Jens Andreas Friis

Today he is also commonly associated with his novel Lajla: A New Tale of Finmark, which became the basis for Laila, a 1929 silent film.

He was the son of church vicar Soren Hjelm Friis (1781–1856) and Charlotte Lovise Cammermeyer (1789–1869).

Three years later he was awarded a chair in the Lapp and Kven languages, with a special duty in translation.

Friis established the northern Sami orthography, which although modified through three spelling reforms is in common usage.

[5] Friis published three series of thematic maps covering Norway north of the Ofotfjord.