"" (; en, "Yes, we love this country") is the Norwegian
national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...
. Originally a patriotic song, it came to be commonly regarded as the ''de facto'' national anthem of Norway in the early 20th century, after being used alongside "" since the 1860s. It was officially adopted in 2019. The lyrics were written by
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson ( , ; 8 December 1832 – 26 April 1910) was a Norwegian writer who received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished ...
between 1859 and 1868, and the melody was written by his cousin
Rikard Nordraak
Rikard Nordraak (12 June 1842 – 20 March 1866) was a Norwegian composer. He is best known as the composer of the Norwegian national anthem, "Ja, vi elsker dette landet".
Biography
Rikard Nordraak was born and grew up in Oslo, Norway. His family ...
sometime during the winter of 1863 and 1864. It was first performed publicly on 17 May 1864 in connection with the 50th anniversary of the
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
. Usually only the first and the last two verses are sung.
History
Until the mid-1860s, the songs "
Sønner av Norge
"Sønner av Norge" (originally "Sønner af Norge", ) is the common title of the song "Norsk Nationalsang" (), which was the ''de facto'' national anthem of Norway from 1820 until the early 20th century. From the mid-1860s, "Ja, vi elsker dette lan ...
" and "
Norges Skaal
''Norges Skaal'' ( en, Norway’s Toast) was written in 1771 by Johan Nordahl Brun in Copenhagen during the period when Norway was in a personal union with Denmark, as a drinking song for the Norwegian literary society in Copenhagen.
“Norges ...
" were commonly regarded as the Norwegian national anthems, with "Sønner av Norge" being most recognised. "Ja, vi elsker dette landet" gradually came to be recognised as a national anthem from the mid-1860s. Until the early 20th century, however, both "Sønner av Norge" and "Ja, vi elsker" were used, with "Sønner av Norge" preferred in official situations. In 2011, the song " Mitt lille land" featured prominently in the memorial ceremonies following the
2011 Norway attacks
The 2011 Norway attacks, referred to in Norway as 22 July ( no, 22. juli) or as 22/7, were two domestic terrorist attacks by neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik against the government, the civilian population, and a Workers' Youth League (AUF) ...
and was described by the media as "a new national anthem". On
Norwegian Constitution Day
Constitution Day is the national day of Norway and is an official public holiday observed on 17 May each year. Among Norwegians, the day is referred to as ''Syttende Mai'' ("Seventeenth of May"), ''Nasjonaldagen'' ("National Day"), or ''Grunnlo ...
in 2012, the
NRK
NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting Aksjeselskap, AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and ...
broadcast was opened with "Mitt lille land".
Background
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
did not have an official
national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...
until 11 December 2019, but over the last 200 years, a number of songs have been commonly regarded as ''
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
'' national anthems. At times, multiple songs have enjoyed this status simultaneously. "Ja, vi elsker dette landet" is now most often recognized as the anthem, but until the early 20th century, "
Sønner av Norge
"Sønner av Norge" (originally "Sønner af Norge", ) is the common title of the song "Norsk Nationalsang" (), which was the ''de facto'' national anthem of Norway from 1820 until the early 20th century. From the mid-1860s, "Ja, vi elsker dette lan ...
" occupied this position.
In the early 19th century, the song "
Norges Skaal
''Norges Skaal'' ( en, Norway’s Toast) was written in 1771 by Johan Nordahl Brun in Copenhagen during the period when Norway was in a personal union with Denmark, as a drinking song for the Norwegian literary society in Copenhagen.
“Norges ...
" was regarded by many as a ''de facto'' national anthem. From 1820, the song "Norsk Nationalsang" () became the most recognised national anthem. It came to be known as "
Sønner av Norge
"Sønner av Norge" (originally "Sønner af Norge", ) is the common title of the song "Norsk Nationalsang" (), which was the ''de facto'' national anthem of Norway from 1820 until the early 20th century. From the mid-1860s, "Ja, vi elsker dette lan ...
" (originally "Sønner af Norge"), after its first stanza. "Sønner av Norge" was written by
Henrik Anker Bjerregaard
Henrik Anker Bjerregaard (1 January 1792 – 7 April 1842) was a Norwegian poet, dramatist and judge.
Born in Ringsaker to Mads Bjerregard and Alet Ørtlien, he grew up in Vågå from the age of eight. He studied at the University of Copenhagen, ...
(1792–1842) and the melody by Christian Blom (1782–1861), after the
Royal Norwegian Society for Development
The Royal Norwegian Society for Development ( no, Det Kongelige Selskap for Norges Vel, also known as ''Norges Vel'' 'Norwegian Development', originally called ''Selskabet for Norges Vel'' 'Norwegian Society for Development') is a general developm ...
had announced a competition to write a national anthem for Norway in 1819. "Norsk Nationalsang" ("Sønner af Norge") was announced as the winner. (also called "Nordmandssang") by Ole Vig has also been used as a national anthem.
