is a Swedish association for men, founded in 1862 in Stockholm.

Founding

Sällskapet Idun traces its founding back to 22 November 1862 at the Hotel Fenix in Stockholm, Sweden. Its founders consisted of

Edward Bergh Johan Edward Bergh (29 March 1828 – 23 September 1880) was a Swedish jurist and landscape painter, associated with the Düsseldorf School. Biography Bergh was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He was the son of Severin Bergh and Emma Forsström. His ...

and

Johan Fredrik Höckert Johan Fredrik Höckert (26 August 1826 – 16 September 1866) was a well-known Swedish artist from Jönköping known for his colorful, dramatic oil paintings depicting historical events. He is one of the most famous nineteenth-century painters in ...

, artists and professors at the

Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts ( sv, Kungliga Akademien för de fria konsterna), commonly called the Royal Academy, is located in Stockholm, Sweden. An independent organization that promotes the development of painting, sculpture, architec ...

;

Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld (18 November 183212 August 1901) was a Finland-Swedish aristocrat, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer. He was a member of the Fenno-Swedish Nordenskiöld family of scientists and held the title of a friher ...

, researcher and professor at the

Swedish Museum of Natural History The Swedish Museum of Natural History ( sv, Naturhistoriska riksmuseet, literally, the National Museum of Natural History), in Stockholm, is one of two major museums of natural history in Sweden, the other one being located in Gothenburg. The ...

;

Axel Key Ernst Axel Henrik Key (25 October 1832 – 27 December 1901) was a Swedish pathologist, member of parliament, writer and rector at Karolinska Institute. Biography Upbringing and education Key was born in 1832 in Johannisberg in Flisby sock ...

, professor and rector of the

Karolinska Institute The Karolinska Institute (KI; sv, Karolinska Institutet; sometimes known as the (Royal) Caroline Institute in English) is a research-led medical university in Solna within the Stockholm urban area of Sweden. The Karolinska Institute is consist ...

;

Harald Wieselgren Harald Ossian Wieselgren (2 November 1835 – 17 March 1906) was a Swedish librarian, biography author and publicist. Biography Wieselgren was born in 1835 in Västerstads socken, Scania, Sweden, to priest Peter Wieselgren, who also had a str ...

, librarian of the

National Library A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public library, public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, o ...

, and composer

Ivar Hallström Ivar Christian Hallström, born Stockholm, 5 June 1826, died in that city on 11 April 1901 was a Swedish composer, particularly of opera.Wiklund A. Ivar Christian Hallström. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London and New Yor ...

. Wieselgren, as secretary, was the unifying and driving force for several decades. He is the main character in Zorn's painting ('A Toast in the Idun Society') from 1892.

Activity

The statutes of 1862 stated that the association was for "men living in Stockholm who have their own activities and interests in science, literature and art in various fields." According to the latest revised statutes of 6 December 2000, the organization's mission is "to promote interaction between people active in different cultural fields." meets once a month, except during the summer months, with lectures and art sessions at which artists give insights into their work. The November meeting is devoted to music. The association is governed by an annually elected board, whose chairman is appointed from within the board. The secretary is responsible for the day-to-day running of the association, together with a treasurer and a club master, also appointed at the annual general meeting. New members are elected in the order provided for by the statutes by the committee on the proposal of at least two members. The number of members has been between 550 and 600 for a long time. In 1912, wrote about the society's history in .

Similar associations

Corresponding associations for men elsewhere in the country with similar programs are in Örebro (also founded in 1862), , also for women, in Gothenburg (founded in 1878) and the in Malmö (founded in 1891). In Denmark there is a similar society, , and in Norway .

Nya Idun Nya Idun is a Swedish cultural association for women founded in 1885, originally as a female counterpart to Sällskapet Idun ('the Idun Society'). Its aim was to "gather educated women in the Stockholm area for informal gatherings". There was a ...

is a women's association in Stockholm founded by

Calla Curman Calla Curman, née ''Lundström'' (1850–1935), was a Swedish writer, salon-holder and feminist. She was also the founder of Stångehuvud nature reserve and one of the five founders of the women's association Nya Idun. Family Calla Curman w ...

in 1885, originally as a female counterpart to .

Asteroid 176 Iduna

The asteroid

176 Iduna Iduna ( minor planet designation: 176 Iduna) is a large main-belt asteroid that was discovered by German-American astronomer Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters on October 14, 1877, in Clinton, New York. It is named after Sällskapet Idun, a cl ...

was named after the association.

References

Notes

Sources

External links

Sällskapet Idun
– the association's homepage {{DEFAULTSORT:Saellskapet Idun Organizations established in 1862 Clubs and societies in Sweden Men's organizations