The New Student's Reference Work/Runeberg, Johann Ludvig

Runeberg (ro͞o′ne-ber′y’), Johann Ludvig, the national poet of Finland and the greatest poet who has written in Swedish, was born at Jacobstad, Finland, Jan. 5, 1804. His beautiful epic idyl of The Elk-Hunters appeared in 1832, followed soon by Christmas Eve and Hanna. Others of his best works are King Fjalar and Ensign Stals’ Stories, the opening poem of which, Our Land, Our Land, has been chosen as the national song of Finland. His poems embody the deepest feelings of the dual people of Finland, of the Finns no less than of the descendants of the Swedish immigrants. Runeberg died at Borga, May 6, 1877. See E. W. Gosse’s Northern Studies.