Henrik Wergeland
Henrik Arnold Thaulow Wergeland (17 June 1808 – 12 July 1845) was a Norwegian writer, most celebrated for his poetry but also a prolific playwright, polemicist, historian, and linguist. He is often described as a leading pioneer in the develop ...
also wrote an anthem originally titled "Smaagutternes Nationalsang" ("The Young Boys' National Anthem") and commonly known as "
Vi ere en Nation, vi med Vi ere en Nation, vi med (English: ''We are a nation, we as well'') is a poem written by Norwegian poet Henrik Wergeland. Adapted as the lyrics of the Patriotic song ''"Smaagutternes Nationalsang'',(English: ''National Song''), the text express a d ...
".
"Ja, vi elsker dette landet" was written by
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson ( , ; 8 December 1832 – 26 April 1910) was a Norwegian writer who received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to his noble, magnificent and versatile poetry, which has always been distinguished ...
and composed by
Rikard Nordraak
Rikard Nordraak (12 June 1842 – 20 March 1866) was a Norwegian composer. He is best known as the composer of the Norwegian national anthem, "Ja, vi elsker dette landet".
Biography
Rikard Nordraak was born and grew up in Oslo, Norway. His family ...
between 1859 and 1868, and gradually came to replace "Sønner av Norge" as the most recognised national anthem. Until the early 20th century, "Sønner av Norge" and "Ja, vi elsker dette landet" were used alongside each other, but "Sønner av Norge" was preferred in official settings. Since 2011, the anthem '' Mitt lille land'' by
Ole Paus
Ole Paus (born 9 February 1947; full name ''Ole Christian Paus'') is a Norwegian singer, songwriter, poet and author, who is widely regarded as the foremost troubadour of the contemporary Norwegian ballad tradition ( no, visebølgen). During th ...
has also been called a "new national anthem" and notably featured in the memorial ceremonies following the
2011 Norway attacks
The 2011 Norway attacks, referred to in Norway as 22 July ( no, 22. juli) or as 22/7, were two domestic terrorist attacks by neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik against the government, the civilian population, and a Workers' Youth League (AUF) ...
. On
Norwegian Constitution Day
Constitution Day is the national day of Norway and is an official public holiday observed on 17 May each year. Among Norwegians, the day is referred to as ''Syttende Mai'' ("Seventeenth of May"), ''Nasjonaldagen'' ("National Day"), or ''Grunnlo ...
in 2012, the
NRK
NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting Aksjeselskap, AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and ...
broadcast opened with "Mitt lille land."
In addition, Norway has an unofficial royal anthem, " Kongesangen", based on "
God Save the King
"God Save the King" is the national anthem, national and/or royal anthem of the United Kingdom, most of the Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in ...
" and written in its modern form by
Gustav Jensen
Gustav Margerth Jensen (July 13, 1845 – November 2, 1922) was a Norwegians, Norwegian priest, hymnologist, hymnwriter, seminary instructor, and liturgist. He is best known for his liturgy revision and hymnal publication.
Gustav Jensen was born ...
Elias Blix
Elias Blix (24 February 1836 – 17 January 1902) was a Norwegian professor, theologian, hymn writer, and a politician for the Liberal Party. Blix wrote numerous hymns and was largely responsible for translating the New Testament into the Norw ...
and with a melody by
Christoph Ernst Friedrich Weyse
Christoph(er) Ernst Friedrich Weyse (5 March 1774 – 8 October 1842) was a Denmark, Danish composer during the Danish Golden Age.
Biography
Weyse was born at Altona, Hamburg, Altona in Holstein, which was in a personal union with Denmark. ...
, is often called Norway's "national psalm".
Lyrics
Bjørnson wrote in a modified version of the Danish language current in Norway at the time. Written
Bokmål
Bokmål () (, ; ) is an official written standard for the Norwegian language, alongside Nynorsk. Bokmål is the preferred written standard of Norwegian for 85% to 90% of the population in Norway. Unlike, for instance, the Italian language, there ...
has since been altered in a series of orthographic reforms intended to distinguish it from Danish and bring it closer to spoken Norwegian. The text below, and commonly in use today, is identical to Bjørnson's original in using the same words, but with modernised spelling and punctuation. The most sung verses—1, 7 and 8 (which are highlighted and in bold)—have been modernised most and have several variations in existence. For example, Bjørnson originally wrote «drømme på vor jord», which some sources today write as «drømme på v''å''r jord», while others write «drømme''r'' på v''å''r jord».
