Dannebrog | Torben Kjersgaard Nielsen | Kieli: Tanska

It's everywhere: the red flag with the white cross. The little flag has had great significance ever since it descended from the sky on a summer's day in 13th-century Estonia and ensured Danish victory in the Crusades. The myth and memory are deeply ingrained in us, but the Dannebrog is also a reality. The state, the king and the nobility adopted the flag before it became a national symbol in the 19th century. Today, we wave the flag whenever there is the slightest cause for celebration, and we display it all year round in shops and at markets. As a national symbol, the Dannebrog signals unity, community and identity - and sets emotions alight.
Torben Kjersgaard Nielsen, associate professor of medieval history at Aalborg University, raises the flag and talks about the myth and the use of the Dannebrog since the time when the sky opened up.