Honor, freedom, fatherland

The fraternity circle shows the three first letters of the motto in stylized form: EFV!

" Honor , Freedom , Fatherland " was the motto of the Jena Urburschenschaft of 1815 and is still the motto of most fraternities and the corporation Association German fraternity and the general German fraternity . The student song swears by this sheer defense , also known as the fraternity song, is based on this "triad".

history

Already in the 18th century, the saying in an alternating sequence of words can be detected. It was first used as a student motto in 1814 in the version “Freedom, Honor, Fatherland” by the Landsmannschaft Teutonia Halle.

The original fraternity, which had initially carried the motto “Honor and respect for the honest”, adopted the motto in the version “Honor, freedom, fatherland” on March 18, 1816. In this form it was finally adopted by the majority of fraternities.

The early fraternity of the Giessen blacks had the motto "God, freedom, fatherland". A combination of the two slogans finally became “God, Honor, Freedom, Fatherland”, which has been run by several fraternities to this day.

According to a dictionary from 1846, “Ehre, Freiheit, Vaterland” is, among other things, “the compilation of the highest earthly goods, personal honor, divine freedom and the earthly fatherland, of the German youth after their return from the freedom struggles”.

variants

Some student associations lead or lead "God, honor, freedom, fatherland", the New German Burschenschaft uses the motto "freedom, honor, fatherland", the Schwarzburgbund "God, freedom, fatherland", the Coburg convent "honor, freedom, friendship, Fatherland ”.

literature

Gunnar Auth: The fraternity triad “God – Freedom – Fatherland” and its meaning for the Schwarzburgbund. In: The Black Castle. 3/4, Karlsruhe 2003, pp. 11–12 ( PDF; 78 kB ).
Harald Lönnecker : The fraternity song. Frankfurt am Main 2003 ( PDF; 129 kB ).
Paul Wentzke: History of the German fraternity. Volume I: Early and Early Times up to the Karlovy Vary Resolutions. Heidelberg 1965, ISBN 3825313387 .

Web links

German fraternity: The motto "Honor - Freedom - Fatherland"

Individual evidence

^ Peter Kaupp: Freemasonry and Boy Customs. Continuity of religious customs in corporate students. In: then and now. Vol. 46. (= 2001 yearbook of the Association for Corps Student History Research. ). Pp. 33–68, here: p. 61.
↑ Principles - General German Burschenschaft. In: Allgemeine-burschenschaft.de. Retrieved February 5, 2019 .
↑ Harald Lönnecker: The Burschenschafterlied. Frankfurt am Main 2003, p. 3 f.
↑ J. Vollmann: Burschicoses dictionary. Unteregger, 1846, p. 146.

[1] Peter Kaupp: Freemasonry and Boy Customs. Continuity of religious customs in corporate students. In: then and now. Vol. 46. (= 2001 yearbook of the Association for Corps Student History Research. ). Pp. 33–68, here: p. 61.

[2] Principles - General German Burschenschaft. In: Allgemeine-burschenschaft.de. Retrieved February 5, 2019 .

[3] Harald Lönnecker: The Burschenschafterlied. Frankfurt am Main 2003, p. 3 f.

[4] J. Vollmann: Burschicoses dictionary. Unteregger, 1846, p. 146.