Henrik Steffens

Steffens brought a strong if highly individual scientific awareness to his philosophy, and was an important influence on Danish nationalism. He studied under the geologist Werner, but before that was a student in Jena, where he met the brothers Schlegel, Fichte, Novalis (who was stimulated by his zoological ideas) and Goethe (who failed to appreciate his work). He was a close disciple of one friend, Schelling, a colleague of another, Schleiermacher, and wrote an essay for a third, Runge. He knew the eccentric Ritter, influenced Ørsted (whom he admired) and Grundtvig, and changed Oehlenschläger’s life in a single meeting.