Du Gamla, Du Fria

(), is the '' de facto'' national anthem of Sweden. Originally titled (), its lyrics were written in 1844 by Swedish antiquarian Richard Dybeck, who set them to a variation of the old folk melody ''Kärestans död'' ()''.''

The song has been widely recognised as the national anthem since the late 19th century, gaining prominence after King Oscar II, attending a dinner in 1893, stood in acknowledgement upon hearing the song. It gained further recognition in 1938, when Sveriges Radio, the national public broadcaster, began playing it at the conclusion of its daily programming. In 2000, the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament) declined a proposal to officially recognise ''Du gamla, du fria'' as the national anthem, stating that its established status through tradition rendered formal adoption unnecessary.

Dybeck's original lyrics consist of two verses, reflecting the ideals of Scandinavianism. It references the Nordic region () but not Sweden itself, making the Polish national anthem the only national anthem to reference Sweden. Various attempts have been made to introduce additional verses that explicitly mention Sweden, but none have been popularly adopted.

In addition to the national anthem, Sweden has a royal anthem, Kungssången ()'','' which holds official ''de jure'' status.

History

The original lyrics were written by Richard Dybeck in 1844, to the melody of a variant of the ballad "" (). The ballad type is classified as D 280 in The Types of the Scandinavian Medieval Ballad; the variant from Västmanland that Dybeck reproduced is classified as SMB 133 G. It was recorded by Rosa Wretman at the beginning of the 1840s. Dybeck published the traditional text in ''Folk-lore I'', and the melody in 1845 in his ''Runa'', where he also published his new text "Sång till Norden" (Song for/to the North).

Dybeck himself originally wrote the beginning as "" (), but in the late 1850s, he changed the lyrics to "". The song was already published in several song books and sung with "", but a priest who had known Dybeck took the opportunity to inform the singer most associated with the song, opera singer , about the change in the year 1900. From that point on, printings of the "" version ceased to be seen in song books, but a recording from 1905 where it is sung with "friska" still exists. The Swedish composer Edvin Kallstenius made an orchestral arrangement of the song in 1933.

By the early 20th century, many regarded the song unsuitable as a national anthem. From the 1890s, it was included in the "patriotic songs" section of song books, but up to the 1920s it was occasionally published just as "folk music". In 1899, a contest to produce a national anthem was held. It led to Verner von Heidenstam writing "Sverige", but did not lead to a new national anthem.

Patriotic sentiment is notably absent from the text of the original two verses, due to their being written in the spirit of Scandinavism popular at the time. After the song started to acquire its informal status as the national anthem, various people wrote additional verses to increase the "Swedish-ness" of the song. The aforementioned Lundqvist wrote his own third verse beginning with "" (); wrote four verses beginning with "" (); and Louise Ahlén with two verses. However, these are not accepted as part of the anthem, and are not normally published or sung.

Status

Similarly to the national anthems of Finland and the United Kingdom, ''Du gamla, du fria'' is not defined in Sweden's constitutional Basic Laws, nor has it been formally recognised by other legislation, unlike Sweden's flag and coat of arms. Despite this, the song enjoys universal recognition, and is used at official events such as state visits and the Opening of the Riksdag, at sporting events, and at the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony.

The song gained status as the national anthem from the late 19th century, becoming predominant in 1893 after King Oscar II stood up in acknowledgement of the song at a dinner at Lund University. In 1938, Sveriges Radio, the national public radio broadcasting service, began playing it at the conclusion of its daily programming, gaining it further recognition. By the end of the 1930s, the song's status had effectively been established.

The song's status has been the subject of multiple motions in the Riksdag. In 1986, a motion proposed granting the song legal recognition, but it was not passed. Further motions from MPs of various political parties in 2000, 2007, 2019 and 2024 have also sought official status for the anthem. However, none of these proposals have never been accepted by the Riksdag.

In 2000, a Riksdag committee concluded that, as ''Du gamla, du fria'' had already become de facto the national anthem, formal recognition was unnecessary. The committee argued that no official confirmation was required, as the anthem's status was already entrenched in Swedish society.

