National personification

Britannia arm-in-arm with Uncle Sam symbolizes the British-American alliance in World War I. The two animals, the Bald eagle and the Barbary lion, are also national personifications of the two countries.

A national personification is an anthropomorphic personification of a state or the people(s) it inhabits. It may appear in political cartoons and propaganda.

Some personifications in the Western world often took the Latin name of the ancient Roman province. Examples of this type include Britannia, Germania, Hibernia, Hispania, Helvetia and Polonia.

Examples of personifications of the Goddess of Liberty include Marianne, the Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World), and many examples of United States coinage. Another ancient model was Roma, a female deity who personified the city of Rome and his dominion over the territories of the Roman Empire.^[1]

Examples of representations of the everyman or citizenry in addition to the nation itself are Deutscher Michel, John Bull and Uncle Sam.^[2]

Gallery

Iudaea Capta, "Judaea Taken", commemorative coin issued by the Roman emperor Vespasian (left) after the Jewish War
An early example of national personification in a gospel book dated 990: Sclavinia, Germania, Gallia, and Roma, bringing offerings to Emperor Otto III.
The allegorical personification of Italy in a painting by Philipp Veit, which was realized between 1834 and 1836
In this Allegory depicting the 1576 Pacification of Ghent by Adriaen Pietersz van de Venne, the seated women represent a short-lived unity among the embattled provinces of what would become the present-day Belgium and Netherlands.
1909 cartoon in Puck shows (clockwise) US, Germany, Britain, France and Japan engaged in naval race in a "no limit" game.
Columbia depicted in an American Committee for Relief in the Near East poster defending an Armenian woman beneath her flag
The Liberty of Oudiné in memory of the Argentine centenary of the May Revolution (1810-1910)

