National personification
A national personification is an anthropomorphic personification of a nation or its people. It may appear in political cartoons and propaganda. As a personification it cannot be a real person, of the Father of the Nation type, or one from ancient history who is believed to have been real.
Some early personifications in the Western world tended to be national manifestations of the majestic wisdom and war goddess Minerva/Athena, and often took the Latin name of the ancient Roman province. Examples of this type include Britannia, Germania, Hibernia, Helvetia and Polonia. Examples of personifications of the Goddess of Liberty include Marianne, the Statue of Liberty, and many examples of United States coinage. Another ancient model was Roma, a female deity who personified the city of Rome and more broadly, the Roman state, and who was revived in the 20th Century as the personification of Mussolini's "New Roman Empire". Examples of representations of the everyman or citizenry in addition to the nation itself are Deutscher Michel, John Bull and Uncle Sam.
Personifications by country or territory
| Country | Image | Personification | Animal used for the same purpose |
| Mother Albania | |||
| The Americas | Personification of the Americas | ||
| Effigy of the Republic/Liberty/Progress/Fatherland, Gaucho | |||
| Mother Armenia | |||
| Phoebus, Little Boy from Manly | Boxing kangaroo | ||
| :de:Austria |Austria | |||
| Bangamata. | Bengal tiger. | ||
| La Belgique or Belgica. | Leo Belgicus | ||
| Efígie da República; the Bandeirante ; the Candango ; the Gaúcho | |||
| Mother Bulgaria | |||
| Preah Thong and Neang Neak | |||
| Mountie, Johnny Canuck, Le Vieux de '37, Canada Bereft also known as Mother Canada. Canada was often personified as a young woman in 19th and early 20th century editorial cartoons, called simply '"Canada," "Miss Canada,'" or sometimes "Mother Canada" | Canadian beaver | ||
| El Roto, El Huaso, Doña Juanita | |||
| and | Jade Emperor | Chinese dragon | |
| Juan Valdez | |||
| Čechie, Czech Vašek, Svejk. | double-tailed Czech lion | ||
| Holger Danske, Mor Danmark | |||
| Conchoprimo | |||
| Mother of the World | |||
| Monumento al Divino Salvador del Mundo | |||
| Europa or Europa regina | Zeus as a white bull | ||
| Finnish Maiden | |||
| Marianne | Gallic rooster | ||
| Georgia: "Mother of a Georgian" | |||
| Germany: Germania, Deutscher Michel Bavaria: Bavaria, Berlin: Berolina, Brunswick: Brunonia, Franconia: Franconia, Hamburg: Hammonia, Prussia: Borussia, Palatinate: Palatia, Saxony: Saxonia | Reichsadler | ||
| Hellas | |||
| Ezili Dantor, Katrin | |||
| The Lady of Hungaria | |||
| The Lady of the Mountains | |||
| Bharat Mata | Indian tiger, Indian elephant | ||
| Ibu Pertiwi | Garuda Pancasila | ||
| , and | Rostam | ||
| Ériu, Banba, Fódla, Kathleen Ni Houlihan, Hibernia, The Old Woman of Beare | |||
| Srulik | |||
| Italia Turrita, Roma | |||
| Amaterasu, Emperor Jimmu | Green Pheasant, Koi | ||
| Kobylandy | |||
| Wanjiku | |||
| Korea | Dangun, Ungnyeo, Yangban | Korean Tiger, Chollima | |
| Manas | |||
| Hang Tuah | Malayan tiger | ||
| Melita | |||
| Alegoría de la Patria Mexicana, La China Poblana | Golden eagle | ||
| Barbary Lion | |||
| Fairy of Lovćen, Mother Montenegro | |||
| Dutch Maiden | Dutch Republic Lion | ||
| Zealandia | Kiwi | ||
| Mother Macedonia | |||
| , stereotyp. Ola Nordmann & Kari Nordmann, hist. Nór | |||
| Pak Watan/Ali Faisal "A Term of Endearment for Pakistan," Mumlikat-e-Khudadad | Snow leopard. | ||
| Handala | |||
| Libertad also known as Madre Patria | Vicuña | ||
| Ináng Bayan, Filipinas, Juan dela Cruz | Philippine Carabao | ||
| Polonia | White eagle | ||
| Zé Povinho, Eu nacional'', Republic effigy, Guardian Angel of Portugal | |||
| România | |||
| Mother Russia/Mother Motherland | Russian bear | ||
| Mother Serbia, Kosovo Maiden | |||
| Merlion | |||
| Jánošík | |||
| Kralj Matjaž, Peter Klepec | |||
| Hispania | |||
| Sri Lanka Matha | |||
| Mama Sranan, a 1965 sculpture by Jozeph Klas in the center of Paramaribo, of a mother figure holding five children representing Suriname's ethnic groups in her arms. | |||
| Mother Svea, Svenne Svensson | |||
| Helvetia | |||
| Siam Devadhiraj, Thailand | White elephant | ||
| ,, and | Koroghlu | ||
| Cossack Mamay | |||
| Britannia, John Bull, Dame Wales | The Lion and the Unicorn, Bulldog, Welsh dragon | ||
| Uncle Sam, Lady Liberty, Columbia, Johnny Reb, Billy Yank, Brother Jonathan | Bald Eagle, Timber rattlesnake | ||
| Personification of Uruguay | |||
| The Four Immortals, Hùng King |