Mother Svea

Moder Svea
Rolf Adlersparre

Moder Svea
Alfred Nyström (1891)

Mother Svea (Swedish: Moder Svea) is the female personification of Sweden and a patriotic emblem of the Swedish nation.

Background

Mother Svea is normally depicted as a powerful female warrior, valkyrie or shieldmaiden, frequently holding a shield and standing beside a lion. Svea is a Swedish female personal name which derives from svea, an old plural genitive form meaning "of the Swedes" or the Swea. It appears in Svea rike meaning "kingdom of the Swedes" (Swea Region), an older form of Sverige, the Swedish name for Sweden.

The popular image is considered to have been created by Swedish writer, Anders Leijonstedt (1649–1725) when first introduced in his poem Svea Lycksaligheets Triumph (1672).^[1]

As a patriotic symbol, Moder Svea gained widespread popularity in Kunga Skald (1697), written by Swedish poet Gunno Eurelius (1661–1709) in honor of King Charles XI of Sweden. Eurelius was later ennobled with the name of Dahlstjerna.^[2]

Mother Svea appeared frequently as a national symbol in 19th century Swedish literature and culture. She appeared on various Swedish banknotes for over seventy years, such as both the 5-kronor banknote printed between 1890–1952 and the 5-kronor banknote printed between 1954-1963.^[3]

Swedish singer Lena Philipsson and composer Torgny Söderberg wrote a song entitled Moder Swea which was introduced in the 1995 album Lena Philipsson.^[4]

See also

• National personification
• Flag of Sweden
• National anthem of Sweden
• Three Crowns

References

1. ^ Leijonstedt (Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon)
2. ^ Dahlstjerna (Nordisk familjebok)
3. ^ 5-kronor banknote (Riksbank)
4. ^ Lena Philipsson - Bio (All Media Guide, LLC.)

Sources

• Algulin, Ingemar, and Bernt Olsson Litteraturens historia i Sverige (Stockholm, 1987)

External links

• Moder Svea displayed in the Tumba Bruk printing plant in Tumba, Sweden
• Modern Moder Svea

This sculpture article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · culture-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Swedish culture National personifications National symbols of Sweden Sweden stubs Sculpture stubs Culture stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая? Saumarez, New Brunswick Akita Toshisue Look at other dictionaries: Svea — is a Swedish female name. The name was a very popular girls name during the first half of the 20th century. It is also the name of the Swedish national emblem, Mother Svea. ee also*Svealand *Svear *Svea, Svalbard *Svea, Minnesota *Svea 123 *Göta… …   Wikipedia Mother Armenia — statue and the Military museum Location …   Wikipedia Mother Russia — 1914 poster illustrating the Triple Entente, showing allegorical personifications of France (Marianne), Russia, and the UK (Britannia). Mother Russia (Russian: Россия Матушка, transliterated as Rossiya Matushka) is a na …   Wikipedia 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… …   Wikipedia Swedes (Germanic tribe) — in the 12th.Legend|#92b78b|Gotlanders ] The Swedes ( sv. svear; Old Norse: svíar ; Old English: Sweonas ; la. Suiones, Suehans or Sueones ) were an ancient North Germanic tribe in Scandinavia. As the dominions of their kings grew, their land… …   Wikipedia Athena — Athene , Athina and Pallas Athena all redirect here. For other uses, see Athena (disambiguation), Athene (disambiguation), Athina (disambiguation) and Pallas Athena (disambiguation) Athena …   Wikipedia Portugal — This article is about the country. For other uses, see Portugal (disambiguation). Portuguese Republic República Portuguesa (Portuguese) …   Wikipedia Marianne — This article is about the symbol of France. For other uses, see Marianne (disambiguation). The Statue of Republic by Léopold Morice (1883) on the Place de la République, Paris. Marianne is a national emblem of France and an allegory of Liberty… …   Wikipedia England — For other uses, see England (disambiguation). England …   Wikipedia Poland — Polska redirects here. For other uses, see Polska (disambiguation). This article is about the country. For other uses, see Poland (disambiguation). Republic of Poland Rzeczpospolita Polska …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”