National personification

Britannia arm-in-arm with Uncle Sam symbolizes the British-American alliance in World War I.

A national personification is an anthropomorphization 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. Representations of the citizenry of a nation—rather than of the nation itself—are Deutscher Michel and John Bull.

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		Mother Albania
Argentina		Effigy of the Republic/Liberty/Progress/Fatherland, Gaucho
Armenia		Mother Armenia (Mayr Hayastan; lit. "Mother Hayastan")
Australia		Boxing kangaroo
Austria		Austria
Brazil		Efígie da República, the Candango (only in Brasília), the Bandeirante (only in São Paulo state)
Bulgaria		Bay Ganyo
Cambodia		Preah Thong and Neang Neak
Canada		Mountie, Johnny Canuck, Le Vieux de '37 (French Canada), Adam Dollard des Ormeaux (used during the two World Wars as a military example), Miss Canada, Mother Canada (at the Vimy Memorial)
Czech Republic		Švejk (literary character), Český Vašek (obsolete, 19th Century), Hloupý Honza, Praotec Čech (Forefather Czech), Čechie, Double-tailed Czech lion.
Chile		El Roto, El Huaso, La Carmela, Doña Juanita (an average Chilean woman from the countryside)
China		Chinese dragon
Denmark		Holger Danske
Dominican Republic		Anacaona[citation needed]
Egypt		Mother of the World (Om el-Donia)
England		John Bull
Europe		Europa or Europa regina
Finland		Finnish Maiden (Suomi-neito)
France		Marianne, Gallic rooster
Georgia		Georgia: Saint George, "Mother of Georgia"
Germany		Germany: Germania, Arminius (Hermann der Cherusker), Deutscher Michel Bavaria: Bavaria, Berlin: Berolina, Franconia: Franconia, Hamburg: Hammonia, Prussia: Borussia, Palatinate: Palatia, Saxony: Saxonia
Greece		Athena, "Greece" of Delacroix
Honduras		Juan Pueblo
Hungary		Hungária/ Hunnia
Iceland		The Lady of the Mountains (Fjallkonan)
Ireland		Ériu, Kathleen Ni Houlihan, Hibernia, Granuaile
India		Bharat Mata ("Mother India"), earlier the goddess Durga
Indonesia		Ibu Pertiwi
Israel		Srulik, King David
Italy		Italia Turrita
Japan		Amaterasu Omikami, Samurai
Macedonia		Mother Macedonia, Macedonian lion (national symbol)
Malta		Melita
Mexico		Adelita
Netherlands		Hans Brinker (outside the Netherlands), De Leeuw van Oranje, de Nederlandse Maagd` ("Netherlands Maiden"), (Zeeland: Zeeuws Meisje)
New Zealand		Kiwi, Zealandia, Southern man (for the South Island)
Norway		Ola Nordmann, Kari Nordmann, hist. Nór
Pakistan		Pak Watan is a national personification and a term of endearment for Pakistan.
Palestinian territories		Handala
Peru		The chalán, La Madre Patria
Philippines		Juan dela Cruz, Maria Clara, Filipinas, Luzviminda
Poland		Polonia
Portugal		Zé Povinho, Eu nacional (National Self), Lusitania, República, Rooster of Barcelos
Romania		România Revoluționară, Constantin Daniel Rosenthal
Russia		Mother Russia/Mother Motherland, Russian Bear
Scotland		Jock Tamson
Serbia		Wolf (national personification based on Serbian tradition), Prince Marko (mythical hero, stereotype of the average Serb mentality), Kosovo Maiden, Typical Serb (bearded, stubborn man wearing a fur hat)
Slovenia		Kranjski Janez ("John from Carniola", an average man from Slovenia's central region), Peter Klepec
South Korea		Dangun
Spain		Hispania, Juan Español, Osborne Bull/Toro Osborne
Sweden		Mother Svea
Switzerland		Helvetia
Turkey		Anatolia
United Kingdom		Britannia, John Bull, Lion
United States		Uncle Sam (government personification), Lady Liberty, Columbia, Brother Jonathan (obsolete), Johnny Rebel (The South, obsolete), Billy Yank (The North, obsolete)
Ukraine		Cossack Mamay
USSR		Mother Motherland
Venezuela		Liberty's White Horse
Wales		Dame Wales, Deffroad Cymru, the Awakening of Wales

