Anders Sørensen Vedel's significant position in Danish letters is owing to two works that are not considered originals by modern standards. He translated Saxo Grammaticus's Latin history of Denmark, Gesta Danorum (Story of the Danes, circa 1200), into Danish as Den Danske Krønicke (The Danish Chronicle, 1575), and he edited a volume of Danish ballads, It Hundrede vduaalde Danske Viser (One Hundred Selected Danish Ballads, 1591). In his translation of Saxo Grammaticus, Vedel displays a rich and dignified style that has always been considered a shining example of classic Danish prose. With the ballad edition he adopted the genre as aesthetically valuable literature; at the same time, he established an important precedent for the popular folk ballad. These two works are the high points in Vedel's extensive authorship in Danish as well as in Latin.

Anders Sørensen Vedel was born on 9 November 1542 in the town...