Personifications by country or territory

Location	Personification	Animal used for the same purpose
Albania	Mother Albania	Double-headed eagle
Americas	Personification of the Americas	American alligator
Argentina	Allegory of the Republic, Gaucho
Armenia	Mother Armenia We Are Our Mountains (Artsakh)
Australia	Little Boy from Manly	Boxing kangaroo
Austria	Austria Tyrolia (Tyrol)	Double-headed eagle
Bangladesh	Bangamata^[3]	Bengal tiger^[4]
Belgium	La Belgique, Manneken Pis^[5]^[6]	Brabantic Lion, Leo Belgicus
Bhutan		Thunder Dragon
Brazil	Efígie da República the Bandeirante (São Paulo State and Minas Gerais) the "Tropeiro" (Minas Gerais) the Candango (Brasília) the Gaúcho (Rio Grande do Sul);
Brunei	Awang Budiman^[7]^[8]
Bulgaria	Mother Bulgaria	Double-headed eagle
Cambodia	Preah Thong and Neang Neak
Canada	Mountie,^[9] Johnny Canuck,^[10] Canada Bereft (Vimy Memorial). Le Vieux de '37 (Quebec) Inuit (Nunavut)^[11] Canada was often personified as a young woman in 19th and early 20th century editorial cartoons, called simply "Canada", "Miss Canada", or sometimes "Mother Canada".^[12]	Canadian beaver Snowy owl (Quebec) Qimmiq (Nunavut)
Chile	Huaso, Roto, Señora Juanita, Angel of Liberty^[13] Moai (Rapa Nui)	Condorito
China and Taiwan		Chinese dragon, Panda, hare^[14] Snow Lion (Tibet)
Colombia	Juan Valdez
Croatia	Mother Croatia	Dalmatian
Cuba	La República	Tocororo
Cyprus	Liberty	Cypriot Mouflon^[15]
Czechia	Čechie, Czech Vašek, Honza, Svejk	Czech lion
Denmark	Holger Danske, Mother Denmark	Mute swan Polar bear (Greenland)
Dominican Republic	Conchoprimo
Egypt	Mother of the World	Sphinx
El Salvador	Salvador del Mundo	Torogoz
Estonia	Kalevipoeg
Europe	Europa or Europa regina
Finland	Finnish Maiden	Finnish lion
France	Marianne	Gallic rooster
Georgia	Mother of a Georgian
Germany	Germania, Deutscher Michel Bavaria (Bavaria) Berolina (Berlin) Brema (Bremen) Brunonia (Brunswick Land) Franconia (Franconia) Francofurtia (Frankfurt) Hammonia (Hamburg) Lubeca (Lübeck) Borussia (Prussia) Palatia (Rhineland-Palatinate) Saxonia (Saxony) Vimaria (Weimar) Württembergia (Württemberg)	Reichsadler, Bundesadler, Berliner Bär (Berlin), Bavarian Lion (Bavaria), Marcher Eagle (Brandenburg), Prussian Eagle (Prussia)
Greece	Hellas
Haiti	Ezili Dantor, Le Marron Inconnu, Katrin
Hungary	The Lady of Hungaria	Turul
Iceland	The Lady of the Mountains
India	Bharat Mata Kangleipak Ima (Manipur)	Bengal tiger, Asiatic lion, Indian Elephant, Indian peafowl Pākhangbā (Manipur)
Indonesia	Ibu Pertiwi	Garuda Pancasila
Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan	Rostam^[16]^[17]^[18]	Lion and sun
Ireland	Ériu, Banba, Fódla, Kathleen Ni Houlihan, Hibernia, The Old Woman of Beare^[19]	Irish Hare^[20]
Israel	Srulik	Lion of Judah
Italy	Italia turrita Roma (Rome)	Italian wolf^[21]^[22] Aquila, Capitoline Wolf (Rome) Lion of Saint Mark (Venice)^[23]
