Nordic cross flag - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A Nordic cross flag is a style of flag that has a cross placed to the left of the center of the flag. Many flags have Nordic crosses on them, such as the flags of Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. The Nordic cross is a symbol for Christianity.[1][2] The first country to use it was Denmark, in the 14th century.[3]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Andrew Evans (2008). Iceland. Bradt. ISBN 9781841622156. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2007.
Legend states that a red cloth with the white cross simply fell from the sky in the middle of the 13th-century Battle of Valdemar, after which the Danes were victorious. As a badge of divine right, Denmark flew its cross in the other Scandinavian countries it ruled and as each nation gained independence, they incorporated the Christian symbol.
- ↑ Jeroen Temperman (2010). State Religion Relationships and Human Rights Law: Towards a Right to Religiously Neutral Governance. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 88. ISBN 978-9004181489. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2007.
Many predominantly Christian states show a cross, symbolising Christianity, on their national flag. The so-called Scandinavian crosses or Nordic crosses on the flags of the Nordic countries–Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden–also represent Christianity.
- ↑ "Dannebrog" by Hans Christian Bjerg, p.12, ISBN 87-7739-906-4.