- published: 05 May 2015
- views: 19620
Danes (Danish: danskere) are the citizens of Denmark, most of whom speak Danish and consider themselves to be of Danish ethnicity.
The first mention of Danes are from the 6th century in Jordanes' Getica, by Procopius, and by Gregory of Tours. The first mention of Danes within the Danish territory is on the Jelling Rune Stone which states how Harald Bluetooth converted the Danes to Christianity in the 10th century. Denmark has been continuously inhabited since this period; and, although much cultural and ethnic influence and immigration from all over the world has entered Denmark since then, present day Danes tend to see themselves as ethnic descendants of the early tribal Danes mentioned in the historic sources. Whether this is true or not, the Danish Royal Family can certainly trace their family line back to Gorm the Old (d. 958 AD) in the Viking Age, and perhaps even before that to some of the preceding semi-mythical rulers.
Since the formulation of a Danish national identity in the 19th century, the defining criteria for being Danish has been speaking the Danish language and identifying Denmark as a homeland. Danish national identity was built on a basis of peasant culture and Lutheran theology, theologian N. F. S. Grundtvig and his popular movement played a prominent part in the process.
This is a list of notable Danish people.
It's a cold world, sometimes I feel all alone
It's a long road, that I'm rolling on
And I wonder, if I'm on the path I should have taken
And I'm still here, even though my heart is breakin'
Chorus: Someday I'm gonna find what I'm looking for
Someday I'll find my place in this world
Someday I'm gonna know why I'm here
When I find, what I'm looking for
It's a big old world, and sometimes I lose my way
But I keep searching, and I get closer every day
I can't look back, and I can't go back in time
I gotta move one, and leave the past behind