Elise Ottesen-Jensen

Life and career A vicar's daughter, Ottar was born Elise Ottesen in Høyland Municipality (incorporated into Sandnes Municipality in 1965) in Rogaland county, Norway. She was Immanuel Ottesen and Karen Arselle Essendrop's 17th out of 18 children, and as was customary in Norway at that time she was named Elise after her sister who died as an infant the year before. The name Ottar was her journalist pseudonym and was an abbreviation of her last name, but also a reference to the Norwegian Viking chief Ohthere of Hålogaland (Norwegian: ).

Later in life, her father sent away her little sister Magnhild to give birth in Denmark, so that she could be forced to give up her child. Maghild was told nothing about pregnancy or birth, and for nine months she feared that her stomach would just split. She committed suicide because of the longing for the child she had to leave behind. For this, Ottar could never forgive her father, and the fate of her sister became a strong driving force for her commitment to the struggle for women's rights. Instead she started to work in a newspaper, and eventually became a journalist. She had always questioned the preachings of her father, and early on arrived at the conclusion that she was not a Christian. She now found that her sympathies were with the socialists, and it was with them she would struggle for the rest of her life.

In 1933, Ottar, together with a number of radical medical doctors and trade union representatives, founded the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education (, RFSU). She became its first president, and held this post until 1956. Ottesen-Jensen was also one of the founders of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), A paper published by RFSU bears the name "Ottar", to honour Elise Ottesen-Jensen. This paper changed its name to "Ottar" in 2001, and was earlier known as "RFSU bulletin". The name Ottar has also been used to name the Norwegian feminist group , who were officially founded in 2006.

She was awarded the Illis quorum by the Swedish government in 1951 and honorary doctorate in medicine in Uppsala in 1958.