Rask, Gertrud (fl. 1721)
Rask, Gertrud (fl. 1721)
Missionary to the Inuit of Greenland. Flourished around 1721; married Hans Egede, known as the "Apostle of Greenland."
The wife of Hans Egede, a Danish missionary known as the "Apostle of Greenland," Gertrud Rask sailed with her husband to Greenland, where they landed in July 1721, and where Egede later established the colony of Godthåb (now the capital, also called Nuuk). Taking up residence among the Inuit population, the couple embarked on a mission to convert the Greenlanders to Christianity. In the process, they befriended and assisted the Inuits, overcoming the language barrier and the unfamiliar living conditions. Rask died in Greenland, although the date is unknown, and her husband subsequently fell ill and returned to Copenhagen around 1736. Historians later credited the couple with opening a new chapter in the history of Greenland.