Johan Ludvig Runeberg (; 5 February 1804 – 6 May 1877) was a Finnish

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

, lyric and epic poet. He wrote exclusively in Swedish. He is considered a

national poet A national poet or national bard is a poet held by tradition and popular acclaim to represent the identity, beliefs and principles of a particular national culture. The national poet as culture hero is a long-standing symbo ...

of Finland. He is the author of the lyrics to (''Our Land'', '' Maamme'' in Finnish) which became an unofficial Finnish

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...

. Runeberg was also involved in the modernization of the Finnish Lutheran hymnal and produced many texts for the new edition. Johan Ludvig Runeberg

Background

Childhood

Runeberg was born into a Swedish-speaking family in Jakobstad, Finland, on the shores of the

Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia (; fi, Pohjanlahti; sv, Bottniska viken) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the Sweden's east coast ( We ...

. His parents were sea captain Lorentz Ulrik Runeberg (1772–1828) and Anna Maria Malm (1782–1834). Paternal grandfather Ludvig had moved to Finland from Sweden, and Anna Maria Malm was born to the

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

family from Jakobstad, which probably also had their roots in Sweden.Helge Pohjolan-Pirhonen: ''Kansakunnan historia 3: kansakunta löytää itsensä'', p. 529–550. Helsinki: WSOY, 1973. ISBN 951-0-05774-6. (in Finnish) As a child, Runeberg suffered from scrofula, which led to glandular swelling. His physical development slowed down due to illness so that he did not learn to walk until he was three or four years old.Merikapteenin poika
(in Finnish) From his father, Johan inherited a manly and brisk character, and from his mother, he inherited sensitivity and artistic talent.

Education

At the age of eight, Runeberg was sent to live with his uncle and attend school in

Oulu Oulu ( , ; sv, Uleåborg ) is a city, municipality and a seaside resort of about 210,000 inhabitants in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in northern Finland and the fifth most populous in the country after ...

. Runeberg studied in the city of

Vaasa Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas),

and later on at the Imperial Academy of Turku, where he befriended Johan Vilhelm Snellman and Zacharias Topelius. His studies concentrated mainly on the classical languages of Latin and Greek. He earned a Master of Philosophy during 1827. He served as a tutor (1822–1826), docent at the Imperial Alexander University (1830) and teacher at the Swedish-language Helsingfors Lyceum (1831–1836). From 1837 he lived in

Porvoo Porvoo (; sv, Borgå ; la, Borgoa) is a city and a municipality in the Uusimaa region of Finland, situated on the southern coast about east of the city border of Helsinki and about from the city centre. Porvoo was one of the six medieva ...

, where he served as professor of Latin literature in the

Borgå gymnasium Porvoo (; sv, Borgå ; la, Borgoa) is a city and a municipality in the Uusimaa region of Finland, situated on the southern coast about east of the city border of Helsinki and about from the city centre. Porvoo was one of the six medieval t ...

. Runeberg was the tutor of

Carl Henrik Alopaeus Carl Henrik Alopaeus (5 April 1825 – 10 March 1892) was a Finnish Lutheran bishop and educator, known as the "apostle to the Deaf" due to his work in deaf education. Upbringing and religious work Alopaeus was born in Juva, Finland, in 1825 ...

, who would later become the bishop of Porvoo and an educator of the deaf. Runeberg also supported Carl Oscar Malm's school for the deaf in Porvoo (which Alopaeus taught at) as well as serving on its school board. Finnish

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon ( ...

hostess Natalia Castrén (1830–1881) was a member of Runeberg's cultural circle.

Poetry

Many of his poems deal with life in rural Finland. The best known of these is , (''Farmer Paavo'', in Finnish), about a

smallholding A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology ...

peasant farmer in the poor parish of Saarijärvi and his determination, '' sisu'' (guts) and unwavering faith in providence in the face of a harsh climate and years of bad harvests. Three times, a frosty night destroys his crops. Every time, he mixes double the amount of

bark Bark may refer to: * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Places * Bark, Germany * Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Arts, e ...

into his bark bread to stave off

starvation Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy intake, below the level needed to maintain an organism's life. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, de ...

and works ever harder to dry off marsh into dryer land that would not be as exposed to the night frost. After the fourth year, Paavo finally gets a rich crop. As his wife exults, thanks God and tells Paavo to enjoy full bread made entirely out of grain, Paavo instructs his wife to mix bark into grain once more, because their neighbour's crop has been lost in a frost and he gives half of his crop to the needy neighbour.

