![Zweifranken (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Zweifranken_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Helvetia () is the female
national personification
A national personification is an anthropomorphic personification of a state or the people(s) it inhabits. It may appear in political cartoons and propaganda.
Some early personifications in the Western world tended to be national manifestations ...
of
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, officially ''Confoederatio Helvetica,'' the
Swiss Confederation
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
.
The allegory is typically pictured in a flowing gown, with a spear and a shield emblazoned with the
Swiss flag, and commonly with
braided
Braided is a musical group consisting of Casey LeBlanc, Ashley Leitão, and Amber Fleury, who all competed on the third season of '' Canadian Idol'' in 2005. They are the third music group to come from an Idol show in the world, after Young Div ...
hair, commonly with a
wreath
A wreath () is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, or various materials that is constructed to form a circle .
In English-speaking countries, wreaths are used typically as household ornaments, most commonly as an Advent and Chri ...
as a symbol of
confederation
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
. The name is a derivation of the
ethnonym
An ethnonym () is a name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms (whose name of the ethnic group has been created by another group of people) and autonyms, or endonyms (whose name is created and used ...
''
Helvetii
The Helvetii ( , Gaulish: *''Heluētī''), anglicized as Helvetians, were a Celts, Celtic tribe or tribal confederation occupying most of the Swiss plateau at the time of their Switzerland in the Roman era, contact with the Roman Republic in the ...
'', the name of the
Gaulish
Gaulish was an ancient Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium ...
tribe inhabiting the
Swiss Plateau
The Swiss Plateau or Central Plateau (german: Schweizer Mittelland; french: plateau suisse; it, altopiano svizzero) is one of the three major landscapes in Switzerland, lying between the Jura Mountains and the Swiss Alps. It covers about 30% of ...
before the
Roman conquest.
History
![Merian Topographia 1642 title](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Merian_Topographia_1642_title.png)
The fashion of depicting the Swiss Confederacy in terms of female allegories arises in the 17th century. This replaces an earlier convention, popular in the 1580s, of representing Switzerland as a bull (''Schweizer Stier'').
In the first half of the 17th century, there was not a single allegory identified as ''Helvetia''. Rather, a number of allegories were shown, representing both virtues and vices of the confederacy. On the title page of his 1642 ''Topographia'',
Matthäus Merian Matthäus is a given name or surname. Notable people with the name include:
;Surname
* Lothar Matthäus, (born 1961), German former football player and manager
;Given name
* Matthäus Aurogallus, Professor of Hebrew at the University of Wittenberg ...
shows two allegorical figures seated below the title panel: one is the figure of an armed ''
Eidgenosse'', representing Swiss military prowess and sovereignty, the other is a female ''Abundantia'' allegory crowned with a city's ramparts.
Female allegories of individual cantons predate the single ''Helvetia'' figure. There are depictions of a ''Respublica Tigurina Virgo'' (1607), a ''Lucerna'' shown in 1658 with the victor of
Villmergen
Villmergen is a municipality in the district of Bremgarten in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.
Two famous battles took place at Villmergen.
In 2010 Hilfikon merged into Villmergen.[Christoph Pfyffer Christoph is a male given name and surname. It is a German variant of Christopher.
Notable people with the given name Christoph
* Christoph Bach (1613–1661), German musician
* Christoph Büchel (born 1966), Swiss artist
* Christoph Dientzenho ...]
, and a ''Berna'' of 1682.
Over the next half-century, Merian's ''Abundantia'' would develop into the figure of ''Helvetia'' proper. An oil painting of 1677/78 from Solothurn, known as ''Libertas Helvetiae'', shows a female ''Libertas'' allegory standing on a pillar.
In 1672, an oil painting by Albrecht Kauw shows a number of figures labelled ''Helvetia moderna''. These represent vices such as ''Voluptas'' and ''Avaritia'', contrasting with the virtues of ''Helvetia antiqua'' (not shown in the painting).
On 14 September 1672, a monumental baroque play by Johann Caspar Weissenbach was performed in
Zug
, neighboring_municipalities = Cham, Baar, Walchwil, Steinhausen, Unterägeri
, twintowns = Fürstenfeld (Austria), Kalesija (Bosnia-Herzegowina)
Zug (Standard German: , Alemannic German: ; french: Zoug it, Zugo r ...
