Heil og sæl (
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
: lit. ''healthy and happy'') is a common greeting in
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
.
Etymology
Originally a Norse greeting, “heil og sæl” had the form “heill ok sæll” when addressed to a man and “heil ok sæl” when addressed to a woman. Other versions were “ver heill ok sæll” (lit. ''be healthy and happy'') and simply “heill” (lit. ''healthy'').
[Heggstad 2012:254.]
The Norwegian adjective ''heil'' (also ''hel'') is related to the English adjective ''whole''/''hale''. The Norwegian verb ''heile'' (also ''hele'') is related to the English verb ''heal'' through their common origin, the Germanic word stem ''*haila-'', from which also the German verb ''heilen'' and the adjective „heile“, i.e. functioning / not defect descends.
The Norwegian adjective ''sæl'', meaning ''happy'' or ''glad'', is in Old English documented only in the negated variant ''unsǣle'', meaning ''evil''.
[Bjorvand & Lindemand 2001:900.]
20th-century use
According to ''
Store norske leksikon
The ''Great Norwegian Encyclopedia'' ( no, Store Norske Leksikon, abbreviated ''SNL''), is a Norwegian-language online encyclopedia.
The online encyclopedia is among the most-read Norwegian published sites, with more than two million unique vis ...
'', the originally Norse greeting “heill ok sæll” was—adjusted to modern orthography and pronunciation—adopted as “heil og sæl” by the political party
Nasjonal Samling
Nasjonal Samling (, NS; ) was a Norwegian far-right political party active from 1933 to 1945. It was the only legal party of Norway from 1942 to 1945. It was founded by former minister of defence Vidkun Quisling and a group of supporters such a ...
.
Store norske leksikon
The ''Great Norwegian Encyclopedia'' ( no, Store Norske Leksikon, abbreviated ''SNL''), is a Norwegian-language online encyclopedia.
The online encyclopedia is among the most-read Norwegian published sites, with more than two million unique vis ...
heil
/ref> According to ''Bokmålsordboka Bokmålsordboka () is a dictionary of the Norwegian written language called Bokmål (lit. "book language"). It is published by the Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Oslo in cooperation with the Norwegian Languag ...
'', the adoption was inspired by Germany's “Heil Hitler
The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute (german: link=no, Hitlergruß, , Hitler greeting, ; also called by the Nazi Party , 'German greeting', ), or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. T ...
” and similar.Bokmålsordboka Bokmålsordboka () is a dictionary of the Norwegian written language called Bokmål (lit. "book language"). It is published by the Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Oslo in cooperation with the Norwegian Languag ...
heil
/ref>
During the 1940–1945 German occupation of Norway, Nasjonal Samling, being the governing and only legal political party, sought to introduce all parts of society to a greeting combining “heil og sæl” and a raised right hand. Whilst the attempt was not successful, the said greeting remained compulsory for party members and police. It has subsequently remained closely associated with nationalism.
See also
* ''Ave
''Alta Velocidad Española'' (''AVE'') is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . As of December 2021, the Spanish high-speed rail network, on part of which the AVE s ...
''
* Ave Imperator, morituri te salutant
''Avē Imperātor, moritūrī tē salūtant'' ("Hail, Emperor, those who are about to die salute you") is a well-known Latin phrase quoted in Suetonius, '' De vita Caesarum'' ("The Life of the Caesars", or "The Twelve Caesars"). It was reported ...
* Bellamy salute
The Bellamy salute is a palm-out salute created by James B. Upham as the gesture that was to accompany the American Pledge of Allegiance, which had been written by Christian socialist minister, Francis Bellamy. It was also known as the "flag sa ...
* Olympic salute
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) uses icons, flags and symbols to elevate the Olympic Games. These symbols include those commonly used during Olympic competition—such as the flame, fanfare and theme—as well as those used throughout ...
* Roman salute
The Roman salute, alternatively called the Fascist salute, is a gesture in which the right arm is fully extended, facing forward, with palm down and fingers touching. In some versions, the arm is raised upward at an angle; in others, it is held ...
* Zogist salute
The Zogist salute (), or the nationalist Albanian salute, is a military salute of Albania since used by civilians in other countries. The salute is a gesture whereby the right hand is placed over the heart, with the palm facing downwards.
The sal ...
References
Notes
Further reading
* Bjorvand, Harald and Lindemand, Fredrik Otto: ''Våre arveord'' : ''Etymologisk ordbok'' 2nd edition. 2001, Oslo. Novus forlag.
* Heggstad, Leiv et al.: ''Norrøn ordbok'' 5th edition. 2012, Oslo. Det Norske Samlaget.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heil og sael
Greeting words and phrases
Norway in World War II