Gallery

1914 poster showing Marianne, Mother Russia and Britannia.   French political cartoon from the late 1890s, depicting European powers and Japan carving their shares out of China who protests in vain.   Marianne is kept isolated from John Bull, Russian Bear and all the other European powers as Bismarck busily courts them.   John Bull, a national personification of the United Kingdom holds the head of Napoleon I of France in an 1803 caricature by James Gillray.   Germania representing Germany, in a painting by Phillip Veit from 1848.   Eugène Delacroix, Greece Expiring on the Ruins of Missolonghi (1827)   Theodoros Vryzakis' depiction of Hellas as a woman surrounded by rebels of the Greek War of Independence   Italia and Germania by Friedrich Overbeck, symbolising the friendship between Germany and Italy   Norway, Denmark and Sweden joining hands in a 19th Century poster   Lech, Czech, Rus and the White Eagle   Statue of Mother Svea representing Sweden on a building in Stockholm.   World War I recruiting poster featuring John Bull.   Brazilian Constitutionalist Revolution recruiting poster, showing a Bandeirante with the dictator of Brazil, Getúlio Vargas, in his hand.   Allegory drawing depicting the friendship between the Argentine Republic and the newly-formed Brazilian Republic.   Zé Povinho, caricature of a Portuguese working class man of the 19th century   In this 1806 French print, the woman with the Menorah represents the Jews being emancipated by Napoleon Bonaparte   James Gillray's cartoon on the 1803 Peace of Amiens, features a fat and non-marital Britannia kissing "Citizen François", a personifiaction of Revolutionary France never used by the French themselves   Revolutionary Romania. Painting by C. D. Rosenthal, made in Paris exile in the early 1850's   Romania Breaking off Her Chains on the Field of Liberty, also by C. D. Rosenthal   A later depiction of Romania as a woman in a World War I French caricature   Uncle Sam in a U.S. Army recruitment poster used in both World War I and World War II   The figures in this late 18th century painting by Shiba Kōkan represent Japan, China, and the West.   Columbia, personification of the United States ( World War I patriotic poster)   Columbia, America personified as a young woman holding up a Phrygian cap on a clipper ship card of the Young America Movement   Mother Canada statue in the World War I Vimy Memorial   Mother Motherland, personification of the Soviet Union, at a World War II war memorial in Volgograd (the former Stalingrad)   Polonia (Poland), by Jan Matejko, painted after the failure of the 1863 January Uprising   Lady of the mountain in Iceland.   Cossack Mamay, personification of Ukraine and Ukrainians.   Peru (left), Argentina (centre) and Chile (right), personified at the Mausoleum of General San Martín, Buenos Aires.   Free Bulgaria; lithography by Georgi Danchov   17th century map by Frederik de Wit showing mythological Europa as the continent's personification   Europa regina in Sebastian Münster's "Cosmographia".   "Mrs. Britannia" and her daughter "Miss Canada" discussing "Cousin Jonathan"(the US) in a 1886 political cartoon.

See also

• Hetalia: Axis Powers
• Afghanis-tan
• National emblem for other metaphors for nations
• Italia Turrita
• Emblem of Italy
• Mural crown
• The Stella d’Italia

References

Lionel Gossman. “Making of a Romantic Icon: The Religious Context of Friedrich Overbeck’s ‘Italia und Germania.’” American Philosophical Society, 2007. ISBN 0871699753. [1]

External links

• A scholarly case study of the evolution of Deutscher Michel