Melody

\new Staff <<
\set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t
\override Score.BarNumber #'transparent = ##t
\clef treble \key bes \major \tempo 4=76
\relative c'' {
\key bes \major
\partial 8 d8 ,
d4 bes8 bes bes4 c8 d ,
d4 c8 bes a4 r8 c8 , \break
c4 a8 bes c a d8. bes16 ,
g2 f4 r8 f8 , \break
bes4 bes8 c a4 a8 bes ,
g8. f16 g8 a f4 r8
\repeat volta 2 { f8 , \break % \repeat unfold 2 { f8 , \break
bes8. a16 bes8 c d bes es d ,
c2 bes4 r8
} \bar ":, ."
}
\addlyrics {
Du gam -- la, Du fri -- a, Du fjäll -- hö -- ga nord
Du tys -- ta, Du gläd -- je -- ri -- ka skö -- na!
Jag häl -- sar Dig, vä -- nas -- te land __ _ up -- på jord,
Din sol, Din him -- mel, Di -- na äng -- der grö -- na.
Din sol, Din him -- mel, Di -- na äng -- der grö -- na.
}
\addlyrics {
Du tro -- nar på min -- nen från forn -- sto -- ra da'r,
då ä -- rat Ditt namn flög ö -- ver jor -- den.
Jag vet att Du är och Du blir __ _ vad Du var.
Ja, jag vill le -- va jag vill dö i Nor -- den!
Ja, jag vill le -- va jag vill dö i Nor -- den!
}
>>

Lyrics

Swedish

Modern version

''Du gamla, du fria'' contains two verses, both of which are sung.
{, class="wikitable" cellpadding="6"
, +Du gamla, du fria
! Swedish original
! IPA transcription
! English translation
, - style="vertical-align:top; white-space:nowrap;"
, Du gamla, Du fria, Du fjällhöga nord
Du tysta, Du glädjerika sköna!
Jag hälsar Dig, vänaste land uppå jord,
𝄆 Din sol, Din himmel, Dina ängder gröna. 𝄇

Du tronar på minnen från fornstora da'r,
då ärat Ditt namn flög över jorden.
Jag vet att Du är och Du blir vad Du var.
𝄆 Ja, jag vill leva, jag vill dö i Norden. 𝄇

, ʉː ˈɡâmː.la dʉː ˈfrîː.a dʉː ˈfjɛ̂lː.ˌhøː.ɡa nǔːɖ ʉː ˈtʏ̂sː.ta dʉː ˈɡlɛ̂ːd.jɛ̠.ˌriː.ka ˈɧø̂ː.na ‖ ɑː(ɡ) ˈhɛ̂lː.sa‿ɖɛj ˈvɛ̂ː.nas.tɛ̠ lanːd ˈɵ̌p.poː juːɖ 𝄆 ɪnː suːl dɪnː ˈhɪ̂m.mɛ̠l ˈdîː.na ˈɛ̂ŋː.dɛ̠r ˈɡrø̂ː.na ‖𝄇

ʉː ˈtrûː.nar poː ˈmɪ̂n.nɛ̠n froːn ˈfûːɳ.ˌʂtuː.ra dɑːr ǒː ˈæ̂ː.rat dɪtː namːn fløːɡ ˈøː.vɛ̠r ˈjǔː.ɖɛ̠n ‖ ɑː(ɡ) věːt atː dʉː æːr ɔ(kː) dʉː bliːr vɑː(d) dʉː vɑːr 𝄆 ɑː jɑː(ɡ) vɪlː ˈlêː.va jɑː(ɡ) vɪlː døː iː ˈnǔː.ɖɛ̠n ‖𝄇

, You ancient, you free, you mountainous North
You quiet, you joyous beauty!
I greet you, loveliest land upon Earth,
𝄆 Your sun, your sky, your meadows green. 𝄇

