Who wrote the lyrics of Norway’s national anthem, “Ja, vi elsker dette landet”?

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson wrote the lyrics of Norway’s national anthem, “Ja, vi elsker dette landet.”

The Norwegian title means “Yes, We Love This Land.” Bjørnson wrote the words in the 1860s, and the song was first performed publicly in 1864. Its verses connect Norway’s landscape and history with national identity and independence.

The melody was composed by Rikard Nordraak, Bjørnson’s cousin. Nordraak died young, at age 23, but his tune became one of Norway’s best-known patriotic melodies. The anthem’s first and seventh verses are among those most commonly performed.

Henrik Ibsen is sometimes confused with Bjørnson because both were major Norwegian writers of the 19th century. Ibsen did not write the lyrics of “Ja, vi elsker dette landet.”