Denmark (royal anthem)
"Kong Christian stod ved højen mast" (King Christian stood by the lofty mast)
"Kong Christian" (King Christian)
"Kongesangen" (The King's Anthem)
Words by: Johannes Ewald
Music by: unknown
Adopted: 1780
Denmark is one of a handful of nations which have a separate "royal" anthem from the people's "national" anthem. The royal anthem is one of the oldest in the world; adopted in 1780. Special events for the royal house are marked with the royal anthem.
The lyrics first appear in Johannes Ewald's historical drama "The Fishermen" and specifically names heroes in the wars against Sweden in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Denmark is also unique in that it and New Zealand are the only two nations in the world with two official national anthems. Officially, "Kong Christian" is both the national and royal anthem and has equal status with "Der er et yndigt land", the national anthem.
Special thanks to: Josh Lim for some of this information.
See also: Denmark, Faeroe Islands, Greenland.
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