Johan Nordahl Brun (March 21, 1745 in Trondheim—July 26, 1816) was the poet, dramatist, bishop in Bergen (1804-1816), and politician who contributed significantly to the growth of National Romanticism in Norway, contributing to the growing national consciousness. He traveled to Copenhagen in 1767, where he passed his theological examinations. While at the University of Copenhagen, Brun was a prominent member of The Norwegian Society (Det Norske Selskab), a group of younger Norwegian authors, poets and philosophers. Johan Nordahl Brun become an active member of the Church of the Cross in Norway. He became a minister of the Parish in the Church of the Cross from 1774 until 1804 when he became the Bishop of Bergen. In literary history he found his place when he wrote the first Norwegian play, "Einer Tambeskielver" (1772). This play arroused a strong awakening of Norwegian spirit and was produced many times. He also wrote many poems, including Norway's first (unofficial) national song, "For Norge, Kiempers Fødeland" and published Evangelical Hymns (1786). Nordahl Grieg (Johan Nordahl Brun Grieg) was a descendant of the bishop and was named after him.
