Johan Ludvig Runeberg - Wikipedia
Jump to content
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Finnish poet (1804–1877)
Johan Ludvig Runeberg
Portrait by
Albert Edelfelt
(1893)
Born
1804-02-05
5 February 1804
Jakobstad
, Sweden
Died
6 May 1877
(1877-05-06)
(aged 73)
Porvoo
Grand Duchy of Finland
, Russian Empire
Spouse
Fredrika Tengström
Children
8, including
Walter
Signature
Johan Ludvig Runeberg
Finland Swedish:
[ˈjuːhɑn
ˈlʉdːviɡ
ˈrʉːnebærj]
; 5 February 1804 – 6 May 1877)
was a Finnish
priest
, lyric and epic poet. He wrote exclusively in Swedish. He is considered a
national poet
of Finland.
He is the author of the lyrics to
Vårt land
Our Land
Maamme
in Finnish) which became the Finnish
national anthem
. Runeberg was also involved in the modernization of the
Finnish Lutheran hymnal
and produced many texts for the new edition.
Statue of Johan Ludvig Runeberg
on
Esplanadi
in
Helsinki
, Finland
Background
edit
Childhood
edit
Runeberg was born into a Swedish-speaking family in
Jakobstad
, on the shores of the
Gulf of Bothnia
. His parents were
sea captain
Lorentz Ulrik Runeberg (1772–1828) and Anna Maria Malm (1782–1834).
His paternal grandfather Ludvig had moved within Sweden from the west to the
east
, which is now Finland, and Anna Maria Malm was born to a
merchant
family from Jakobstad, which probably also had their roots in Sweden.
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.
From his father, Johan inherited a manly and brisk character, and from his mother, he inherited sensitivity and artistic talent.
Education
edit
At the age of eight, Runeberg was sent to live with his uncle and attend school in
Oulu
. Runeberg studied in the city of
Vaasa
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
, where he served as professor of Latin literature in the
Borgå gymnasium
. Runeberg was the tutor of
Carl Henrik Alopaeus
, 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 (at which Alopaeus taught) as well as serving on the school board. Finnish
salon
hostess
Natalia Castrén
(1830–1881) was a member of Runeberg's cultural circle.
10
11
Poetry
edit
Many of his poems deal with life in rural Finland. The best known of these is
Bonden Paavo
, (
Farmer Paavo
Saarijärven Paavo
in Finnish), about a
smallholding
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
into his
bark bread
to stave off
starvation
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.
12
13
Selected works
edit
Runeberg's main works included the idealist poem "
Älgskyttarna
" (Elk Hunters, 1832) and the epic
Kung Fjalar
(King Fjalar, 1844). The heroic poem
Fänrik Ståls Sägner
The Tales of Ensign Stål
Vänrikki Stoolin tarinat
in
Finnish
) written between 1848 and 1860 is considered the greatest Finnish
epic poem
outside the native
Kalevala
tradition and contains tales of the
Finnish War
of 1808–09 with
Russia
. During the war,
Sweden
ignominiously lost Finland to Russia, and by the order of
Alexander I
, the
Grand Duchy of Finland
was established. 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
Vårt land
Our Land
Maamme
in Finnish) became the unofficial
Finnish National Anthem
14
15
Personal life
edit
He was married to his second cousin
Fredrika Runeberg
, née Tengström, who wrote poems and novels. They were the parents of eight children, including the sculptor
Walter Runeberg
, who was their eldest son.
16
17
He also had several emotional affairs throughout his life, most notably with Maria Prytz and the younger poet
Emilie Björkstén
18
Johan Ludvig Runeberg met poet
Fredrika Wenman
at a school in
Vaasa
. Runeberg dedicated his poem to Frigga. However, the courtship ended when Runeberg left to study at the
Royal Academy of Turku
in 1823.
19
Legacy
edit
Runeberg torte
Runeberg Day
(Finnish:
Runebergin päivä
; Swedish:
Runebergsdagen
) is celebrated annually on 5 February, the day of Runeberg's birth. A pastry flavored with almonds called
Runeberg's torte
(Finnish:
Runebergintorttu
; Swedish:
Runebergstårta
) is generally available in stores from the beginning of January until 5 February.
20
There is a statue of Johan Ludwig Runeberg by his son
Walter Runeberg
on
Esplanadi
in the heart of
Helsinki
21
Runeberg Township
in
Becker County, Minnesota
was also named after Runeberg.
22
The
Runeberginkatu
street in central Helsinki is named after him.
23
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
Helsingfors Tidningar
, since Runeberg wrote most of his work in Swedish.
