The flag of Norden is yellow with a red cross.
There are no fixed proportions.
Jan Oskar Engene
, 12 March 1996
The flag of Norden is a (re)creation by people supporting the social and
cultural ties between, and the closer cooperation among, the Nordic countries,
taking as inspiration flag that may have been used as the flag for the Union
of Kalmar (1397-1521). The Union of Kalmar united under a common king most of
the territories presently belonging to the five Nordic countries.
Exactly when the idea of this flag was first launched in modern times, is
not known to me. The first trace of the idea that I have been able to located
is from 1979. The Norwegian vexillologist Atle Grahl-Madsen [mad79] then
raised the idea of a flag to emphasize the common ties of the Nordic
countries. He suggested a red cross on yellow as the natural choice and
pointed to references in two letters from King Erik of Pomerania, the first
union king under the Union of Kalmar, as historical references for the idea.
An additional reason for Grahl-Madsen to choose the red-yellow colour
combination, was that no flag of any other Nordic country used these colours.
According to Per Andersson, [and89] and [and92], the flag was first hoisted in
modern times on the occasion of the 900th anniversary celebrations of the city
of Helsingborg in 1985.
Some disagreement exist as to the certainty of the union flag suggested by
the historical sources. Norwegian vexillologist Jan Henrik Munksgaard follows
a cautious approach and concludes that the yellow flag with the red cross is
uncertain as the flag of Norden during the Union of Kalmar, but that the
instructions in the two letters from the king might indicate an attempt on
part of king Erik to introduce a flag of this kind. Danish historians and
heraldists (see [pgh96], [ngb96], and [ngb97]) take a more firm stance in
acknowledging the flag's existence.
In a detailed analysis of documents, seals and coats of arms from the
period, heraldist Nils G Bartholdy [ngb97] places the union flag into context
with other symbols of the union: The three crowns and the cross. As for the
union cross, which separates the arms of the realms in several coats of arms
of the time, Bartholdy is of the opinion that it was red on yellow. In other
words, the union flag was based on this union cross from the arms.
As mentioned, the union flag is described in two letters, both dating from
the year 1430. In these letters, king Erik of Pomerania wrote to the priests
of Vadstena and Kalmar instructing them to wear on their robes the banner of
the realms (union), which were a red cross on a yellow field. Bartholdy is of
the opinion that the red cross on a yellow field may have been a conscious
choice as new and distinct flag for the union, based on a universal symbol,
the cross, and taking the most significant colours from the arms of the three
united kingdoms, primarily that of Norway as an inherited realm (king Erik of
Pomerania inherited Norway in 1389, several years before being elected king of
Denmark and Sweden), but the yellow field also from the arms of Sweden and
Denmark at the time. Theoretically it is possible that the union flag was
introduced as early as the year of the foundation of the union, in other words
1397, but this is not known with certainty, event though the letters from 1430
uses terms indicating that the flag was already in existence.
References / bibliographical details:
- ? Per Andersson: Heraldiska vapen i Sverige [
and89
]
- ? Per Andersson: Nordiska korsflaggor [
and92
]
- Atle GrahlMadsen: "Frem for et nordisk flagg!", in: Nordisk
Flagskrift, 6 (1979), p. 21
- Jan Henrik Munksgaard: "Kalmarunionen (1397-1521) og Kalmarunionens
flagg", in: Nordisk Flagkontakt, 24 (1997), pp. 19, 21-22, 24
- Nils G. Bartholdy: "De tre kroner og korset. Unionssymbolik,
ambition og rivalitet", in: Heraldisk tidsskrift, 76 (1997), pp.
233-260
- Poul Grinder-Hansen: "Kalmarunionens flag", in: Nyt fra
Nationalmuseet, 6 (1996), p. 6
- Nils G. Bartholdy: "Kroner og kors som unionssymboler", in:
Poul Grinder-Hansen (ed.): Unionsdrottningen: Margareta I och
Kalmarunionen, Föreningen Norden: Stockholm, 1996, pp. 92-97
Jan Oskar Engene
, 25 October 2001
In my childhood, I remember seeing another (other than the one featured on
FOTW) Nordic flag on a book cover. As I remember it, it had yellow as its
background colour, but most notably, it also included not just an inner and an
outer cross, but in fact
three
superimposed crosses -- presumably in
order to accommodate all the remaining colours of blue, red and white (though
I cannot recall in what order they would have been). I have never seen this
since, but the book cover was, I believe, a photograph of an actual, flying
flag, rather than just a drawing. This was 20 years ago, but I might be able
to trace the book.
Mikael Parkvall,
13 August 2003
This flag was used sometimes in the early 1980's. It was, I believe, yellow
with a cross of from outside inwards blue, white and red.
Elias Granqvist,
17 August 2003
Norden is the name for the five countries of
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden (it thus covers more than
Scandinavia).
Jan Oskar Engene
, 12 March 1996