Oehlenschläger, Adam Gottlob (ä`däm gŏt`lŏb ö`lənshlāgər), 1779–1850, Danish romantic poet and dramatist. Oehlenschläger turned for themes to the sagas and to Scandinavian history; he is known as the national poet of Denmark. His poem "The Golden Horns" (1803, tr. 1913) is an original and creative treatment of myth. Other works include lyrics, epics, and a series of historical plays, the best known of which, Earl Hakon the Mighty (1807, tr. 1857), describes the decline of heathenism in Scandinavia. Other dramas are Axel and Valborg (1810, tr. 1851) and Helge (1814). In 1829, Oehlenschläger was crowned Scandinavian poet laureate.

Oehlenschläger, Adam Gottlob

(born Nov. 14, 1779, Vesterbro, Den.—died Jan. 20, 1850, Copenhagen) Danish poet and dramatist, considered the national poet of Denmark. He became the leader of Romanticism in Danish literature with his poem The Golden Horns (1802). Important collections of his poetry, with several lyrical dramas, appeared in 1802 and 1805. His plays drawing on Nordic history and mythology include Earl Haakon the Great (1807). His most significant later work is the poetic epic The Gods of the North (1819), a kind of modern Edda.