24
See also
edit
Biography portal
Finland portal
Literature portal
Poetry portal
List of Swedish-language writers
MS
J. L. Runeberg
Project Runeberg
Runeberg Prize
Runeberg torte
Sven Dufva
References
edit
"Runeberg: a patriotic 19th-century rapper"
Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Finland)
. 5 February 2016
. Retrieved
4 February
2018
Halonen, Jukka-Paco (26 April 2020).
Finlandia: Edición 2020
(in Spanish). Ecos Travek Books. pp.
60–
61.
ISBN
978-84-15491-05-7
"Hannu Vapaavuori: Virsikirja ennen virsikirjaa"
. Archived from
the original
on 20 March 2016
. Retrieved
21 April
2015
"The Finnish National Anthem"
. Finland Promotion Board. 29 March 2011
. Retrieved
15 April
2016
"Runeberg, J.L.".
Writers in Finland 1809–1916
(in Finnish). Helsinki:
Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura
och
Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland
. 1993. pp.
640–
651.
ISBN
951-717-714-3
Merikapteenin poika
Archived
7 February 2005 at the
Wayback Machine
(in Finnish)
Runebergin perhe – Pietarsaaren kaupunginmuseo
Archived
4 January 2022 at the
Wayback Machine
(in Finnish)
Helge Pohjolan-Pirhonen:
Kansakunnan historia 3: kansakunta löytää itsensä
, p. 529–550. Helsinki: WSOY, 1973. ISBN 951-0-05774-6. (in Finnish)
Suomen kansallisbiografia
, National Biography of Finland. Accessed 16 June 2023.
"Johan Ludvig Runeberg"
. University of Helsinki, Faculty of Arts. 5 February 2015
. Retrieved
15 April
2016
"Carl Henrik Alopaeus"
The Finnish Museum of the Deaf
. Retrieved
25 July
2021
Matti Klinge, translated by Roderick Fletcher.
"Runeberg, Johan Ludvig (1804–1877)"
. Biografiakeskus
. Retrieved
10 April
2016
June Pelo.
"Johan Ludvig Runeberg – National Poet of Finland"
. sydaby.eget.net
. Retrieved
15 April
2016
Martti Turtola.
"150th Anniversary of the Finnish National Anthem"
. Universitas Helsingiensis
. Retrieved
15 April
2016
Lotta Lotass.
"Johan Ludvig Runeberg"
. litteraturbanken
. Retrieved
15 April
2016
"Fredrika Runeberg"
. Porvoon Museo. Archived from
the original
on 11 February 2003
. Retrieved
10 April
2016
Liisa Lindgren.
"Walter Runeberg, Skulptör, professor"
. Biografiskt lexikon för Finland
. Retrieved
10 April
2016
Rahikainen, Agneta.
"Ystävien seurassa"
J.L.Runeberg
(in Finnish). Archived from
the original
on 8 December 2015
. Retrieved
12 April
2021
"Johan Ludwig Runeberg"
digi.kansalliskirjasto.fi
(in Finnish). 30 January 1904
. Retrieved
9 September
2023
"Runebergintortut"
. Yle yhtiönä. 6 June 2012
. Retrieved
15 April
2016
"Esplanadin puisto – Esplanade Park"
. City of Helsinki Public Works Department. Archived from
the original
on 3 March 2016
. Retrieved
15 April
2016
Upham, Warren (1920).
Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance
. Minnesota Historical Society. p.
