Norway National Anthem — Ja, vi elsker dette landet

"Ja, vi elsker dette landet" is a heartfelt tribute to Norway itself. The famous first verse pictures the country "as it rises forth" from the sea — "rugged, weathered", dotted with "a thousand homes" — and declares a love bound up with thoughts "of our father and mother".

The reference to "den saganatt" (the "saga-night") evokes Norway's old Norse past, laying "dreams upon our earth". Rather than a martial call, the anthem is a warm, almost pastoral celebration of homeland, heritage and the northern landscape.

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson wrote the poem between roughly 1859 and 1868, and Rikard Nordraak — a close friend of the composer Edvard Grieg — set it to music in 1864. It was first performed publicly on 17 May 1864, the fiftieth anniversary of the Norwegian Constitution. Nordraak died just two years later, aged 23. The song gradually became Norway's national anthem in practice, and parliament formally adopted it in December 2019.

The anthem is inseparable from Norway's Constitution Day, "Syttende Mai" (17 May), when children's parades fill the streets and the song is sung nationwide. Written by a Nobel laureate and composed by a friend of Grieg, it embodies the 19th-century flowering of Norwegian national culture.

"Ja, vi elsker dette landet" ("Yes, We Love This Country") is the national anthem of Norway, one of the most affectionate of the world's national anthems. The words are by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and the music by Rikard Nordraak.

First performed in 1864, it served as the de facto anthem for over 150 years and was formally adopted in 2019. It is in the public domain; the official anthem comprises verses 1, 7 and 8.