Selected works

Runeberg's main works included the idealist poem "" (Elk Hunters, 1832) and the epic (King Fjalar, 1844). The heroic poem ( The Tales of Ensign Stål, in Finnish) written between 1848 and 1860 is considered the greatest Finnish epic poem outside the native

Kalevala The ''Kalevala'' ( fi, Kalevala, ) is a 19th-century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, telling an epic story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and ...

tradition and contains tales of the Finnish War of 1808–09 with

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

. In the war,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

ignominiously lost Finland, which became a

Grand Duchy A grand duchy is a country or territory whose official head of state or ruler is a monarch bearing the title of grand duke or grand duchess. Relatively rare until the abolition of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the term was often used in th ...

in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...

. The epic, which is composed episodically, emphasizes the common humanity of all sides in the conflict, while principally lauding the heroism of the Finns. The first poem (''Our Land'', '' Maamme'' in Finnish) became the

Finnish National Anthem "" (; sv, Vårt land, ; both meaning "Our Land") is the de facto national anthem of Finland. The music was composed by the German immigrant Fredrik Pacius, with original Swedish words by Johan Ludvig Runeberg, and with this music it was perfo ...

Personal life

He was married to his second cousin

Fredrika Runeberg Fredrika Charlotta Runeberg (née Tengström; 2 September 1807, Jakobstad – 27 May 1879, Helsinki) was a Finnish (Finland-Swedish) novelist, journalist and the wife of Finland's national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg. She was a pioneer of Finnis ...

, née Tengström, who wrote poems and novels. They were the parents of eight children, including the sculptor Walter Runeberg, who was their eldest son. He also had several emotional affairs throughout his life, most notably with Maria Prytz and the younger poet

Emilie Björkstén Arkadia Emilie Björkstén (July 26, 1823 – January 15, 1896) was a 19th-century Finnish poet, often writing under the pen name ''e ***''. She published four well-received books of poetry between 1864 and 1886. Her work was deeply influenced by ...

Legacy

Runeberg Day (Finnish: ) is celebrated annually on 5 February, the day of Runeberg's birth. A pastry flavored with almonds called Runeberg's torte (Finnish: ; Swedish: ) is generally available in stores from the beginning of January until 5 February. There is a statue of Johan Ludwig Runeberg by his son Walter Runeberg on Esplanadi in the heart of

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

. Runeberg Township in Becker County,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

was also named after Runeberg. The Runeberginkatu street in central Helsinki is named after him. Runeberg was selected as the main motif of the Finnish commemorative coin, the €10 Johan Ludvig Runeberg and Finnish Poetry commemorative coin. It was minted in 2004 celebrating the 200th anniversary of his birth. The obverse of the coin features a stylized portrait of Runeberg's face. The reverse features an 1831 font sample from the Swedish-language newspaper , since Runeberg wrote most of his work in Swedish.

References

External links

''Vårt land'' (Maamme)
at

Johan Ludvig Runeberg at Swedish Wikisource
* * *

* ttps://books.google.com/books?id=GzpcAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA56 Runeberg translationsby

Charles Wharton Stork Charles Wharton Stork (12 February 1881 – 22 May 1971) was an American literary author, poet, and translator. Life Charles Wharton Stork was born in Philadelphia on 12 February 1881 to Theophilus Baker and Hannah (Wharton) Stork. He gradu ...

, pp. 56–80
''Anthology of Swedish lyrics from 1750 to 1915''
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Runeberg, Johan Ludvig 1804 births 1877 deaths 19th-century Lutherans People from Jakobstad Writers from Ostrobothnia (region) Finnish Lutherans Finnish poets in Swedish Finnish writers in Swedish Finnish Lutheran hymnwriters Swedish Lutheran hymnwriters Lutheran poets Lutheran writers National anthem writers National symbols of Finland Swedish-speaking Finns