30
Helsingin Kadunnimet
(PDF)
(in Finnish) (2nd revised ed.). City of Helsinki. 1981. p. 132
. Retrieved
15 January
2021
"J.L. Runeberg ja runous 10 €, BU"
. Suomen Rahapaja. Archived from
the original
on 27 October 2017
. Retrieved
15 April
2016
External links
edit
Vårt land
(Maamme)
Archived
26 April 2016 at the
Wayback Machine
Works by Runeberg
at
Project Runeberg
Johan Ludvig Runeberg at Swedish Wikisource
Works by Johan Ludvig Runeberg
at
Project Gutenberg
Works by or about Johan Ludvig Runeberg
at the
Internet Archive
Works by Johan Ludvig Runeberg
at
LibriVox
(public domain audiobooks)
Recipe for Runeberg Torte (Finnish: Runebergintorttu; Swedish: Runebergstårta)
Runeberg translations
by
Charles Wharton Stork
, pp. 56–80
Anthology of Swedish lyrics from 1750 to 1915
at the
Internet Archive
"Johan Ludvig Runeberg"
Biografiskt lexikon för Finland
(in Swedish). Helsingfors:
Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland
urn
NBN:fi:sls-4596-1416928957202
Works by or about
Johan Ludvig Runeberg
at
Wikisource
Media related to
Johan Ludvig Runeberg
at Wikimedia Commons
Lutheran hymnody
hymnals
Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book
(1912)
Common Service Book
(1917)
The Lutheran Hymnal
(1941)
Service Book and Hymnal
(1958)
Lutheran Book of Worship
(1978)
Lutheran Worship
(1982)
Lutheran Hymnal with Supplement
(1989)
Christian Worship
(1993)
Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary
(1996)
Evangelical Lutheran Worship
(2006)
Lutheran Service Book
(2006)
ReClaim Hymnal
(2006)
Christian Worship: Hymnal
(2021)
German hymnals
First Lutheran hymnal
(1524)
Erfurt Enchiridion
(1524)
Eyn geystlich Gesangk Buchleyn
(1524)
Praxis pietatis melica
(1640/47)
Becker Psalter
(1602)
Evangelisches Gesangbuch
(1993)
In other languages
Danish
Den Danske Salmebog
Guldberg's hymnal
Kingo's hymnal
Thomissøn's hymnal
Faroese
Sálmabók Føroya kirkju
Finnish
Siionin Virret
Virsikirja
Icelandic
Passion Hymns
Norwegian
Nokre salmar
(1869)
Landstads kirkesalmebog
(1870)
Psalmebog for Kirke og Hus
(1873)
Landstads reviderte salmebok
(1924)
Nynorsk salmebok
(1925)
Salmer 1973
Norsk Salmebok (1985)
Salmer 1997
Norsk salmebok 2013
Spanish
Culto Cristiano
Swedish
Swenske songer
(1536)
Een liten Songbook
(in Swedish, 1553)
Den svenska psalmboken (1695)
Den svenska psalmboken (1819)
Hemlandssånger
(in Swedish, 1891)
Den svenska psalmboken (1937)
Den svenska psalmboken (1986)
Hymnodists
and
hymnologists
Mikael Agricola
Johann Georg Albinus
Albert von Brandenburg
Michael Altenburg
Anna Sophia II
Johann Sebastian Bach
Emilie Juliane of Barby-Mühlingen
Martin Behm
Sigmund von Birken
Carl Boberg
Birgitte Cathrine Boye
Hans Adolph Brorson
Johan Nordahl Brun
Joachim a Burck
Dieterich Buxtehude
Christian Cappelen
Elisabeth Cruciger
Johann Crüger
Simon Dach
Wolfgang Dachstein
Nikolaus Decius
Paul Eber
Ludmilla Elisabeth
Princess Eugénie
Jacobus Finno
Paul Fleming
Johann Franck
Michael Franck
Melchior Franck
Salomon Franck
Frans Michael Franzén
Erik Gustaf Geijer
Paul Gerhardt
Bartholomäus Gesius
Johannes Gigas
N. F. S. Grundtvig
Britt G. Hallqvist
Andreas Hammerschmidt
Claus Harms
Fredrik Gabriel Hedberg
Christian Fürchtegott Gellert
Johann Heermann
Ludwig Helmbold
Valerius Herberger
Nikolaus Herman
Johannes Hermann
Sebald Heyden
Anders Hovden
Konrad Hubert
Bernhard Severin Ingemann
Justus Jonas
Sigfrid Karg-Elert
