[1] Jón Arason was born in Gryta, educated at Munkaþverá, the Benedictine abbey of Iceland, and was ordained a Catholic priest about 1504.

Helga Sigurðardóttir brought important allies for Jón through her family connections, as her father Sigurðar Sveinbjarnarson was a powerful priest at Múli in Aðaldalur.

He resented the Danes' changing the religious landscape of Iceland and felt the island's culture would be less disrupted by staying Catholic.

Jón took encouragement from a letter of support from Pope Paul III in continuing his efforts against the Lutheran cause and fighting for a Catholic Iceland.

According to legends, on hearing of Jón's capture, one of his daughters rallied her forces to save him, but her efforts proved unsuccessful.

Ever since veit ég það, Sveinki has been a part of the Icelandic treasury of sayings, in this case meaning that something totally obvious has been stated.