Theodor Lerner (10 April 1866 – 12 May 1931) was a German journalist and polar explorer who conducted several expeditions to Svalbard.
He visited Bjørnøya in 1898 and 1899, exploring the viability of coal mining and eventually claiming ownership of the island as a territory of the German Empire.
This enterprise proved unsuccessful but raised some publicity, earning him the nickname "Nebelfürst" ("prince of the mists").
[1] The headland Lernerneset of Abel Island in Kong Karls Land, Svalbard, is named after him.
[2] Lerner's history is the basis for the 2001 German novel Der Nebelfürst by Martin Mosebach.