Japan	Yamato-hime	Green Pheasant
Kazakhstan	Altin Adam	Tulpar
Korea ( North Korea and South Korea - despite mutual enmity, both states lay claim to the same historical heritage)		Korean Tiger, Chollima
Kyrgyzstan	Manas	Siberian ibex
Latvia	Milda, Liberty
Lebanon	Abu Abed
Lithuania	White Knight (Vytis)	White Stallion
Low Lands or Benelux		Leo Belgicus
Malaysia	Hang Tuah^[24]^[25]	Malayan tiger^[26]
Malta	Melita	Dolphin
Mexico	Mexican Motherland, La China Poblana	Golden eagle
Mongolia	Genghis Khan	Saker falcon
Montenegro	Fairy of Lovćen, Mother Montenegro	Double-headed eagle
Morocco		Barbary Lion
Netherlands	Dutch Maiden Dutch Sailor (Holland)	Dutch Republic Lion, Leo Belgicus
Nepal	Gurkha, Sherpa	Yeti^[27]
New Zealand	Zealandia^[28] Southern man (South Island)^[29]	Kiwi
Nicaragua	El Güegüense	Motmot
North Macedonia	Mother Macedonia^[30]^[31]	Lioness
Norway	Mother Norway, Ola & Kari Nordmann, Nór
Palestine	Handala
Peru	Peruvian Motherland, El Perú Libre	Vicuña
Philippines	La Madre Filipinas, Juan dela Cruz	Philippine Carabao
Poland	Polonia	White eagle
Portugal	Zé Povinho, Efígie da República, Guardian Angel of Portugal	Rooster of Barcelos
Rhodesia	Cecil Rhodes	Sable antelope, Zimbabwe Bird
Romania	România	Lynx
Russia	Mother Russia, General Winter	Russian bear
San Marino	Liberty, Saint Marinus
Serbia	Mother Serbia, Kosovo Maiden	Serbian eagle
Singapore		Merlion
Slovakia	Jánošík
Slovenia	Kralj Matjaž
South Africa	The Lady of Good Hope	Springbok
Spain	Hispania Breogán (Galicia)	Hispanic Lion
Sri Lanka	Sri Lanka Matha (Mother Sri Lanka)	Lion
Suriname	Mama Sranan (Mother Suriname), a 1965 sculpture by Jozeph Klas in the center of Paramaribo, of a mother figure holding five children representing Suriname's ethnic groups in her arms.^[32]
Sweden	Mother Svea (Moder Svea)
Switzerland	Helvetia Basilea (Basel) Berna (Bern) Geneva (Geneva) Tigurina Virgo (Zürich) Lucerna (Lucerne)	Cow^[33]
Thailand	Siam Devadhiraj	White elephant
Turkey	Ana Vatan (Turkish Motherland) Sick man of Europe (Ottoman Empire)	Wolf
Turkmenistan	Oghuz Khagan	Akhal-Teke
Ukraine	Cossack Mamay、Mother Ukraine	Ruthenian Lion
United Kingdom	Britannia John Bull (England)^[34] Scota (Scotland) Dame Wales (Wales)	Bulldog The Lion and the Unicorn (England and Scotland) Welsh dragon (Wales) Manx cat (Mann)
United States	Columbia, Lady Liberty^[35] Uncle Sam (federal government) Brother Jonathan (New England) Kamehameha (Hawaii) Sequoyah (Oklahoma) The Lady of the Alamo (Texas) Billy Yank (The North, obsolete) Johnny Reb (The South, obsolete)	Bald Eagle, American Buffalo, Timber rattlesnake (American Revolution)
Uruguay	Efigie de la República
Uzbekistan	Timur	Snow Leopard
Venezuela	Juan Bimba (obsolete)
Vietnam	Lạc Long Quân and Âu Cơ	Vietnamese Dragon, Lạc Bird

