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 deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

, 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 symbol, to be distinguished ...

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

. 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 Jakobstad (; , ) is a town in Finland, located on the west coast of the country. Jakobstad is situated in Ostrobothnia (administrative region), Ostrobothnia, along the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Jakobstad is approximately , while the Jako ...

, Finland, on the shores of the

Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia (; ; ) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and the Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the northern part of Sweden's east coast ( West Bothnia an ...

. His parents were

sea captain A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel. The captain is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the ship, inc ...

Lorentz Ulrik Runeberg (1772–1828) and Anna Maria Malm (1782–1834). His paternal grandfather Ludvig had moved to Finland from Sweden, and Anna Maria Malm was born to a

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...

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 ( , ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Ostrobothnia. It is located on the northwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Oulujoki, River Oulu. The population of Oulu is approximately , while the Oulu sub-regio ...

. Runeberg studied in the city of

Vaasa Vaasa (; , ), formerly (1855-1917) known as Nikolaistad (; ),Imperial Academy of Turku, where he befriended

Johan Vilhelm Snellman Johan Vilhelm Snellman (; 12 May 1806 – 4 July 1881) was an influential Fennoman philosopher and Finnish statesman, ennobled in 1866. He was one of the most important 'awakeners' or promoters of Finnish nationalism, alongside Elias Lönnr ...

and

Zacharias Topelius Zacharias Topelius (; 14 January 181812 March 1898) was a Finnish author, poet, journalist, historian, and rector of the University of Helsinki who wrote novels related to Finnish history. He wrote his works exclusively in Swedish, although th ...

. 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 The University of Helsinki (, ; UH) is a public university in Helsinki, Finland. The university was founded in Turku in 1640 as the Royal Academy of Åbo under the Swedish Empire, and moved to Helsinki in 1828 under the sponsorship of Tsar Al ...

(1830) and teacher at the Swedish-language Helsingfors Lyceum (1831–1836). From 1837, he lived in

Porvoo Porvoo (; ; ) is a city in Finland. It is located on the south coast of the country, on the Gulf of Finland. Porvoo lies in the eastern part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Porvoo is approximately , while the Porvoo sub-region, sub-re ...

, where he served as professor of Latin literature in the

Borgå gymnasium Porvoo (; ; ) is a city in Finland. It is located on the south coast of the country, on the Gulf of Finland. Porvoo lies in the eastern part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Porvoo is approximately , while the sub-region has a populati ...

. 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 Carl Oscar Malm, also known as C. O. Malm and Carl Oskar Malm (12 February 1826 – 8 June 1863) was Finland's first teacher of the deaf, founder of the first school for the deaf in the country, and the father of Finnish Sign Language. Life ...

's school for the deaf in Porvoo (at which Alopaeus taught) as well as serving on the school board. Finnish

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

hostess

Natalia Castrén Natalia Castrén (née Tengström; December 24, 1830 Helsinki – November 22, 1881 Helsinki) was a Finland, Finnish culture personality and Salon (gathering), salon hostess. She belonged to Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Johan Ludvig Runeberg's social cir ...

(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 technolo ...

peasant farmer in the poor parish of

Saarijärvi Saarijärvi () is a List of cities and towns in Finland, town and municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland located in the Central Finland regions of Finland, region. The municipality has a population of , as of , and covers an area of ...

and his determination, ''

sisu is a Finnish word variously translated as stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience, and hardiness. It is held by Finns to express their national character. It is generally considered not to have a single-word ...

'' (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: Common meanings * 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) Arts and entertainment * ''Bark'' (Jefferson Airplane album), ...

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 ''The Tales of Ensign Stål'' (Swedish language, Swedish original title: , , or year 2007 translation ) is an epic poem written in Swedish by the Finland-Swedish author Johan Ludvig Runeberg, the national poet of Finland. It was published in two ...

, in Finnish) written between 1848 and 1860 is considered the greatest Finnish

epic poem In poetry, an epic is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. With regard to ...

outside the native

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

tradition and contains tales of the

Finnish War The Finnish War (; ; ) was fought between the Gustavian era, Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian Empire from 21 February 1808 to 17 September 1809 as part of the Napoleonic Wars. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established a ...

of 1808–09 with

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. In the war,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

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. Prior to the early 1800s, the only Grand duchy in Europe was located in what is now Italy: Tuscany ( ...

in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. 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'', in Finnish) became the unofficial

Finnish National Anthem "" (), known by its original Swedish language, Swedish title as "" () and in English language, English as "", is the ''de facto'' national anthem of Finland. The music was composed by the German people, German immigrant Fredrik Pacius, with orig ...

Personal life

He was married to his second cousin

Fredrika Runeberg Fredrika Charlotta Runeberg (née Tengström; 2 September 1807 – 27 May 1879) was a Finnish (Finland-Swedish) novelist and journalist. She was a pioneer of Finnish historical fiction and one of the first woman journalists in Finland. In her o ...

, née Tengström, who wrote poems and novels. They were the parents of eight children, including the sculptor

Walter Runeberg Walter Magnus Runeberg (; 29 December 1838 – 23 December 1920) was a Finnish Neoclassical sculpture, neo-classical sculptor. He was the son of Finnish national epic poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg. Biography Runeberg was born in Porvoo as the elde ...

, 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. Johan Ludvig Runeberg met poet Fredrika Wenman at a school in

Vaasa Vaasa (; , ), formerly (1855-1917) known as Nikolaistad (; ),Royal Academy of Turku The Royal Academy of Turku or the Royal Academy of Åbo was the first university in Finland, and the only Finnish university that was founded when the country still was a part of Sweden. It was founded in 1640. In 1809, after Finland became a ...

in 1823.

Legacy

Runeberg Day Runeberg Day (, ) is celebrated in Finland on February 5th in honor of the national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg, who was born on this day in 1804. Runeberg is remembered as the author of the romantic nationalistic epic ''The Tales of Ensign Stål' ...

(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

Esplanadi Esplanadi (), colloquially known as Espa, is an esplanade and urban park in downtown Helsinki, Finland, situated between the Erottaja square and the Market Square A market square (also known as a market place) is an urban square meant for tr ...

in the heart of

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

. Runeberg Township in

Becker County, Minnesota Becker County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,183, and was estimated to be 35,444 in 2024, Its county seat is Detroit Lakes. Part of the White Earth Indian Reservation extends into t ...

was also named after Runeberg. The

Runeberginkatu Runeberginkatu () is a major street in central Helsinki, Finland. Starting from Kampintori, it runs in a sweeping arc broadly northwards for approximately through the districts of Kamppi and Töölö, via Töölöntori square, terminating at ...

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. Early life and education Stork was born in Philadelphia on February 12, 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 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Runeberg, Johan Ludvig 1804 births 1877 deaths 19th-century Lutherans People from Jakobstad Writers from Ostrobothnia (administrative 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