, entitled ''Eydtgnossisch Contrafeth Auff- und Abnemmender Jungfrawen Helvetiae''.
The play is full of allegories illustrating the raise of ''Helvetia'' and her decadence after the Reformation. In the 4th act, the ''Abnemmende Helvetiae'' or "Waning Helvetia" is faced with ''Atheysmus'' and ''Politicus'' while the old virtues leave her. In the final scene, Christ himself appears to punish the wayward damsel, but the Mother of God and
Bruder Klaus
Bruder may refer to:
People
Bruder is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Aimee Bruder (born 1974), American Paralympic swimmer
* Charles Bruder, a victim of the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916
* Christian Bruder (born 1982 ...
intercede and the contrite sinner is pardoned.
Identification of the Swiss as "Helvetians" (''Hélvetiens'') becomes common in the 18th century, particularly in the
French language
French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...
, as in François-Joseph-Nicolas d'Alt de Tieffenthal's very patriotic ''Histoire des Hélvetiens'' (1749–53)
followed by Alexander Ludwig von Wattenwyl's ''Histoire de la Confédération hélvetique'' (1754). Helvetia appears in patriotic and political artwork in the context of the construction of a national history and identity in the early 19th century, after the disintegration of the Napoleonic
Helvetic Republic
The Helvetic Republic (, , ) was a sister republic of France that existed between 1798 and 1803, during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was created following the French invasion and the consequent dissolution of the Old Swiss Confederacy, ma ...
, and she appears on official federal coins and stamps from the foundation of
Switzerland as a federal state
The rise of Switzerland as a federal state began on 12 September 1848, with the creation of a federal constitution in response to a 27-day civil war, the ''Sonderbundskrieg''. The constitution, which was heavily influenced by the United Stat ...
in 1848.
Name of Switzerland
![Fünffranken (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/F%C3%BCnffranken_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The
Swiss Confederation
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
continues to use the name in its Latin form when it is inappropriate or inconvenient to use any or all of its four official languages. Thus, the name appears on postage stamps, coins and other uses; the full name, ''Confœderatio Helvetica'', is abbreviated for uses such as the
ISO 3166-1 alpha-2
ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes are two-letter country codes defined in ISO 3166-1, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), to represent countries, dependent territories, and special areas of ...
and
vehicle registration Motor vehicle registration is the registration of a motor vehicle with a government authority, either compulsory or otherwise. The purpose of motor vehicle registration is to establish a link between a vehicle and an owner or user of the vehicle. Th ...
code CH, and the
ccTLD
A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory identified with a country code. All ASCII ccTLD identifiers are two letters long, and all ...
,
.ch
.ch is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Switzerland in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Made available in 1987, only two years after .com, it is administered by SWITCH Information Technology Services.
The domain ''ch'', as ...
.
Notably, translations of the term Helvetia still serve as the name for Switzerland in languages such as
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
, in which the country is known as ''An Eilvéis'',
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
, in which it is known as ''Ελβετία (Elvetia)'' and
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
*** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...
, in which it is known as Elveția. In
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
''Elvezia'' is seen as archaic, but the
demonym
A demonym (; ) or gentilic () is a word that identifies a group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, ...
noun/adjective ''elvetico'' is used commonly as synonym of ''svizzero''. In
French, Swiss people may be referred to as ''Helvètes''. The German word ''Helvetien'' is used as well as synonym of ''Schweiz'' and has a higher poetic value. ''Helvetien'' is also more common in Germany; the German-speaking Swiss use simply "Helvetia" or "Helvecia" as poetic synonyms for their country.
Gallery
File:Geneve jardin Anglais 2011-09-13 13 50 00 PICT4755.JPG, Helvetia (right) with "Geneva" (monument in Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
).
File:Picswiss BS-53-07.jpg, Helvetia auf Reisen ("Helvetia on her travels"), statue in Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
.
