Joachim Neander (1650-1680)

Professor Google wins the prize for yesterday's Pub Quiz question - but that is not to detract from the fine bit of research from several of my friends.

Joachim Neander was a German Lutheran teacher, theologian and hymn writer.   His most famous hymn is "Lobe den Herren" - Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation.    The hymn contains the most sublime couplet in any hymn I know...

denke daran, 
was der Allmächtige kann,

(Ponder anew, what the Almighty can do...)

He was a somewhat introspective young man, and while training as a minister, and working as a Latin teacher, he loved to escape to the beauty of nature in the nearby Düssel valley.    He died young, so dearly loved by his parishioners that they named that same valley after hm.    "Neander-thal" (German for "valley" being "thal" - modernised to "tal."

So when in 1856, the first human bones recognised as showing a non-modern anatomy were discovered in a limestone quarry at the Feldhofer grotto in Neanderthal - the find was named "Neanderthal Man"!

Hence, the connection - from hymn-tune to pile of bones - is complete.