You are enthroned upon memories of ancient days,
When honoured your name flew across Earth,
I know that you are, and you will be, what you were,
𝄆 Yes, I want to live, I want to die in the North. 𝄇

Original lyrics

Richard Dybeck originally wrote these lyrics, but revised them in the late 1850s to the version used today. The lyrics presented here also follow archaic spelling conventions that were in use before the 1906 Swedish spelling reform.
{, class="wikitable" cellpadding="6"
, +Du gamla, du friska
! Swedish original
!English translation
, - style="vertical-align:top; white-space:nowrap;"
, Du gamla, du friska, du fjellhöga Nord,
Du tysta, du glädjerika sköna!
Jag helsar dig, vänsta land uppå jord,
𝄆 Din sol, din himmel, dina ängder gröna. 𝄇

Du tronar på minnen från fornstora da'r,
Då äradt ditt namn flög öfver jorden;
Jag vet att du är och blir hvad du var,
𝄆 Ack, jag vill lefva, jag vill dö i Norden! 𝄇

, You ancient, you healthy, you mountainous North
You quiet, you joyous beauty!
I greet you, loveliest land upon Earth,
𝄆 Your sun, your sky, your meadows green. 𝄇

You are enthroned upon memories of ancient days,
When honoured your name flew across Earth,
I know that you are, and you will be, what you were,
𝄆 Oh! I want to live, I want to die in the North. 𝄇

National minority languages

''Du gamla, du fria'' is sung in Swedish in official contexts, however translations of the lyrics into some of Sweden's national minority languages exist.

Finnish

''Pohjolanmaa'' () is the ''de facto'' Finnish version of the song. Originally translated by Finnish writer (1862–1927), it has been used in textbooks produced by the Swedish National Agency for Education. Finnish is an official ''national'' ''minority language'' in Sweden.

{, class="wikitable" cellpadding="6"
, +Pohjolanmaa
! Finnish version
! English translation
, - style="vertical-align:top; white-space:nowrap;"
, Sä jylhä ja ponteva pohjolanmaa,
sä hiljainen riemun kehto parhain,
sä armahin seutu, min kohdata saa,
𝄆 maa kukkanurmein, koskein, tähtitarhain. 𝄇

Sun muistosi suuret, sun uljahat työs
ei hukkua saata ajanvuolla;
mit’ ennen voit olla, voit vastakin myös –
𝄆 mä pohjolassa tahdon elää, kuolla. 𝄇

, You majestic and vigourous North,
you quiet cradle of joy, the best of them all,
you most beloved country, that one can ever meet.
𝄆 Land of flower fields, brooks, starry heavens. 𝄇

Your great memories, your grand works,
may not drown in the passage of time;
what you once were, you can be once more –
𝄆 In the North I want to live, to die. 𝄇

Southern Sámi

In 1938, Sveriges Radio recorded a Southern Sámi version of ''Du gamla, du fria'', performed by students from Skarvsjöby nomad school in Västerbotten. The lyrics were taken from the 1911 songbook ''Sami laulotasah – Liten lappsk och svensk sångbok'' (), though the author is unknown. The Sámi languages have official ''national'' ''minority language'' status in Sweden.

{, class="wikitable" cellpadding="6"
! Southern Sámi version
, - style="vertical-align:top; white-space:nowrap;"
, Tån aiteki lanta tu all vari kum,
tån tjappa tån avost tievas ätnam.
Mån ätsav tu fapmokis ruodnis mietsi kum
𝄆 tu almev, tu jaurit, tu änoit. 𝄇

Tu namma li allak tu fapmo vil aj,
tu kudne kitt alme radjai kulloi.
Mån tietav att nåu tat kalka sjaddat aj.
𝄆 Mån sitav viessot, japmet ietjat lunne. 𝄇

See also

* Flag of Sweden
* National Day of Sweden
* Public holidays in Sweden

Notes

References

Sources

*

External links

*
*

{{authority control

1844 songs
European anthems
National symbols of Sweden
National anthems
Songs in Swedish
Swedish patriotic songs
Compositions in B-flat major