Christian Keymann
Balthasar Kindermann
Thomas Kingo
Børre Knudsen
Johann Kolross
Johann Balthasar König
Julius Krohn
Magnus Brostrup Landstad
Ludvig Mathias Lindeman
Elias Lönnrot
Matthäus Apelles von Löwenstern
Matthias Loy
Sigurd Lunde
Martin Luther
Wilhelmi Malmivaara
Hemminki of Masku
Felix Mendelssohn
Johann Matthäus Meyfart
Georg Neumark
Erdmann Neumeister
Philipp Nicolai
Johann Pachelbel
Hallgrímur Pétursson
Michael Praetorius
Christian Heinrich Postel
Adam Reusner
Bartholomäus Ringwaldt
Martin Rinkart
Johann Rist
Christian Knorr von Rosenroth
Daniel Rumpius
Johan Runeberg
Gottfried Wilhelm Sacer
Lina Sandell
Carl Schalk
Martin Schalling
Heinrich Scheidemann
Johann Hermann Schein
Benjamin Schmolck
Cyriakus Schneegass
Johann Schop
Johann Balthasar Schupp
Heinrich Schütz
Nikolaus Selnecker
Eyvind Skeie
Haquin Spegel
Lazarus Spengler
Paul Speratus
Philipp Spitta
Paul Stockmann
Jesper Swedberg
Jiří Třanovský
Melchior Teschner
N. Samuel of Tranquebar
Zachris Topelius
Leonard Typpö
Jaroslav Vajda
Gottfried Vopelius
Philipp Wackernagel
Johan Olof Wallin
Johann Walter
Michael Weiße
Georg Weissel
Olle Widestrand
Carl David af Wirsén
Catherine Winkworth
Johannes Zahn
Luther § Hymnodist
Hymns by Luther
Lutheran hymn
In continental Europe
Lutheran chorale
Chorale setting
Chorale cantata
Romanticism
Countries
Denmark
England (literature)
France
(literature)
Germany
Italy
Japan
Norway
Poland
Russia (literature)
Scotland
Spain (literature)
Sweden (literature)
Movements
Ancients
Bohemianism
Coppet group
Counter-Enlightenment
Dark
Düsseldorf School
German historical school
Gothicism
Gothic revival
Hudson River School
Indianism
Jena
Lake Poets
Lebensphilosophie
Nationalist
Nazarene movement
Neo
Pre
Sturm und Drang
Post
Purismo
Transcendentalism
Ukrainian school
Ultra
Viking revival
Wallenrodism
Themes
Blue flower
British Marine
Gesamtkunstwerk
Gothic fiction
Hero
Byronic
Romantic
Historical fiction
Mal du siècle
Medievalism
Noble savage
Nostalgia
Ossian
Pantheism
Rhine
Romantic genius
Wanderlust
Weltschmerz
White Mountain art
Writers
Brazil
Abreu
Alencar
Manuel Antônio de Almeida
Alves
Assis
Azevedo
Barreto
Dias
Guimarães
Macedo
Magalhães
Reis
Taunay
Varela
France
Baudelaire
Bertrand
Chateaubriand
Dumas
Gautier
Hugo
Lamartine
Mérimée
Musset
Nerval
Nodier
Staël
Vigny
Germany
A. v. Arnim
B. v. Arnim
Beer
Brentano
Eichendorff
Fouqué
Goethe
Brothers Grimm
Günderrode
Gutzkow
Hauff
Heine
Hoffmann
Hölderlin
Jean Paul
Kleist
Mörike
Novalis
Schwab
Tieck
Uhland
Great
Britain
Barbauld
Blake
Anne Brontë
C. Brontë
E. Brontë
Burns
Byron
Carlyle
Clare
Coleridge
de Quincey
Maria Edgeworth
Keats
Lamb
Maturin
Polidori
Radcliffe
Mary Robinson
Scott
Seward
M. Shelley
P. B. Shelley
Southey
Wordsworth
Poland
Fredro
Krasiński
Józef Ignacy Kraszewski
Malczewski
Mickiewicz
Norwid
Potocki
Wincenty Pol
Słowacki
Portugal
Castelo Branco
Castilho
João de Deus
Dinis
Garrett
Herculano
Soares dos Passos
Romania
Mihail Kogălniceanu
Constantin Negruzzi
Vasile Alecsandri
Dimitrie Bolintineanu
Mihai Eminescu
George Coșbuc
Octavian Goga
Alexandru Macedonski
Barbu Ștefănescu Delavrancea
Russia
Baratynsky
Batyushkov
Gogol
Karamzin
Küchelbecker
Lermontov
Pushkin
Tyutchev
Vyazemsky
Zhukovsky
Serbia
Jakšić
Kostić
Milutinović-Sarajlija
Radičević
Stojadinović-Srpkinja
Vidaković
Zmaj
Spain
Bécquer
Rosalía de Castro
Espronceda
Gutiérrez
Saavedra
Zorrilla
U.S.
