The New Student's Reference Work/Tegner, Esaias

Tegner (těng′nâr′), Esai′as, a popular Swedish poet, was born at Kyrkerud in 1782. He was graduated and appointed lecturer on aesthetics at the University of Lund. His poem, Sweden, which appeared in 1811, brought widespread popularity. Next year he took charge of a parish, besides the chair of Greek in the university, and yet found time to write, among other works, Axel, a poetic romance, and his epic, Frithiof's Saga, which at once became the most popular poem of Sweden. Its author was at once made bishop of Wexio, sat in the national legislature in the chamber of the clergy, and became noted as a political leader and speaker. When just about to be appointed archbishop, Tegner had an attack of insanity, which he inherited. He recovered his sanity but not his health, and died in 1846. The Children of the Lord's Supper has been finely translated into English verse by Longfellow.