The Tales of Ensign Stål (Swedish original title: , , or year 2007 translation ) is an epic poem written in Swedish by the Finland-Swedish author Johan Ludvig Runeberg, the national poet of Finland. The poem describes the events of the Finnish War (1808–1809) in which Sweden lost its eastern territories; these would become incorporated into the Russian Empire as the Grand Duchy of Finland. Description The first part of Ensign Stål was first published in the revolutionary year 1848, the second in 1860. It shaped Finnish identity and was later given out free during the Winter War to raise patriotic spirit. The first chapter of the poem also became the national anthem of Finland. The name of the title character, "Stål", is Swedish for steel, a typical example of a so-called "soldier's name". These were names, often consisting of simple words for traits or traits related to the military or nature, given to Swedish soldiers by their commanders, and many of Runeberg's characters have them: Dufva, Svärd and Hurtig ('pigeon', 'sword' and 'quick') are other examples The poems of Ensign Stål feature several officers who fought in the Finnish War, including marshals Wilhelm Mauritz Klingspor and Johan August Sandels, generals , Carl Johan Adlercreutz, and Georg Carl von Döbeln, and Colonel Otto von Fieandt. The influence of Tales of Ensign Stål is also remarkable to Finnish culture because it repeatedly lifts the common people as heroes, despite the hardship of their life. The poem "Sotilaspoika" ("Boy soldier") is one that exalts the military virtues and which has been a major influence in the shaping of the legend and myth of the Finnish soldier. The narrator is a young boy, who relates the story of his family, all soldiers. They have respectively all died in the wars of Finland, fighting for their King and country. The boy is now orphan "eating stranger's bread", but he is proud of his military legacy. He cites with pride that his father was "only fifteen" when he joined the ranks. He says he was only a child when his father left, subsequently to be killed in the War of Finland'''s Lapua battle, but he remembers his fine shape, for he was "fair, too" his proud posture and the plume of this hat. There is a sense of tragedy in the poem, for the boy cannot wait to join himself; he says he wants to