RUNEBERG, JOHAN LUDVIG national poet of Finland, son of a sea-captain, was born at Jakobstad, on Feb. 5, 1804. He was educated at the University of Abo and after its removal to Helsingfors, Runeberg became, in 1830, amanuensis to the council of the university. In 1831 his verse romance of Finnish life, Grafven i Perrho (The Grave in Perrho), received the small gold medal of the Swedish Academy, and the poet married Fredrika Charlotta Tengstrom, daughter of the archbishop of Finland. In the same year he was appointed uni versity lecturer on Roman literature. In 1837 Runeberg accepted the chair of Latin at Borga college, of which he was rector in 1847-50, and lived at Borga for the rest of his life.
His two idylls, Elgskyttarne (The Elk-Hunters) and Hanna had won for him a place second only to Tegner among the poets of Sweden. Later works are Nadeschda (1841) ; Julqviillen (1841) ; Fiinrik Stills Siigner (2 series, 1848 and 186o), patriotic poems on the war of independence of 1808; and Kungarne pa Salamis (1863), a tragedy. In 1844 he published the noble cycle of un rhymed verse romances derived from old Scandinavian legend and entitled King Fjalar. Runeberg died at Borga on May 6, 1877. His writings were collected by C. R. Nyblom in six
volumes in 1870, and his posthumous writings in three volumes (1878-79).
The poems of Runeberg show the influence of the Greeks and of Goethe upon his mind; but he possesses a great originality. It is hardly possible to over-estimate the value of his patriotic poems as a link between the Swedish and Finnish nations. He has re mained one of the most popular poets writing in Swedish, although his whole life was spent in Finland.