William Edward Frye

William Edward Frye (1784–1853) is documented as the translator of The Gods of the North, an English verse version of Adam Oehlenschläger’s Danish epic published in 1845. In that volume, he described himself as a former major of infantry in the British service and a member of the Academy degli Arcadi in Rome.

His preface shows a strong interest in Scandinavian literature, and the translation was dedicated, with permission, to King Christian VIII of Denmark. That suggests Frye saw himself not just as a translator, but as a cultural bridge between English readers and Nordic writing.

Reliable biographical details about his wider life are limited in the sources I could confirm here, so much of his story now survives through his published work rather than through full personal records.