References

^ "Il Tempio di Venere e Roma" (in Italian). Retrieved 12 September 2023.
^ Eric Hobsbawm, "Mass-Producing Traditions: Europe, 1870-1914," in Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger, eds., The Invention of Tradition (Cambridge, 1983), 263-307.
^ Ahmed, Salahuddin (2004). Bangladesh: Past and Present. APH Publishing. p. 310. ISBN 8176484695. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
^ "NATIONAL SYMBOLS". Bangladesh Tourism Board. Bangladesh: Ministry of Civil Aviation & Tourism. Archived from the original on 2016-12-28. Retrieved 2015-09-10.
^ Couvreur, Manuel; Deknop, Anne; Symons, Thérèse (2005). Manneken-Pis : Dans tous ses états. Historia Bruxellae (in French). Vol. 9. Brussels: Musées de la Ville de Bruxelles. ISBN 978-2-930423-01-2.
^ Emerson, Catherine (2015). Regarding Manneken Pis: Culture, Celebration and Conflict in Brussels. Leeds: Taylor & Francis Ltd. ISBN 978-1-909662-30-8.
^ "20th SEA Games 1999". 2001-03-02. Archived from the original on 2001-03-02. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
^ "Berita 2021c - Rekaan baju 'Dang Budiwati' imbau zaman gemilang Sukan SEA NBD". www.pelitabrunei.gov.bn. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
^ McGill, Robert (2017). War Is Here: The Vietnam War and Canadian Literature. McGill-Queen's Press. p. 37. ISBN 9780773551589. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
^ Barber, Katherine (2007). Only in Canada You Say: A Treasury of Canadian Language. Oxford University Press Canada. p. 70. ISBN 9780195427073.
^ Légaré, André (2008). "Inuit identity and regionalization in the Canadian Central and Eastern Arctic: a survey of writings about Nunavut". Polar Geography. 31 (3–4): 99–118. Bibcode:2008PolGe..31...99L. doi:10.1080/10889370701742845. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
^ "Library and Archives Canada". Library and Archives Canada.
^ "CHILE: 50 AÑOS DEL GOLPE. EL ÁNGEL DE LA LIBERTAD". Rascacielos. September 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
^ "网民为什么会把中国称为"兔子"" [Why do Internet called China a "hare"?]. The Paper (in Chinese). 1 August 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
^ "Animals in Cyprus". AZ Animals. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
^ Hassanabadi, Mahmoud. "Rostam: A Complex Puzzle: A New Approach to the Identification of the Character of Rostam in the Iranian National Epos Shāhnāme".
^ Dallmayr, Fred (25 August 1999). Border Crossings: Toward a Comparative Political Theory. Lexington Books. ISBN 9780739152546.
^ Heck, Isabel. "Le mythe de Siyâvosh: rapports entre l'épopée nationale de ferdowsi et des récits populaires en Iran (The myth of Siyâvosh: relationships between the national epic of Ferdowsi and popular stories in Iran)" (PDF) (in French). Retrieved 2024-02-08.
^ O'Rourke Murphy, M. & MacKillop, J. (2006). An Irish Literature Reader: Poetry, Prose, Drama.
^ "Discovering What's the National Animal of Ireland: A Cultural Emblem Revealed". 3 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
^ Minahan, James B. (2009). The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems. ABC-CLIO. p. 436. ISBN 9780313344978.
^ Blashfield, Jean F. (2009). Italy. Scholastic. p. 33. ISBN 9780531120996.
^ ""Saint Mark", Franciscan Media". Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
^ Liok Ee Tan (1988). The Rhetoric of Bangsa and Minzu. Monash Asia Institute. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-86746-909-7.
^ Melanie Chew (1999). The Presidential Notes: A biography of President Yusof bin Ishak. Singapore: SNP Publications. p. 78. ISBN 978-981-4032-48-3.
^ Minahan, James B. (2009). The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems. Greenwood. p. 101. ISBN 978-0313344961.
^ Subba, Sanghamitra (29 January 2020). "Love it or hate it, it's abominable".
^ Phillips, Jock. "South African War memorial, Waimate".
^ Dingwall, R. "Southern Man (Dunedin Airport)", Otago Sculpture Trust, 19 November 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
^ A Manifesto from the Provisional Government of Macedonia, 1881, Our mother Macedonia became now as a widow, lonely and deserted by her sons. She does not fly the banner of the victorious Macedonian army
^ Bulgarian graphic representation of Bulgaria, East Rumelia and North Macedonia
^ "Kunstschatten: Mama Sranan - Parbode Magazine". Archived from the original on 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
^ Valance, Marc. (Baden, 2013) Die Schweizer Kuh. Kult und Vermarktung eines nationalen Symbols, p. 6 ff.
^ "John Bull, symbol of the English and Englishness". Historic UK. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
^ "Britannia and Liberty: Behind the Design". Royal Mint. Retrieved 6 August 2024.

External links

[1] "Il Tempio di Venere e Roma" (in Italian). Retrieved 12 September 2023.

[2] Eric Hobsbawm, "Mass-Producing Traditions: Europe, 1870-1914," in Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger, eds., The Invention of Tradition (Cambridge, 1983), 263-307.

[3] Ahmed, Salahuddin (2004). Bangladesh: Past and Present. APH Publishing. p. 310. ISBN 8176484695. Retrieved July 11, 2012.

[visitbangladesh.gov.bd2-4] "NATIONAL SYMBOLS". Bangladesh Tourism Board. Bangladesh: Ministry of Civil Aviation & Tourism. Archived from the original on 2016-12-28. Retrieved 2015-09-10.

[5] Couvreur, Manuel; Deknop, Anne; Symons, Thérèse (2005). Manneken-Pis : Dans tous ses états. Historia Bruxellae (in French). Vol. 9. Brussels: Musées de la Ville de Bruxelles. ISBN 978-2-930423-01-2.

[6] Emerson, Catherine (2015). Regarding Manneken Pis: Culture, Celebration and Conflict in Brussels. Leeds: Taylor & Francis Ltd. ISBN 978-1-909662-30-8.

[7] "20th SEA Games 1999". 2001-03-02. Archived from the original on 2001-03-02. Retrieved 2024-06-20.

[8] "Berita 2021c - Rekaan baju 'Dang Budiwati' imbau zaman gemilang Sukan SEA NBD". www.pelitabrunei.gov.bn. Retrieved 2024-06-20.

