History Creator / HenrikWergeland

* ApocalypseHow: When the Russians had defeated Poland at Ostrolenka (1831), Wergeland wrote a lengthy poem about it, called ''Cæsaris'', pointing fingers directly at [[TsaristRussia the Russian empire]]. Here, he predicts a "burning planet" and burning towns, in a way that comes close to nuclear devastation, as well as a planet off course, tumbling wildly into space without any connection to gravitational orbit. Although this seems pretty bad, he manages to invert it, by also predicting that life with come crawling back in time. Even if it takes a thousand years.

* HumansAreCthulhu: Wergeland stated the "spiritual" origin of man in many poems, up to and including his cosmic ''magnum opus''. Essentially, the idea was platonic/gnostic, meaning that the souls of humans originated on a higher level, and that they eventually would return to their maker. The task of {{Jesus}}, among other things, was to awaken that slumbering urge.

RomanticismVsEnlightenment should summarize the work of Norwegian author Henrik Wergeland (1808-1845), playwright, poet, political lobbyist and historian. He is arguably the {{trope codifier}} for the Norwegian romantic movement at large, and also the patriotic movement in UsefulNotes/{{Norway}} during the 1800s. In his day, he was a {{badass}}, or at least a {{badass boast}}er, writing poems and plays until his last cough. He died of two-sided Pneumonia at the age of 37.

* ApocalypseHow: When the Russians had defeated Poland at Ostrolenka (1831), Wergeland wrote a lengthy poem about it, called ''Cæsaris'', pointing fingers directly at [[TsaristRussia the russian empire]]. Here, he predicts a "burning planet" and burning towns, in a way that comes close to nuclear devastation, as well as a planet off course, tumbling wildly into space without any connection to gravitational orbit. Although this seems pretty bad, he manages to invert it, by also predicting that life with come crawling back in time. Even if it takes a thousand years.

* DontAsk: Wergeland was really upset after the smashing of {{Usefulnotes/Poland}} in 1831. He had written a number of poems on the subject, but when he later wrote a "catechism of freedom" for Norwegians, he underlined this on behalf of the poles: "Don`t ask of them. Don`t ask if I believe whether God and his justice rules in Heaven..." Understated that he felt really bad about the Polish situation after the russian conquest.

Wergeland is probably most known in non-Norwegian countries for his political lobbyism on behalf of {{Jews}}. The Norwegian constitution was strikingly clear on not allowing Jews access to the realm, and Wergeland worked for years to get this paragraph amended. He finally succeeded, though it would take another six years after his death to get the case closed. Swedish Jews payed for his memorial monument in gratitude.

Wergeland was a friend to the commoners, and generally a pain in the ass for all cultural snobs. His quarrelsomeness made him a lot of enemies, and he was hunted down by lawsuits that nearly ruined him. He was also a hardass republican, ultra-patriotic, in a country mostly ruled by a Swedish king. The said king eventually gave him an occupation, which caused many of his earlyer friends to turn him down.

* ViveLaRevolution: Wergeland translated and adapted ''La Marseillaise'' to a Norwegian context. Later, in the poem ''The Freedom day of Norway'', he equalled the Norwegian constitutional day with the two known predecessors: The fourth of July, The American Independence Day, and July 14, the French Bastille day. May 17 (Norway) is put neatly between them as a brother. Wergeland saw the three causes as one and the same.
** He ''also'' wrote a poem to memorate the author of ''La Marseillaise'', Rouget de l`Isle, as well as odes to the July Revolution of 1830, the Greek rebellion, and the Polish rebellion.

** A later version had two spirits already in love, who ensouled the sleeping bodies of Adam and Eve, ensuring that all humans shared that spiritual inheritance (Wergeland was not strictly consistent on this - he developed his ideas over a period of 17 years: His intire literary career).

* ''Literature/CreationManAndTheMessiah''. His ''Magnum Opus'', written in 1829, and rewritten on his deathbed in 1845 (somewhat abridged) under the title ''Man''. This poem proves Wergeland could write cosmic poems with the best of them (Dante, John Milton, William Blake).
* ''Literature/TheJew'', a collection of poems written for the jewish question in 1841, followed by ''the Jewess'' in 1845. Both collections are prone examples of tolerance and understanding - quite antirasistic for the time.

* JohannesGutenberg: Wergeland wrote a poem to his honor to memorize the invention of printing. The press made knowledge shareable and accessible for all, something that fit well into his ideas of enlightenment.

* HavingAGayOldTime: Unavoidable after 170 years. A good example of this is quoted from Literature/CreationManAndTheMessiah, where he speaks of "seeing with the far sight of the soul". In the original text, the words "far sight" came to be translated as "Television" in norwegian, and hilarity ensued instantly (See with the television of the soul...)

* GoodSamaritan: Jacob, the old jew in his poem ''Christmas Eve'' features prominently. He picks up a freezing child in a blizzard, and heads for the nearest house seeking shelter. Too bad he`s jewish, as the good christian couple will not let him in on Christmas eve. Tragedy ensues, when the couple find the jew dead at their doorstep the morning after, and understand that the child he carries is actually theirs.

* ArtistDisillusionment: A number of times. Most famously in his poem ''Follow the call'', where he calls himself out of it, stating that a small audience is better than no audience at all. And if somebody listens, he will have achieved something anyway. This particular case begins with a moment of disillusion, because he is writing in a language that hardly survives his own breath (or, is understood by very few), and not on a world language like Eng

* DontAsk: Wergeland was really upset after the smashing of {{Usefulnotes/Poland}} in 1831. He had written a number of poems on the subject, but when he later wrote a "catechism of freedom" for Norwegians, he underlined this on behalf of the poles: "Don`t ask of them. Don`t ask if I believe that God and his justice rules in Heaven..." Understated that he felt really bad about the Polish situation after the russian conquest.

* ArtistDisillusionment: A number of times. Most famously in his poem ''Follow the call'', where he calls himself out of it, stating that a small audience is better than no audience at all. And if somebody listens, he will have achieved something anyway. This particular case begins with a moment of disillusion, because he is writing in a language that hardly survives his own breath (or, is understood by very few), and not on a world language like English.

** He ''also'' wrote a poem to memoorate the author of ''La Marseillaise'', Rouget de l`Isle, as well as odes to the July Revolution of 1830, the Greek rebellion, and the Polish rebellion.

* ViveLaRevolution: Wergland translated and adapted ''La Marseillaise'' to a Norwegian context. Later, in the poem ''The Freedom day of Norway'', he equalled the Norwegian constitutional day with the two known predecessors: The fourth of July, The American Independence Day, and July 14, the French Bastille day. May 17 (Norway) is put neatly between them as a brother. Wergeland saw the three causes as one and the same.

** In the same vein, we would have expected Wergeland to praise the {{internet}} in the same pattern: "Does the thought roll around the globe with the speed of ideas? He (Gutenberg) sprayed a radiant rain over earth of spirited, weird magical signs..."