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Nordic Gods in Classical Dress : De diis arctois by C. G. Brunius

Vetushko-Kalevich, Arsenii LU (2019) In Journal of Latin Cosmopolitanism and European Literatures p.57-71
Abstract
The 19th century in Sweden, like in many other European countries, saw a large
decline in the quantity of Neo-Latin literary production. However, a range of skillful Latin poets may be named from this period: Johan Lundblad, Johan Tranér, Emil Söderström, Johan Bergman and others, engaged as well in translating from Swedish into Latin as in composing poems of their own. It was also in the 19th century that the longest Latin poem ever written in Sweden came out – De diis arctois libri VI by Carl Georg Brunius (1792–1869), remarkably neglected by the scholars, although it was published twice during the lifetime of its author (1822 and 1857). The subject of the poem fits perfectly in the intellectual movement of the period, namely... (More)
The 19th century in Sweden, like in many other European countries, saw a large
decline in the quantity of Neo-Latin literary production. However, a range of skillful Latin poets may be named from this period: Johan Lundblad, Johan Tranér, Emil Söderström, Johan Bergman and others, engaged as well in translating from Swedish into Latin as in composing poems of their own. It was also in the 19th century that the longest Latin poem ever written in Sweden came out – De diis arctois libri VI by Carl Georg Brunius (1792–1869), remarkably neglected by the scholars, although it was published twice during the lifetime of its author (1822 and 1857). The subject of the poem fits perfectly in the intellectual movement of the period, namely national romantic interest in the Nordic antiquities. The six books represent a summary of Eddaic mythology from the creation of the Universe until the Ragnarök. Brunius’ admiration for the Scandinavian Middle Ages is apparent; later it turned out to be productive in architecture, the field in which Brunius is most remembered nowadays.
Brunius does not seek to turn Scandinavian gods into Greek ones. He accurately follows his sources (both the prosaic and, to a somewhat smaller extent, the poetic Edda) in content, sometimes even in wording. However, it should be born in mind that the writer was a classicist by his education. Although many compositional traits of ancient epos are lacking in the poem, it is full of the allusions to classical authors at the phrasal level. Some of them are formulaic verse elements, others deliberate and exquisite quotations. It is this elegant combination of close adherence to the sources with the use of the ancient authors (Virgil, Lucretius, Ovid, Horace) that the paper is mainly focused on. (Less)
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author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Carl Georg Brunius, Neo-Latin, Norse mythology, Latin epic, Romanticism
in
Journal of Latin Cosmopolitanism and European Literatures
issue
2
pages
15 pages
ISSN
2593-743X
DOI
10.21825/jolcel.v2i0.8303
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
ea4ceddb-fff0-4e84-b326-ddf494d39f6d
date added to LUP
2020-02-13 15:09:08
date last changed
2020-02-14 14:25:25
@article{ea4ceddb-fff0-4e84-b326-ddf494d39f6d,
  abstract     = {{The 19th century in Sweden, like in many other European countries, saw a large<br/>decline in the quantity of Neo-Latin literary production. However, a range of skillful Latin poets may be named from this period: Johan Lundblad, Johan Tranér, Emil Söderström, Johan Bergman and others, engaged as well in translating from Swedish into Latin as in composing poems of their own. It was also in the 19th century that the longest Latin poem ever written in Sweden came out – De diis arctois libri VI by Carl Georg Brunius (1792–1869), remarkably neglected by the scholars, although it was published twice during the lifetime of its author (1822 and 1857). The subject of the poem fits perfectly in the intellectual movement of the period, namely national romantic interest in the Nordic antiquities. The six books represent a summary of Eddaic mythology from the creation of the Universe until the Ragnarök. Brunius’ admiration for the Scandinavian Middle Ages is apparent; later it turned out to be productive in architecture, the field in which Brunius is most remembered nowadays.<br/>Brunius does not seek to turn Scandinavian gods into Greek ones. He accurately follows his sources (both the prosaic and, to a somewhat smaller extent, the poetic Edda) in content, sometimes even in wording. However, it should be born in mind that the writer was a classicist by his education. Although many compositional traits of ancient epos are lacking in the poem, it is full of the allusions to classical authors at the phrasal level. Some of them are formulaic verse elements, others deliberate and exquisite quotations. It is this elegant combination of close adherence to the sources with the use of the ancient authors (Virgil, Lucretius, Ovid, Horace) that the paper is mainly focused on.}},
  author       = {{Vetushko-Kalevich, Arsenii}},
  issn         = {{2593-743X}},
  keywords     = {{Carl Georg Brunius; Neo-Latin; Norse mythology; Latin epic; Romanticism}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{57--71}},
  series       = {{Journal of Latin Cosmopolitanism and European Literatures}},
  title        = {{Nordic Gods in Classical Dress : De diis arctois by C. G. Brunius}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.21825/jolcel.v2i0.8303}},
  doi          = {{10.21825/jolcel.v2i0.8303}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}