"" (; da, "Vort ældgamle land under isblinkens bavn", ; en, "You, Our Ancient Land") is the
national anthem of
Greenland, an autonomous state of the
Kingdom of Denmark
The Danish Realm ( da, Danmarks Rige; fo, Danmarkar Ríki; kl, Danmarkip Naalagaaffik), officially the Kingdom of Denmark (; ; ), is a sovereign state located in Northern Europe and Northern North America. It consists of Denmark, metropolitan ...
. Written by
Henning Jakob Henrik Lund
Henning Jakob Henrik Lund or Intel'eraq (1875–1948)Frederiksen, 653 was a Greenlandic lyricist, painter, and pastor. He wrote the lyrics to "Nunarput utoqqarsuanngoravit,"Frederiksen, 658
in the indigenous Greenlandic language, an Eskimo–Ale ...
in 1912, it was officially adopted in 1916. Music for it was later composed by
in 1937.
The reference to Kalaallit as "half-grown children" yearning to join the "advanced nations" of the world has been considered controversial in modern times. Since 1979, "
Nuna asiilasooq
"" (; da, "Et vældigt klippeland" , en, "A Huge Rocky Land") is a Greenlandic song used as an ethnic anthem by the self-governing Kalaallit of Greenland. It was officially recognised by the government in 1979. Both lyrics and melody were compo ...
" ("The Land of Great Length"), an
ethnic anthem
An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to shor ...
used by the self-governing
Kalaallit, has also been officially recognised by the government.
History
The song was written in 1912 by Greenlandic priest
Henning Jakob Henrik Lund
Henning Jakob Henrik Lund or Intel'eraq (1875–1948)Frederiksen, 653 was a Greenlandic lyricist, painter, and pastor. He wrote the lyrics to "Nunarput utoqqarsuanngoravit,"Frederiksen, 658
in the indigenous Greenlandic language, an Eskimo–Ale ...
, originally set to the melody of the Swedish national anthem, "
Du gamla, du fria". It was one of the first Greenlandic national songs and has been suggested to have been written as a national battle song for politicians pushing for a bill on home rule.
In 1937, organist and piano teacher
composed a melody for the anthem.
In 1916, it was translated into Danish by Eskimologist
William Thalbitzer
__NOTOC__
William C. Thalbitzer (5 February 1873 in Helsingør – 18 September 1958 in Usserød) was a Danish philologist and professor of Eskimo studies at the University of Copenhagen. He studied Danish, English and Latin at the university, but ...
.
It was the only Greenlandic song translated into Danish, and remained so for many years, and as such was given official status as the national anthem of Greenland by Denmark. It was performed in this role at the
University of Copenhagen in 1921 for the 200th anniversary of missionary
Hans Egede's landing in Greenland and in 1937 for King
Christian X's 25-year jubilee.
In 1985, Thalbitzer's Danish translation was refined by theologian Mads Lidegaard.
Lyrics
The fifth verse is more often sung after the first verse than the second verse in short versions.
Notes
References
External links
MIDI and sheet musicGreenland's regional anthem on YouTube (short version)
{{Authority control
Danish anthems
National symbols of Greenland
North American anthems
Greenlandic music
National anthem compositions in E-flat major
Regional songs