Sweden
Du gamla, du fria
Thou Ancient, Thou Free
1844
1866
Richard Dybeck
Traditional folk melody
🌿 Nature ❤ Love of homeland 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage |
Context
Written by Richard Dybeck in 1844 and set to a traditional Swedish folk melody. It has never been officially adopted as the national anthem by law but is universally recognized as such. The original first line was 'Du gamla, du friska' (Thou ancient, thou fresh) before being changed to 'du fria' (thou free).
Lyrics
Du gamla, du fria, du fjällhöga nord,
du tysta, du glädjerika sköna!
Jag hälsar dig, vänaste land uppå jord,
din sol, din himmel, dina ängar gröna,
din sol, din himmel, dina ängar gröna.
Du tronar på minnen från fornstora dar,
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!
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Interesting facts
- • Never officially adopted by law, yet universally recognized as Sweden's anthem
- • The original lyric was 'Thou ancient, thou fresh' but was changed to 'Thou ancient, thou free' in the early 1900s
- • Uses a traditional folk melody, making it one of the most musically authentic Scandinavian anthems