Egede

Hans, a'ge-de, (1686-1758), a Danish missionary, termed the Apostle of Greenland. He was born in Senjen, Norway, and died in the Island of Falster, Denmark. He was educated for the Lutheran ministry, but obtained a commission from the Danish government to convert the Eskimos of Greenland to Christianity. With this purpose he and his two boys took up their residence among the tribes on the coast of Greenland and accompanied them in their hunting expeditions. He resided among the Eskimos fifteen years, studying the language, healing the sick, and relieving the miseries of the natives in a thousand ways. He made long trips to reach the isolated villages, and, though discouraged by the small number of actual converts, he won the confidence of the natives to an extent not previously attained. Trading ships visiting the coast in the summer time kept Egede in communication with the world. He received packages of books and papers, clothing and medicines, and sent his sons home for a time to be educated. In 1736 he left the mission work to his son Paul and returned to Denmark. Paul remained among the Eskimos until 1740, when he, too, returned to Denmark, where he received the title of "Bishop of Greenland." Father and son worked together in the preparation of an Eskimo dictionary and grammar, and in the translation of the Gospels into the Eskimo language. They wrote several volumes of experiences, valuable for their contribution to natural history and a knowledge of the Greenland Eskimo.