Germania (personification)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Germania is the personification of the German nation or the Germans as a whole, most commonly associated with the Romantic Era and the Revolutions of 1848, though the figure was later used by Imperial Germany.
Description
Germania is usually shown as a robust woman with long, flowing, reddish-blonde hair and wearing armour. She often wields the "Reichsschwert" (imperial sword), and possesses a mediaeval-style shield that sometimes bears the image of a black eagle on a gold field. Additionally, she is sometimes shown as carrying or wearing the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire.
In pre-1871 images, the banner she holds is the black-red-gold flag of modern Germany, but in post-1871 depictions it is the black-white-red flag of the German Empire.
Meanings of some symbols
| Attribute | Significance |
|---|---|
| Broken chains | Being freed |
| Breastplate with eagle | Symbol of the German empire - strength |
| Crown of oak leaves | Heroism |
| Sword | Symbol of power |
| Hemp branch around the sword | Willingness to make peace |
| Black, red and gold tricolour | Flag of the liberal-nationalists in 1848; banned by dukes of the German states |
| Rays of the rising sun | Beginning of a new era |
References
- 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.
