Saturday, August 11, 2018

A republic in waiting?



Funny. Amazon carries the unofficial flag of Jämtland, actually the flag of the fictitious “Republic of Jämtland”. Jämtland is a province in northern Sweden. While its denizens are, of course, Swedes, they have always been critical of the “central power” in Stockholm which they believe isn't giving their region a fair shake. Opposition to the European Union is also stronger in Jämtland than in other parts of Sweden. The “republic” is seen by many as a part-humorous, part-serious protest against the national government.

Unsurprisingly, the “president” is an anarchist, the minstrel singer and stand-up comic Ewert Ljusberg! He styles himself “president of Jämtland, Härjedalen and Ravund”, a parody of an old Swedish royal title. He also claims to have an army at his disposal, known as the JRA (named after the IRA)!

The flag of the “republic” deliberately isn't a typical Nordic cross flag, with the argument that the “republic” is older than Christianity. The seal is real, bestowed on Jämtland in 1274 by the Norwegian king Magnus Lagaböte. The lion with the axe is the traditional coat of arms of Norway, to which Jämtland and Härjedalen belonged until 1645. The three stripes symbolize Jämtland, Härjedalen and Ravund or Ragunda (really a part of Jämtland, but purportedly a separate territory according to some medieval document – or so the “republic's” website says).

At the present moment, the Republic of Jämtland is about as real as the Great Lake Monster (Storsjöodjuret), the local Jämtish version of Nessie. However, it wouldn't surprise me if this particular flag will one day fly over the capital of a real (albeit small) nation, say 100 years into the future as Sweden (and the rest of the world) descends into anarchy due to climate change and peak oil…


The flag can be seen here: 

https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republiken_Jamtland

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