Sigurd Agrell
Encyclopedia
Sigurd Agrell was a Swedish
poet, translator, runologist
and professor of Slavic languages
at Lund University
.
, where he earned his licentiate degree
in 1907. He then continued his academic career at Lund University, where he in 1908 defended his PhD thesis on aspect
in Polish
. He received his doctoral degree
in 1909 and was later appointed associate professor (docent
) at the same university.
Having taught at Lund University since 1908, Agrell became professor of Slavic languages in 1921. He translated a number of Russian books, such as Slavic legends, and Ivan Bunin's stories. His 1925 translation of Leo Tolstoy
's Anna Karenina
was for a long time the standard translation of this novel in Sweden. At first, however, it was criticized for being more personal and original that a previous translation by Walborg Hedberg. Alongside his work in Slavic languages, Agrell was also interested in runology
, and published a number of papers in this field.
He began his poetic career as a 16-year-old secondary school student in Örebro
, where he contributed with translations and own poems to Lingvo internacia, an Esperanto
magazine that had been published in Uppsala since 1895. Among others, he translated poems by Swedish authors Erik Johan Stagnelius
and Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom
.
During his studies in Uppsala, Agrell belonged, together with John Landquist, Sven Lidman
and Harald Brising to Les quatre diables, a group of students with literary interests. Agrell wrote mainly symbolist
poetry, with an emphasis on form, but his interest in writing diminished as modern free verse poetry gained popularity in Sweden. At the same time, he became more focused on his academic work.
He is perhaps most known for his work in runology, particularly for formulating the Uthark theory
. He focused on the magical and mystical aspects of runes (gematria
).
Agrell married Anna Elvira Osterman. He was father to military psychologist Jan Agrell and zoologist Ivar Agrell. He died in 1937 and is buried at Norra kyrkogården in Lund.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
poet, translator, runologist
Runology
Runology is the study of the Runic alphabets, Runic inscriptions and their history. Runology forms a specialized branch of Germanic linguistics.-History:...
and professor of Slavic languages
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
at Lund University
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
.
Biography
Agrell's parents were Frans Vilhelm Agrell and Ida Vendela Örtenholm. After graduating from secondary school in Norrmalm in 1898, he was admitted to Uppsala UniversityUppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
, where he earned his licentiate degree
Licentiate
Licentiate is the title of a person who holds an academic degree called a licence. The term may derive from the Latin licentia docendi, meaning permission to teach. The term may also derive from the Latin licentia ad practicandum, which signified someone who held a certificate of competence to...
in 1907. He then continued his academic career at Lund University, where he in 1908 defended his PhD thesis on aspect
Grammatical aspect
In linguistics, the grammatical aspect of a verb is a grammatical category that defines the temporal flow in a given action, event, or state, from the point of view of the speaker...
in Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
. He received his doctoral degree
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in 1909 and was later appointed associate professor (docent
Docent
Docent is a title at some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks below professor . Docent is also used at some universities generically for a person who has the right to teach...
) at the same university.
Having taught at Lund University since 1908, Agrell became professor of Slavic languages in 1921. He translated a number of Russian books, such as Slavic legends, and Ivan Bunin's stories. His 1925 translation of Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
's Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina is a novel by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, published in serial installments from 1873 to 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger...
was for a long time the standard translation of this novel in Sweden. At first, however, it was criticized for being more personal and original that a previous translation by Walborg Hedberg. Alongside his work in Slavic languages, Agrell was also interested in runology
Runology
Runology is the study of the Runic alphabets, Runic inscriptions and their history. Runology forms a specialized branch of Germanic linguistics.-History:...
, and published a number of papers in this field.
He began his poetic career as a 16-year-old secondary school student in Örebro
Örebro
-Sites of interest:Örebro's old town Wadköping is located on the banks of Svartån . It contains many 18th and 19th century wooden houses, along with museums and exhibitions....
, where he contributed with translations and own poems to Lingvo internacia, an Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
magazine that had been published in Uppsala since 1895. Among others, he translated poems by Swedish authors Erik Johan Stagnelius
Erik Johan Stagnelius
Erik Johan Stagnelius was born October 14, 1793 in Gärdslösa, on the island Öland, Sweden, and died on April 3, 1823 in Stockholm. He was a Romantic poet and playwright....
and Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom
Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom
Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom was a Swedish romantic poet, and a member of the Swedish Academy....
.
During his studies in Uppsala, Agrell belonged, together with John Landquist, Sven Lidman
Sven Lidman (writer)
Carl Hindrik Sven Rudolphsson Lidman —military officer, poet, writer, and preacher, grandson of the priest Sven Lidman—was born in Karlskrona, became a sublieutenant in the Swedish royal army reserve in 1903, and studied law at Uppsala University...
and Harald Brising to Les quatre diables, a group of students with literary interests. Agrell wrote mainly symbolist
Symbolism (arts)
Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century art movement of French, Russian and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts. In literature, the style had its beginnings with the publication Les Fleurs du mal by Charles Baudelaire...
poetry, with an emphasis on form, but his interest in writing diminished as modern free verse poetry gained popularity in Sweden. At the same time, he became more focused on his academic work.
He is perhaps most known for his work in runology, particularly for formulating the Uthark theory
Uthark theory
In the occult study of the esoteric meaning of runes, the Uthark theory originated in the 1930s with the work of philologist Sigurd Agrell , a professor at Lund University, Sweden....
. He focused on the magical and mystical aspects of runes (gematria
Gematria
Gematria or gimatria is a system of assigning numerical value to a word or phrase, in the belief that words or phrases with identical numerical values bear some relation to each other, or bear some relation to the number itself as it may apply to a person's age, the calendar year, or the like...
).
Agrell married Anna Elvira Osterman. He was father to military psychologist Jan Agrell and zoologist Ivar Agrell. He died in 1937 and is buried at Norra kyrkogården in Lund.
Poem collections
- 1903 - Arabesker
- 1905 - Solitudo
- 1906 - Hundra och en sonett
- 1908 - Den dolda örtagården
- 1909 - Purpurhjärtat
- 1912 - Antika kaméer
- 1931 - Valda dikter
Selected works in philology
- 1908 - Aspektänderung und aktionsartbildung beim polnischen zeitworte
- 1913 - Intonation und auslaut im slavischen
- 1915 - Zur slavischen lautlehre
- 1917 - Slavische lautstudien
Selected works in runology
- 1927 - Runornas talmystik och dess antika förebild
- 1930 - Rökstenens chiffergåtor och andra runologiska problem (Available online via Projekt Runeberg)
- 1931 - Senantik mysteriereligion och nordisk runmagi: en inledning i den nutida runologiens grundproblem
- 1932 - Die spätantike Alphabet-Mystik und die Runenreihe
- 1934 - Lapptrummor och runmagi: tvenne kapitel ur trolldomsväsendets historia (Available online via Projekt Runeberg)
- 1936 - Die pergamenische Zauberscheibe und das Tarockspiel
- 1938 - Die Herkunft der Runenschrift