File:Bern Bundeshaus Skulpturengruppe.jpg, Statue of Helvetia on the Federal Palace of Switzerland
The Federal Palace is a building in Bern housing the Swiss Federal Assembly (legislature) and the Federal Council (executive). It is the seat of the government of Switzerland and parliament of the country. The building is a listed symmetric ...
, Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
.
Image:Stamp Switzerland 1881 25c.jpg, Helvetia on a 25 centime Swiss postage stamp, 1881.
File:Switzerland 600th Anniversary Celebration Medal 1891 in France by Dubois, obverse.jpg, Helvetia flying over Lake Lucerne
__NOTOC__
Lake Lucerne (german: Vierwaldstättersee, literally "Lake of the four forested settlements" (in English usually translated as ''forest cantons''), french: lac des Quatre-Cantons, it, lago dei Quattro Cantoni) is a lake in central ...
on a medal
A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...
for the 600th Anniversary of Switzerland 1891 by Alphée Dubois, obverse
File:Stamp Switzerland 1910 10c tb pair.jpg, The Swiss stamps
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Switzerland.
History
The first stamps used in Switzerland were issued by the cantons of Zürich (1843), Geneva (1843) and Basel (1845) for their own use, with the first federal ...
bear the indication "Helvetia" to indicate Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
.
See also
*
Coins of the Swiss franc
The coins of the Swiss franc are the official coins used in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The name of the subunit is ''centime'' in French and internationally, ''Rappen'' in German, ''centesimo'' in Italian, and ''rap'' in Romansh.
There ar ...
*
Historiography of Switzerland
The historiography of Switzerland is the study of the history of Switzerland.
Early accounts of the history of the Old Swiss Confederacy are found in the numerous Swiss chronicles of the 14th to 16th centuries.
As elsewhere in Europe, these l ...
*
Name of Switzerland
The English name of '' Switzerland'' is a compound containing ''Switzer'', an obsolete term for the Swiss, which was in use during the 16th to 19th centuries. The English adjective ''Swiss'' is a loan from French ', also in use since the 16th cen ...
*
National personification
A national personification is an anthropomorphic personification of a state or the people(s) it inhabits. It may appear in political cartoons and propaganda.
Some early personifications in the Western world tended to be national manifestations ...
*
Postage stamps and postal history of Switzerland
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Switzerland.
History
The first stamps used in Switzerland were issued by the cantons of Zürich (1843), Geneva (1843) and Basel (1845) for their own use, with the first federal ...
*
Vreneli
Vreneli (aka Goldvreneli) is the informal name for a range of legal tender gold coins of the Swiss franc.
The coins were issued between 1897 and 1936, in 1947 and in 1949. All coins issued after 1936 are restrikes (legal tender ceased September ...
*
William Tell
William Tell (german: Wilhelm Tell, ; french: Guillaume Tell; it, Guglielmo Tell; rm, Guglielm Tell) is a folk hero of Switzerland.
According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albr ...
References
Bibliography
* Gianni Haver, ''L'image de la Suisse'', collection « Comprendre », Éditions loisirs et pédagogie, 2011, 128 pages ().
* Gianni Haver, ''Dame à l'antique avec lance et bouclier: Helvetia et ses Déclinaisons'', in M.-O.Gonseth, B. Knodel, Y. Laville and G. Mayor (editors), ''Hors-champs. Eclats du patrimoine culturel immatériel'',
Musée d'ethnographie de Neuchâtel
The Musée d'ethnographie de Neuchâtel (MEN) is a museum of ethnography in Neuchâtel, Switzerland established in 1904. The collections consist of 50,000 objects from all regions of the world, with about half from Africa. The MEN is well know ...
, 2013, pages 274-282.
* Thomas Maissen,
Von wackeren alten Eidgenossen und souveränen Jungfrauen. Zu Datierung und Deutung der frühesten Helvetia-Darstellungen'' Zeitschrift für schweizerische Archäologie und Kunstgeschichte 56 (1999), 265-302.
*kibre negest (ክብረ ነገስት) dice 'Helvetia e una località di impero Romana.pp347
bid
{{Authority control
Swiss culture
National personifications
Fictional Swiss people
Philatelic terminology
Philately of Switzerland