ESAIAS TEGNÉR

Esaias Tegnér (1782–1846) was one of Sweden's most prominent poets during the 19th century. He studied and taught at Lund University in southern Sweden, but was originally from Värmland in central Sweden. Tegnér is known as the father of modern poetry and romanticism in Sweden. Parts of his residence in Lund are preserved as the Tegnérmuseum, which you can visit to experience the place where most of his well-known poetry was written.

Tegnér's time as student and professor at Lund University was a lively and happy period in his life. He participated in political clubs, and made his name well known both in the academic and national sense. It was during this time he developed many of his more important relationships with close friends, colleagues and love interests. During his life he had several intimate relationships with women outside his marriage, both platonic and romantic. His wife, Anna Myhrman, stayed loyal to him despite his affairs. She was a constant and stable presence in his life, especially when his illnesses left him unable to complete his duties as a Bishop.

Tegnér became Bishop of Växjö in 1824, and moved from Lund in 1826 to tend to his Bishop duties full-time. He was driven to the change of career because of economical hardships, even though his absence from academia made him noticeably unhappy. Tegnér struggled with both physical and mental health. He began experiencing bouts of illness while he was still living in Lund. Both physical ailments and melancholia led to him being bed bound for weeks at a time, but it never hindered his love for poetry. His first illness led to the publishing of the poem Mjältsjukan, which refers to depression and melancholy in Swedish.

Similar bouts of mental illness followed him throughout his life and came to a peak in 1840 after suffering from a stroke. He recovered physically but became manic and unpredictable. Tegnér's family sent him to Stockholm for treatment, but the isolation only worsened him. His mental state led to a year of treatment in Schleswig in current Germany, which was under Danish rule at the time. He returned home to Sweden far better than when he left, although he never fully recovered from the stroke. He remained at his Bishop residence until his death to another stroke in 1846.

Frithiof's Saga, Tegnér's masterpiece, was the first piece of Swedish literature to reach an international audience. It especially captured the eye of princess Alexandrina Victoria of England. Tegnér and his Frithiof's Saga made the Icelandic sagas widely accessible for the common people. Tegnér's popularity spread far and wide in Victorian Britain, he would even come to be described as the "greatest of living poets".

The very first English translation of Esaias Tegnér's Frithiof's Saga was dedicated to the young princess Alexandrina Victoria. Frithiof's Saga became not just a Victorian story but rather Victoria's story, Victoria's Frithiof. Reverend William Strong, the translator, aimed to make what he called "a Scandinavian Legend of Royal Love" accessible to the young princess. Strong's translation acts as a tribute to Victoria, the future head of Britain's royal family.

During the 19th century there were no economical sponsors for the monarch and the institution of monarchy. At the time of Victoria's accession to the throne, the British monarchy was therefore unable to ensure the obedience and loyalty of its populace and subjects. The translation of Frithiof's Saga aimed at presenting Ingeborg in a certain way to serve as an example for the young Victoria. It was meant to teach her how to be and act, as well as to place her loyalty with her family and country. The story of Ingeborg and Frithiof was meant to serve as a mirror of who Victoria should be. 

The fact that Strong sees Victoria as the living embodiment of the young maiden Ingeborg is made clear in his preface. It's a character that places loyalty to family and country over personal fulfilment and happiness. The passive female stoicism is made an active virtue by prioritising honour and duty.

Frithiof's Saga was also appreciated by the Italian poet Alessandro Manzoni and the Scottish author and historian Sir Walter Scott. Tegnér was in turn inspired by the British poet Lord Byron, which is mostly noticeable in his poem Axel. He is also known to have had a portrait of Lord Byron in his office at his Bishop residence.