A national personification is an anthropomorphism of a nation or its people; it can appear in both editorial cartoons and propaganda.
Some early personifications in the Western world tended to be national manifestations of the majestic wisdom and war goddess Minerva/Athena, and often took the Latin name of the ancient Roman province. Examples of this type include Britannia, Germania, Hibernia, Helvetia and Polonia. Examples of personifications of the Goddess of Liberty include Marianne, the Statue of Liberty, and many examples of United States coinage. Examples of representations of the everyman or citizenry—rather than of the nation itself—are Deutscher Michel and John Bull.[1]
A national personification is not the same as a national animal, although in some cartoons the national animal rather than the human personification is used to represent a country.
Personifications by country or territory
Country |
Image |
Personification |
Albania |
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Mother Albania (Nëna Shqipëria) |
Angola |
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Giant sable antelope (palanca-negra) |
Argentina |
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Effigy of the Republic/Liberty/Progress/Fatherland, Gaucho, Martín Fierro |
Armenia |
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Mother Armenia (Mayr Hayastan; lit. "Mother Hayastan") |
Australia |
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Little Boy from Manly |
Austria |
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Austria (personification) and the federal eagle |
Bangladesh |
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Mother Bengal (also known as Bangla Maa); Bengal tiger.[2]
Joy Bangla (Bengali: জয় বাংলা; meaning "Victory to Bengal") was the slogan and war cry of the Mukti Bahini that fought for the independence of Bangladesh during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.[3]
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Belgium |
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La Belgique or Belgica |
Brazil |
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Efígie da República; the Bandeirante (only in São Paulo State); the Candango (in Brasília); the Gaúcho (in Rio Grande do Sul) |
Belarus |
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Rus |
Bulgaria |
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Mother Bulgaria |
Cambodia |
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Preah Thong and Neang Neak |
Canada |
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Mountie, Johnny Canuck, Le Vieux de '37 (French Canada), Adam Dollard des Ormeaux (used during the two World Wars as a military example), Mother Canada (at the Vimy Memorial) |
Chile |
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El Roto, El Huaso, La Carmela, Doña Juanita (an average Chilean woman from the countryside), Moya (a common surname used as N.N.) |
China |
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Chinese dragon, Chinese phoenix, panda, etc. |
Czech Republic |
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Čechie, Czech Vašek, double-tailed Czech lion, Svejk. |
Denmark |
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Holger Danske |
Dominican Republic |
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Yania Tierra |
Egypt |
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Mother of the World (Om El Donia) |
El Salvador |
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Monumento al Divino Salvador del Mundo |
Europe |
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Europa or Europa regina |
Finland |
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Finnish Maiden (Suomi-neito) |
France |
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Marianne, Gallic rooster |
Georgia |
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Georgia: Saint George, "Mother of a Georgian" (Kartvlis Deda) |
Germany |
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Germany: Germania, Arminius (Hermann der Cherusker), Deutscher Michel
Bavaria: Bavaria, Berlin: Berolina, Brunswick: Brunonia, Franconia: Franconia, Hamburg: Hammonia, Prussia: Borussia, Palatinate: Palatia, Saxony: Saxonia
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Greece |
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Athena, "Greece" by Delacroix |
Haiti |
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Ezili Dantor |
Iceland |
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The Lady of the Mountains (Fjallkonan) |
India |
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Bharat Mata ("Mother India"), earlier the goddess Durga. Also the tiger or the Indian elephant is used to personify the nation. But strictly speaking of national personification, the figure of Bharat Mata as a goddess, wearing a white or saffron sari, holding the national flag, and having a lion as her vahana is the most widely popular personification. The battle cry, "Bharat Mata ki Jai" (Victory for Mother India) is used by the Indian Army and is one of the most popular patriotic slogans used in India. |
Indonesia |
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Ibu Pertiwi |
Iran |
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Cyrus the Great |
Ireland |
75px |
Ériu, Banba, Fódla, Kathleen Ni Houlihan, Hibernia, Scotia,[4] Granuaile, The Old Woman of Beare [5] |
Israel |
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King David, Srulik |
Italy |
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Italia Turrita |
Japan |
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Amaterasu Omikami[citation needed] |
Korea |
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Dangun |
Macedonia |
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Mother Macedonia[6][7] |
Malaysia |
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Hang Tuah,Harimau Malaya |
Malta |
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Melita |
Mexico |
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Alegoría de la Patria Mexicana (es), Our Lady of Guadalupe, La China Poblana |
Mongolia |
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Genghis Khan |
Netherlands |
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de Nederlandse Maagd` ("The Dutch Maiden"), De Leeuw van Oranje, Hans Brinker (outside the Netherlands), (Zeeland: Zeeuws Meisje) |
New England |
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Brother Jonathan, Puritan, pine tree. |
New Zealand |
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Kiwi, Zealandia, southern man (for the South Island) |
Norway |
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Mother Norway, Ola Nordmann, Kari Nordmann, hist. Nór |
Pakistan |
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Mumlikat-e-Khudadad ('God-given State') |
