Germania (Personification) Information

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. She is usually shown wielding the "Reichsschwert" (imperial sword). Additionally, she is sometimes shown as carrying or wearing the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire. She is often depicted as wearing armor, with long, flowing, reddish-blonde hairs, and possesses a medieval-style shield. Sometimes, the shield bears the image of a black eagle on a gold field. In pre-1871 images, she is shown holding the black-red-gold flag of modern Germany, but in post-1871 depictions she is shown holding the black-white-red flag of the German Empire.

Meanings of some symbols

Gallery

• Italia and Germania by Johann Friedrich Overbeck, 1828

• Germania Awakening by Christian Köhler, 1849

• Germania at the Watch on the Rhine by Hermann Wislicenus, 1873

• Statue by Johannes Schilling, 1877-83, part of the Niederwalddenkmal near Rüdesheim am Rhein

• Germany 1914, by Friedrich August von Kaulbach

• Philipp Veit's fresco (1834–36). She is holding a shield with the coat of arms of the German Confederation. The shields on which she stands are the arms of the seven original Electors of the Holy Roman Empire.

References

• Lionel Gossman. “Making of a Romantic Icon: The Religious Context of Friedrich Overbeck’s ‘Italia und Germania.’” American Philosophical Society, 2007. ISBN 0871699753.
• Germania Briefmarken (German)

See also

• Deutscher Michel, personification of German people
• Flag and Coat of Arms of Germany
• Berolina, personification of Berlin
• Hammonia, personification of Hamburg
• Bavaria, personification of the Land of Bavaria

Categories:

• National personifications
• National symbols of Germany

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