[9] McGill, Robert (2017). War Is Here: The Vietnam War and Canadian Literature. McGill-Queen's Press. p. 37. ISBN 9780773551589. Retrieved 17 May 2019.

[10] Barber, Katherine (2007). Only in Canada You Say: A Treasury of Canadian Language. Oxford University Press Canada. p. 70. ISBN 9780195427073.

[11] Légaré, André (2008). "Inuit identity and regionalization in the Canadian Central and Eastern Arctic: a survey of writings about Nunavut". Polar Geography. 31 (3–4): 99–118. Bibcode:2008PolGe..31...99L. doi:10.1080/10889370701742845. Retrieved 2024-08-04.

[12] "Library and Archives Canada". Library and Archives Canada.

[13] "CHILE: 50 AÑOS DEL GOLPE. EL ÁNGEL DE LA LIBERTAD". Rascacielos. September 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2024.

[14] "网民为什么会把中国称为"兔子"" [Why do Internet called China a "hare"?]. The Paper (in Chinese). 1 August 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2021.

[15] "Animals in Cyprus". AZ Animals. Retrieved 2023-01-06.

[16] Hassanabadi, Mahmoud. "Rostam: A Complex Puzzle: A New Approach to the Identification of the Character of Rostam in the Iranian National Epos Shāhnāme".

[17] Dallmayr, Fred (25 August 1999). Border Crossings: Toward a Comparative Political Theory. Lexington Books. ISBN 9780739152546.

[18] Heck, Isabel. "Le mythe de Siyâvosh: rapports entre l'épopée nationale de ferdowsi et des récits populaires en Iran (The myth of Siyâvosh: relationships between the national epic of Ferdowsi and popular stories in Iran)" (PDF) (in French). Retrieved 2024-02-08.

[19] O'Rourke Murphy, M. & MacKillop, J. (2006). An Irish Literature Reader: Poetry, Prose, Drama.

[20] "Discovering What's the National Animal of Ireland: A Cultural Emblem Revealed". 3 February 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-24.

[21] Minahan, James B. (2009). The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems. ABC-CLIO. p. 436. ISBN 9780313344978.

[22] Blashfield, Jean F. (2009). Italy. Scholastic. p. 33. ISBN 9780531120996.

[23] ""Saint Mark", Franciscan Media". Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2018.

[24] Liok Ee Tan (1988). The Rhetoric of Bangsa and Minzu. Monash Asia Institute. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-86746-909-7.

[25] Melanie Chew (1999). The Presidential Notes: A biography of President Yusof bin Ishak. Singapore: SNP Publications. p. 78. ISBN 978-981-4032-48-3.

[26] Minahan, James B. (2009). The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems. Greenwood. p. 101. ISBN 978-0313344961.

[27] Subba, Sanghamitra (29 January 2020). "Love it or hate it, it's abominable".

[28] Phillips, Jock. "South African War memorial, Waimate".

[29] Dingwall, R. "Southern Man (Dunedin Airport)", Otago Sculpture Trust, 19 November 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2017.

[30] A Manifesto from the Provisional Government of Macedonia, 1881, Our mother Macedonia became now as a widow, lonely and deserted by her sons. She does not fly the banner of the victorious Macedonian army

[31] Bulgarian graphic representation of Bulgaria, East Rumelia and North Macedonia

[32] "Kunstschatten: Mama Sranan - Parbode Magazine". Archived from the original on 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2016-03-30.

[33] Valance, Marc. (Baden, 2013) Die Schweizer Kuh. Kult und Vermarktung eines nationalen Symbols, p. 6 ff.

[34] "John Bull, symbol of the English and Englishness". Historic UK. Retrieved 16 August 2024.

[35] "Britannia and Liberty: Behind the Design". Royal Mint. Retrieved 6 August 2024.

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v t e National symbols (list)
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National personification

Gallery

Personifications by country or territory

See also

References

Further reading

External links