seaboard that Swedish culture struck roots. In the interior the Finnish tribes preserved their language and customs, and in one century there has been formed a strong national movement, which has already resulted in a conspicuous and extensive literature in the Finnish tongue. The first impulse to this movement was given by Porthan (1739-1804) by his activity in behalf of the history and national poetry of Finland. His example was afterward followed by many others. Among them the highest honor is due to Elias Lönnrot (born 1802), for it is by his efforts mainly that so much of Finland's poetry has been preserved. This remarkable and partly very old popular poetry, the so-called "Runor," is chiefly of a lyric character, with a quaint, sublime, and melancholy undertone, which harmonizes exquisitely with the wild, stern nature of the country in which it originated, for, as a Finnish song has it, "The Finnish harp is built of evil days, and its strings are made of sorrow." This poetry still lives, or has at least lived until very recently, on the lips of the people. The most excellent of what has been preserved is the Kalevala (the Finnish Edda), which contains the ancient mythological traditions in the form of lyric epic songs.[1] Among this song-loving people Runeberg was born, and the development of his mind took place just at the time when the grand Kalevala literature was first published.
Johan Ludvig Runeberg was born February 5, 1804, in Jakobstad, where his parents lived in poor circumstances. A relative of his took an interest in him, and in 1822 Runeberg became a student, from which time he was compelled to help himself. He had grown up under the influence of general European culture such as it was found among the Swedish Finlanders, and his favorite poet was Franzén, but later a sojourn of several years as tutor in the parish of Sarijärvi proved of the greatest importance to his future development. Here in the heart of Finland a number of new impressions
- ↑ Kalevala svensk Öfversättning af E. Collan, I-II, Helsingfors, 1864-68. Finska Toner, Öfversättning af R. Hertzberg, I, Stockholm, 1873. II, Helsingfors, 1874
