ABSTRACT
For more than thirty years Ole Worm spent much of his time on research into the runes and ancient monuments, when not teaching medicine at the university or looking after his patients. It was undoubtedly the encouragement of the Chancellor Christen Friis which set Worm off on this path. Worm quickly realised the importance of this antiquarian enterprise to the chancellor and the king. While his own interests in the antiquarian project quickly grew, so did his realisation of the potential benefits to him personally for taking on a project important to leading figures within government.
Initially the project proved difficult and despite some recognition from prominent international scholars such as Sir Henry Spelman, appreciation was slow in forthcoming at home. This all changed with the discovery of the gold horn in Southern Jutland and Worm’s rapidly produced tract, De Aureo Cornu, in 1641. This work more than any other established Ole Worm’s scholarly reputation. The valuable gold horn with its illustrations and letters fascinated intellectuals and antiquarians across Europe many of whom wrote about it. At the same time the international success of Worm’s antiquarian publications enhanced his reputation at home within both the court and university.
