the ancient history of the Nordic countries. During his theological studies, which did not lead to a formal graduation, he pursued these interests. After working as a teacher in a seminary near Odense in the period 1815-26, he returned to Copenhagen, where he remained for the rest of his life. His first linguistic publications appeared in 1826; he also took part in the intense debate which Rask had started on Danish orthographical reforms.
In 1829 Petersen entered the employment of the University Library, then of the Danish central archive. In these years he published a major language history (1829-30), a work on Denmark’s early history (1834-37) and a translation and edition of a large portion of the Icelandic sagas (1839-44).
Rask, who never wrote a history of the Danish language himself, was probably involved in the prize competition that was issued in 1828 by the Society for the Promotion of Danish Literature on the topic “How has the written language developed out of the common mother language, Icelandic, in the three Scandinavian kingdoms, and especially in Denmark?”. Petersen’s prize-winning submission, a history of the three Scandinavian languages, appeared in two volumes as “History of the Danish, Norwegian and Swedish languages in their development out of the common proto-language” (Det Danske, Norske og Svenske Sprogs Historie under deres Udvikling af Stamsproget, 1829-30).
In “Denmark’s history in pagan times” (Danmarks Historie i Hedenold, 3 vols, 1834-37) Petersen surveys legendary and mythical material, in the absence of reliable historical sources. The second volume narrates the transition to Christianity; the third volume deals with Nordic mythology and culture.
Petersen played a pioneering role in his promotion of the Icelandic sagas in Denmark. He was the first to publish a substantial collection of Icelandic sagas in translation, ten sagas in four volumes under the title “Historical accounts of the dealings of the Icelanders at home and abroad” (Historiske Fortællinger om Islændernes Færd hjemme og ude, 1839-44). Petersen’s aim was to present the sagas as enjoyable reading for the general public, and to strengthen the Danish language by introducing Old Norse-Icelandic neologisms.
In an 1840-41 article, “Language skills in the Nordic countries” (Sprogkundskab i Norden), Petersen argues for a common Nordic written language to promote a unification of Scandinavian literature – each of the Danish, Norwegian and Swedish literatures being considered too small to compete with foreign cultures. This policy proposal involved giving Old Norse a central role in the school system. Petersen followed through with this plan in several similar contributions, and also adapted his own orthography towards a Pan-Scandinavian standard. This spelling is often referred to as the Rask-Petersen orthography.
In 1845 Petersen was appointed to the first professorship in the Scandinavian languages in the Nordic countries, a position he kept to his death in 1862. In this period he wrote the modestly-titled, but comprehensive and groundbreaking five-volume “Contribution to the history of Danish literature” (Bidrag til den danske Literaturs Historie, 1853-61). In this work Petersen introduces into Danish the theory of periodization, and several of his period titles have survived in later accounts. His concept of literature was not restricted to imaginative writing but encompassed the entire body of writings valued in society. For Petersen, literature not only documents and reflects the nation’s culture, but also exercises a formative influence on it. Petersen included, however, the literary output of all language communities under the Danish Crown: Danes, Norwegians and Holstein Germans.
