Jo Gjende (original) (raw)

Jo Gjende (1794 – 27 February 1884) was a Norwegian outdoorsman and freethinker. He is believed to have been the model for Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt. He was born in Vågå, the son of Tjøstolv Olsson Kleppe of Sygaard (a well-known rabble-rouser, also called "Galin-Tjøstolv", who died in 1797) and Marit Pedersdotter (died 1803) from Horgje in Heidal. He had four siblings. He lived during the period 1803–18 with his maternal aunt on Heringstad farm in Heidal and later took over the farm. He took the name John Gjendin, and shortened it to Jo Gjende in his later days.