In each verse, the last two lines are sung twice, and one or two words are repeated an extra time when the lines are sung the second time (for example "senker" in the first verse). These words are written in ''italics'' in the Norwegian lyrics below. The first verse is written down in full as an example.
Poetic translation and metric version
The three commonly used stanzas of ''Ja, vi elsker'' were translated into English long ago. The name of the translator is seldom mentioned in printed versions of the English text. It has so far not been possible to identify the translator or ascertain when it was translated. But the following versions of stanzas 1, 7, and 8 are well known and often sung by descendants of Norwegian immigrants to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Its popularity and familiarity among Norwegian-Americans seems to indicate that it has been around for a long time, certainly since before the middle of the 20th century, and possibly much earlier. This translation may be regarded as the "official" version in English.
Metrical versions
Two alternative metrical versions also exist. The second follows the original closely, and was learnt by heart by a Norwegian who did not know the translator's name. It was published (without the translator's name) in a collection of ''Sange og digte paa dansk og engelsk'' 'Songs and Poems in Danish and English'' There are two small changes in the text in this version, which is presented here. Verse 2, which is seldom sung, has been omitted, and the last two lines in each verse are repeated, in the same way as it's sung in Norwegian.
Deleted verse a tribute to King Charles IV
A verse hailing Charles IV who had succeeded his father as king of Norway in July 1859 was included in the original version of "Ja, vi elsker". But after the divisive international events of the spring of 1864 including the
Second Schleswig War
The Second Schleswig War ( da, Krigen i 1864; german: Deutsch-Dänischer Krieg) also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War was the second military conflict over the Schleswig-Holstein Question of the nineteenth century. T ...
, when the ideal of a unified Scandinavia was shattered, Bjørnson went from being a monarchist to republicanism, and the tribute to the reigning sovereign was stricken from the song.
The lyrics that were taken out were:
:Kongen selv står stærk og åpen
:som vår Grænsevagt
:og hans allerbedste Våpen
:er vår Broderpagt.
In English this reads:
:The King himself stands strong and open
:As our border guard
:and his most powerful weapon
:is our brethren pact.
The "brethren pact" the text refers to was a military treaty between Norway, Sweden and Denmark to come to one another's assistance should one come under military assault. This happened when German troops
invaded
An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...
South Jutland in February 1864. None of the alliance partners came to Denmark's rescue. This perceived treason of the "brethren pact" once and for all shattered dreams of unification of the three countries.
Controversies
Norwegian independence
In 1905 the
Union between Sweden and Norway
Sweden and Norway or Sweden–Norway ( sv, Svensk-norska unionen; no, Den svensk-norske union(en)), officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, and known as the United Kingdoms, was a personal union of the separate kingdoms of Swede ...
was dissolved after many years of Norwegian struggle for equality between the two states, as stipulated in the 1815 Act of Union. The unilateral declaration by the Norwegian
Storting
The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years bas ...
of the union's dissolution 7 June provoked strong Swedish reactions, bringing the two nations to the brink of war in the autumn. In Sweden, pro-war conservatives were opposed by the Social Democrats, whose leaders
Hjalmar Branting
Karl Hjalmar Branting (; 23 November 1860 – 24 February 1925) was a Swedish politician who was the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party (SAP) from 1907 until his death in 1925, and three times Prime Minister of Sweden. When Branting cam ...
and
Zeth Höglund
Carl Zeth "Zäta" Konstantin Höglund (29 April 1884 – 13 August 1956) was a leading Swedish communist politician, anti-militarist, author, journalist and mayor (''finansborgarråd'') of Stockholm (1940–1950).
Höglund can be credited as the ...
spoke out for reconciliation and a peaceful settlement with Norway. Swedish socialists sang ''Ja, vi elsker dette landet'' to demonstrate their support for the Norwegian people’s right to secede from the union.
Nazi occupation
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the anthem was used both by the Norwegian resistance and the
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
collaborators, the latter mainly for propaganda reasons. Eventually, the German occupiers officially forbade any use of the anthem.
Urdu translation
In May 2006, the multicultural newspaper '' Utrop'' proposed that the national anthem be translated into
Storting
The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years bas ...
called the proposal "
integration
Integration may refer to:
Biology
*Multisensory integration
*Path integration
* Pre-integration complex, viral genetic material used to insert a viral genome into a host genome
*DNA integration, by means of site-specific recombinase technology, ...
in reverse". One proponent of translating the anthem received batches of hate mail calling her a traitor and threatening her with decapitation.
See also
*
Flag of Norway
The national flag of Norway ( nb, Norges flagg; nn, Noregs flagg; ) is red with a navy blue Scandinavian cross fimbriated in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style ...
Sissel Kyrkjebø
Sissel Kyrkjebø (; born 24 June 1969), also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano.
Sissel is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Her musical style ranges from pop recordings and folk songs, to classical vocals and op ...