National personification

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

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. 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		Mother Albania
Argentina		Effigy of the Republic/Liberty/Progress/Fatherland, Gaucho, Martín Fierro
Armenia		Mother Armenia (Mayr Hayastan; lit. "Mother Hayastan")
Australia		Little Boy from Manly Australia
Bangladesh		Mother Bengal or Bangla Maa
Brazil		Efígie da República; the Bandeirante (only in São Paulo State); the Candango (in Brasília); the Gaúcho (in Rio Grande do Sul)
Belarus		Rus,
Bulgaria		Mother Bulgaria,
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), Mother Canada (at the Vimy Memorial)
Chile		El Roto, El Huaso, La Carmela, Doña Juanita (an average Chilean woman from the countryside)
Czech Republic		Čechie, Hloupý Honza, Praotec Čech (Forefather Czech), Double-tailed Czech lion.
Denmark		Holger Danske
Dominican Republic		Yania Tierra
Egypt		Mother of the World (Om El Donia)
England		John Bull, Britannia
Europe		Europa or Europa regina
Finland		Finnish Maiden (Suomi-neito)
France		Marianne, Gallic rooster
Georgia		Georgia: Saint George, "Mother of Georgia" (Kartlis Deda)
Germany		Germany: Germania, Arminius (Hermann der Cherusker), Deutscher Michel Bavaria: Bavaria, Berlin: Berolina, Brunswick: Brunonia, Franconia: Franconia, Hamburg: Hammonia, Prussia: Borussia, Palatinate: Palatia, Saxony: Saxonia
Greece		Athena, "Greece" by Delacroix
Haiti		Ezili Dantor
Iceland		The Lady of the Mountains (Fjallkonan)
India		Bharat Mata ("Mother India"), earlier the goddess Durga
Indonesia		Ibu Pertiwi
Iran		Cyrus the Great
Ireland	File:Edmund Dwyer Gray UnitedIrelandCartoon April1888.png	Ériu, Banba, Fodla, Kathleen Ni Houlihan, Hibernia, Granuaile, Scotia,^[2]
Israel		Srulik, King David
Italy		Italia Turrita
Japan		Amaterasu Omikami,^{[citation needed]} Samurai^{[citation needed]}
Korea		Dangun
Macedonia	Mother Macedonia^[3]^[4]
Malta		Melita
Mexico		El Charro, La China Poblana, el Pelado.
Mongolia		Genghis Khan
Netherlands		de Nederlandse Maagd` ("The Dutch Maiden"), De Leeuw van Oranje, Hans Brinker (outside the Netherlands), (Zeeland: Zeeuws Meisje)
New England		Brother Jonathan, Puritan, Pine tree.
New Zealand		Kiwi, Zealandia, Southern man (for the South Island)
Norway		Mother Norway, Ola Nordmann, Kari Nordmann, hist. Nór
Palestinian territories		Handala
Peru		The chalán, La Madre Patria
Philippines	File:RizalParkjf8065 33.JPG	Juan dela Cruz, Maria Clara, Filipinas, Luzviminda, Lapu-Lapu
Poland		Polonia, Lech,
Portugal		Zé Povinho, Eu nacional (National Self), Lusitania, República, Rooster of Barcelos, Guardian Angel of Portugal
Romania		România
Russia		Mother Russia/Mother Motherland, Rus,
Scotland		Caledonia, Jock Tamson, Scotia,
Serbia		Mother Serbia, Kosovo Maiden,
Singapore		The Merlion
Slovakia		Jánošík
Slovenia		Kranjski Janez ("John from Carniola", an average man from Slovenia's central region), Peter Klepec
Spain		Hispania
Sweden		Mother Svea
Switzerland		Helvetia
Turkey		Anatolia
Ukraine		Cossack Mamay, Rus
United Kingdom		Britannia, John Bull, Lion, Bulldog
United States		Uncle Sam (government personification), Lady Liberty, Columbia, Johnny Rebel (The South, obsolete), Billy Yank (The North, obsolete)
Wales		Dame Wales, Deffroad Cymru, the Awakening of Wales

Gallery

1914 poster showing Marianne, Mother Russia and Britannia, the "Triple Entente" allies in the first World War (1914)..
Columbia, personification of the United States (World War I patriotic poster)
French Marianne « Freedom for France, freedom for the French » (1940).
Germania representing Germany, in a painting by Phillip Veit from 1848.
Allegory of the Second Spanish Republic, Hispania embracing French Marianne (1931).
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
España y Filipinas, 1886 painting by Juan Luna. Depicts the reformist view of the relationship between the Philippines and "Mother Spain"
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-martial Britannia kissing "Citizen François", a personifiaction of Revolutionary France
Revolutionary Romania. Painting by C. D. Rosenthal, made in Paris exile in the early 1850s
Romania Breaking off Her Chains on the Field of Liberty, also by C. D. Rosenthal
A later depiction of Romania as a helpless woman threatened by the brutal Germany 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, America personified as a young woman holding up a Phrygian cap on a clipper ship card of the Young America Movement
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 an 1886 political cartoon.
John Bull, a national personification of the United Kingdom holds the head of Napoleon I of France in an 1803 caricature by James Gillray.
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!"
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).

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).
Bavaria, an early 19th-century statue made when Bavaria was a fully sovereign Kingdom with a considerable national pride
Political cartoon depicting the tangled web of European alliances.
In this Belarusian caricature commenting on the 1921 Peace of Riga, Russian Bolsheviks (to the right) and Nationalist Poles (on the left) are dividing the territory of Belarus.

References

^ Eric Hobsbawm, "Mass-Producing Traditions: Europe, 1870-1914," in Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger, eds., The Invention of Tradition (Cambridge, 1983), 263-307.
^ O'Clery, M. (2003) Annals of Ireland by the Four Masters as translated into English
^ "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 {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ Bulgarian graphic representation of Bulgaria, East Rumelia and Macedonia

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]

External links

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

[2] O'Clery, M. (2003) Annals of Ireland by the Four Masters as translated into English

[3] "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 {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

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

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e National symbols (list)
Topics	Coat of arms Colour Deity Dish Emblem Father Flower Myth Patron saint Personification Poetry Epic Poets Religion Sport
Lists	Animals birds Anthems Dances Founders Fruits Instruments Drinks liquors Mottos Trees
Galleries	Country coats of arms State flags

Personifications by country or territory

Gallery

See also

References

External links