Palestine |
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Handala |
Peru |
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The chalán, La Madre Patria |
Philippines |
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Juan dela Cruz, Ináng Bayan/Filipinas, Luzviminda |
Poland |
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Polonia, Lech, |
Portugal |
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Zé Povinho, Eu nacional (National Self), Lusitania (Ancient Roman Province consisting of what is mainly Portugal now), Republic effigy, Rooster of Barcelos, Guardian Angel of Portugal |
Romania |
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România |
Russia |
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Mother Russia/Mother Motherland, Rus, Russian Bear |
Scotland |
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Caledonia, Jock Tamson, Scotia, Cailleach |
Serbia |
75px |
Mother Serbia, Kosovo Maiden, |
Singapore |
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The Merlion |
Slovakia |
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Jánošík |
Slovenia |
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Kranjski Janez ("John from Carniola", an average man from Slovenia's central region), Peter Klepec |
Spain |
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Hispania |
Sweden |
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Mother Svea |
Switzerland |
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Helvetia |
Ukraine |
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Cossack Mamay, Rus |
United Kingdom |
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Britannia, John Bull, lion, Bulldog |
United States |
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Uncle Sam (government personification), Statue of Liberty as Lady Liberty, Columbia, Johnny Rebel (The South, obsolete), Billy Yank (The North, obsolete), bald eagle |
Wales |
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Dame Wales, Deffroad Cymru, the Awakening of Wales, Welsh Dragon |
Gallery
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French Marianne « Freedom for France, freedom for the French » (1940).
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Norway, Denmark and Sweden joining hands in a 19th Century poster
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World War I recruiting poster featuring John Bull.
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James Gillray's cartoon on the 1803 Peace of Amiens, features a fat and non-martial Britannia kissing "Citizen François", a personifiaction of Revolutionary France
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Romania Breaking off Her Chains on the Field of Liberty, also by C. D. Rosenthal
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A later depiction of Romania as a helpless woman threatened by the brutal Germany in a World War I French caricature
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The figures in this late 18th century painting by Shiba Kōkan represent Japan, China, and the West.
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17th century map by Frederik de Wit showing mythological Europa as the continent's personification
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"Mrs. Britannia" and her daughter "Miss Canada" discussing " Cousin Jonathan"(the US) in an 1886 political cartoon.
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Albanian caricature from 1913 shows Albania as a woman defending herself from beasts representing neighboring countries seeking at the time to divide Albania's territory between them: Montenegro (monkey), Greece (leopard) and Serbia (snake), saying: "Get away from me! Bloodsucking beasts!"
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The woman on the right, holding out a letter of thanks to the enthroned Jonathan Swift, represents Ireland (from the 1735 edition of Swift's works).
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Bavaria, an early 19th-century statue made when Bavaria was a fully sovereign Kingdom with a considerable national pride
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Political cartoon depicting the tangled web of European alliances in the 1870's, with France being conspicuously isolated.
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In this Belarusian caricature commenting on the 1921 Peace of Riga, Russian Bolsheviks (right) and Nationalist Poles (left) are dividing the territory of Belarus.
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In a 1897 political cartoon, Uncle Sam lays claim to Hawaii and warns off the figures representing Japan, Britain and France.
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The goddess Roma was perceived as a personification of the city of Rome and more broadly, the Roman Empire.
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In this cartoon of "Canada's debut at the Council of Nations", the young Canada is under the tutelage of the motherly Britania, Columbia extends welcoming hands, surrounded by figures representing other major nations.
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A 1904 French postcard showing Britannia and Marianne dancing together, symbolizing the newborn Entente Cordiale between the two countries. Britannia appears here younger than in most British depictions - a girl rather than a mother.
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See also
Further reading
Lionel Gossman. "Making of a Romantic Icon: The Religious Context of Friedrich Overbeck's 'Italia und Germania.'" American Philosophical Society, 2007. ISBN 0-87169-975-3. [1]
References
- ↑ Eric Hobsbawm, "Mass-Producing Traditions: Europe, 1870-1914," in Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger, eds., The Invention of Tradition (Cambridge, 1983), 263-307.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ O'Clery, M. (2003) Annals of Ireland by the Four Masters as translated into English
- ↑ O'Rourke Murphy, M. & MacKillop, J. (2006). An Irish Literature Reader: Poetry, Prose, Drama.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Bulgarian graphic representation of Bulgaria, East Rumelia and Macedonia
External links
National personifications
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- Albania
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Bangladesh
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Cambodia
- Canada
- Chile
- China
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Europe
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Haiti
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Kenya
- Korea
- Lebanon
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Russia
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- United States
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