Johan Sebastian Welhaven

Johan Sebastian Cammermeyer Welhaven (22 December 1807 – 21 October 1873) was a Norwegian writer, poet, critic, and art theorist.

His grandfather, Johan Andrew Welhaven (1748–1811) was a teacher and later assistant to the pastor at St Mary's Church (Mariakirken), which served the city's German community.

[4] When in 1843 he obtained an academic job, controversy aroused because he had not even completed his theological degree, and had not published any work of philosophical nature.

Wergeland also searched for the position and completed a theological degree and used the illustrations of Creation, Man and the Messiah to show his deep historical and philosophical knowledge.

[4][7] He was well known for dealing with nature and folklore, such as in «Asgaardsreien» from Nyere Digte, the basis for Peter Nicolai Arbo's painting The Wild Hunt of Odin.

[9] In it, he showed his spiritual side, expressing empathy for his fellows human being and pious Christian hope with biblical allusions.