Who is Arne Saknussemm in Journey to the Center of the Earth?
After Professor Lidenbrock buys an old Icelandic saga, he finds a mysterious document inside it, written in code. With a magnifying glass, he is able to discern that the document was written by Arne Saknussemm, a sixteenth-century Icelandic professor and alchemist.
Lidenbrock explains to his nephew Axel that these alchemists...
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were the learned men of their day and made important discoveries. He imagines that the mysterious document Saknussemm wrote in code would reveal important information if they could decipher it.
As they get to work on it, it is Axel who breaks the code and realizes that Saknussemm wrote in Latin but that the document must be read backwards. When Axel reads what the alchemist wrote, he decides not to tell his uncle that it is about journeying to the center of the earth. He fears his uncle would actually try to make the dangerous trip.
However, the nephew can't withhold his discovery long and informs his uncle that the mysterious message says that if they enter the crater of a certain Icelandic volcano before July, they will be able to travel to the center of the earth. The note also says that Saknussemm himself did this. As the nephew suspected, his uncle is determined to repeat Saknussemm's feat, and the two men, along with their guide, Hans, follow in Saknussemm's footsteps as they make their perilous journey.
Who is Hans Bjelke in Journey to the Center of the Earth?
Hans Bjelke is an Icelandic eider duck hunter. He serves as a guide for Professor Otto Lidenbrock and Axel on the journey to the center of the earth.
Hans acts a foil to Professor Lidenbrock. Axel says of Hans,
had I sought the world over, I could not have found a greater contradiction to my impulsive uncle.
This makes Hans the perfect guide. He doesn't care about money any more than Lidenbrock does, but he has his same devotion to the task at hand. Hans is quiet and competent and knows how to navigate Iceland as they journey to the volcano that will take them to the earth's center. He doesn't waste words or movements and is largely able to ignore the professor's eccentricities.
Because he is a rugged hunter, Hans is very strong. Lidenbrock notes that it is "impossible for him to become fatigued." Hans is resourceful and practical and, despite his deliberate, movements, a quick thinker. He "never forgot even the minutest precautions," according to Axel, and brings extra water for their journey, a provision that will come in handy. Hans often takes the lead as they journey single file, and his quick wits can save the day, as when he prevents Axel from falling down into the volcano.
Hans prepares and serves meals and often sets the pace of the journey. He has little to say, but when he does speak, it is usually important to listen to what he has to say. His deep knowledge of the land, serene wisdom, and willingness as he helps the travelers prove to be invaluable to their journey.