The first faroese book – 200th Anniversary
The first book in Faroese 1822. H.C. Lyngbye: »Føröiske Qvæder om Sigurd Fofnersbane og hans Ætt«.
The first book in the Faroese language was printed in 1822 when H.C. Lyngbye published "Faroese Heroic Ballads of Sigurd, the Slayer of the Dragon Fafnir and His Kindred". The text was a transcript of a ballad derived from the extensive Faroese oral tradition, where songs are performed by a lead singer in a closed chain of dancers chanting along to the chorus. This Faroese chain dance is a combination of narratives, melodies and bodily expressions, where the lead singer through dramatic interaction with the dancers chants the main lyrics.
The early 1800s saw a growing antiquarian interest among the scholarly elite in the traditions of the common people. Songs and folktales were written down, edited, published and often became the basis for stringent academic studies that were far removed from the colourful folk traditions. Nevertheless, these texts later became crucial to Faroese identity and the main reason for the ancient Faroese chain dance tradition being alive today.