Bryant
Cooper
Emerson
Hawthorne
Josiah Gilbert Holland
Irving
Longfellow
Lowell
Poe
Other
Abovian
Alfieri
Andersen
Baratashvili
Botev
Chavchavadze
Foscolo
Frashëri
Geijer
Grundtvig
Heliade
Isaacs
Lenau
Leopardi
Mácha
Manzoni
Maturin
Oehlenschläger
Orbeliani
Prešeren
Raffi
Runeberg
Shevchenko
Topelius
Vörösmarty
Wergeland
Njegoš
Musicians
Austria
Bruckner
Czerny
Hummel
Mahler
Schubert
Thalberg
Wolf
Bohemia
Dvořák
Moscheles
Reicha
Smetana
Voříšek
France
Adam
Alkan
Auber
Berlioz
Fauré
Franck
Halévy
Méhul
Onslow
Saint-Saëns
Germany
Beethoven
Brahms
Bruch
Fanny Hensel
Kalkbrenner
Loewe
Marschner
Felix Mendelssohn
Meyerbeer
Moszkowski
C. Schumann
R. Schumann
Spohr
Strauss
Wagner
Weber
Great Britain
Bennett
Elgar
Holst
Vaughan Williams
Hungary
Erkel
Goldmark
Heller
Hubay
Joachim
Liszt
Italy
Bellini
Busoni
Cherubini
Donizetti
Paganini
Respighi
Rossini
Spontini
Verdi
Poland
Bortkiewicz
Chopin
Lipiński
Moniuszko
Paderewski
Stolpe
Tausig
Wieniawski
Russia
Arensky
Balakirev
Borodin
Cui
Glinka
Lyapunov
Medtner
Mussorgsky
Rachmaninoff
Rimsky-Korsakov
Rubinstein
Scriabin
Tchaikovsky
Serbia
Hristić
Konjović
Mokranjac
Stanković
U.S.
Chadwick
Beach
Foote
Foster
Joplin
MacDowell
Sousa
Other
Berwald
Field
Grieg
Sibelius
Sor
Philosophers
Belinsky
Berchet
Burke
Carlyle
Chaadayev
Coleridge
Constant
Emerson
Fichte
Goethe
Hazlitt
Hegel
Khomyakov
Lamennais
Larra
Maistre
Mazzini
Michelet
Müller
Novalis
Quinet
Rousseau
Schelling
Schiller
A. Schlegel
F. Schlegel
Schleiermacher
Senancour
Snellman
Staël
Thoreau
Tieck
Wackenroder
Visual artists
Aivazovsky
Bierstadt
Blake
Bonington
Bryullov
Chassériau
Church
Constable
Cole
Corot
Cowper
Dahl
David d'Angers
Delacroix
Edelfelt
Friedrich
Fuseli
Gallen-Kallela
Géricault
Girodet
Głowacki
Goya
Gude
Hayez
Janmot
Jones
Kiprensky
Koch
Lampi
Leutze
Martin
Michałowski
Palmer
Porto-Alegre
Préault
Révoil
Richard
Rolland
Rude
Runge
Saleh
Sant
Scheffer
Stattler
Stroy
Tidemand
Tropinin
Turner
Veit
Ward
Wiertz
Scholars
Abraham
Abrams
Barzun
Beiser
Berlin
Blanning
Bloom
Blume
Dahlhaus
Ferber
Frye
Janion
Lacoue-Labarthe
Lovejoy
de Man
Nancy
Porthan
Ricks
Rosen
Wellek
Related topics
Coleridge's theory of life
German idealism
List of romantics
List of Romantic poets
Middle Ages in history
Opium and Romanticism
Romantic ballet
Romantic epistemology
Romantic medicine
Romantic poetry
Romantic psychology
Romanticism and economics
Romanticism and the French Revolution
Romanticism in science
Bacon
Evolution theory
Wanderer above the Sea of Fog
Age of Enlightenment
Modernism
Category
Authority control databases
International
ISNI
VIAF
GND
FAST
WorldCat
National
United States
France
BnF data
Italy
Czech Republic
Spain
Portugal
Netherlands
Norway
Latvia
Greece
Sweden
Poland
Israel
Finland
Academics
CiNii
Artists
MusicBrainz
KulturNav
Discography of American Historical Recordings
FID
People
Trove
Deutsche Biographie
DDB
Other
IdRef
Open Library
SNAC
RISM
Yale LUX
Retrieved from "
Categories
Johan Ludvig Runeberg
1804 births
1877 deaths
19th-century Lutherans
People from Jakobstad
Writers from Ostrobothnia (administrative region)
Finnish Lutherans
Swedish-language Finnish poets
Swedish-language Finnish writers
Finnish Lutheran hymnwriters
Swedish Lutheran hymnwriters
Lutheran poets
Lutheran writers
National anthem writers
National symbols of Finland
Swedish-speaking Finns
Hidden categories:
CS1 Spanish-language sources (es)
CS1 Finnish-language sources (fi)
Webarchive template wayback links
Use dmy dates from February 2020
Articles with short description
Short description is different from Wikidata
Biography with signature
Articles with hCards
Pages with Finland Swedish IPA
Articles containing Swedish-language text
Articles containing Finnish-language text
Articles with Project Gutenberg links
Articles with Internet Archive links
Articles with LibriVox links
CS1 Swedish-language sources (sv)
Commons category link is on Wikidata
Johan Ludvig Runeberg
Add topic