Germania
Topic: The Rise of Nationalism in Europe · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 1 "The Rise of Nationalism in Europe"
Meaning
Germania is the female figure that stands for the German nation. She is an allegory, which means an abstract idea shown as a person. Artists in the 19th century used such figures to make the idea of a nation easy to see. Germania became the symbol of German nationalism, especially around the 1848 revolutions. Each thing she carries has a meaning. Her crown of oak leaves means heroism, because the German oak stood for courage. Broken chains mean freedom. A breastplate with an eagle means the strength of the German empire. A sword means she is ready to fight, and the olive branch around it means she is willing to make peace. The black-red-gold tricolour was the flag of the 1848 liberal-nationalists. The rays of a rising sun mean the start of a new era.
Example
Philip Veit's Germania of 1848 hung over the Frankfurt parliament in the Church of St Paul. Hübner's 1850 image of a fallen Germania mourned the failed revolution. Lorenz Clasen's Germania guarding the Rhine (1860) showed her defending the nation.
Don't confuse with
- Marianne: she stands for France. She wears the red cap of Liberty and a cockade, not a crown of oak leaves.