Helvetia is the female national personification of Switzerland, officially Confoederatio Helvetica, the Swiss Confederation. The allegory is typically pictured in a flowing gown, with a spear and a shield emblazoned with the Swiss flag, and commonly with braided hair, commonly with a wreath as a symbol of confederation. The name is a derivation of the ethnonym Helvetii, the name of the Gaulish tribe inhabiting the Swiss Plateau before the Roman conquest: see Switzerland in the Roman era.
Appearance List Helvetia on Zürich coins (1672) – Earliest widely accepted numismatic appearance of Helvetia as a female personification on Zürich ducats and talers; Die Alpen (1729) by Albrecht von Haller – First modern poetic personification of the Swiss landscape and spirit; Die Gedichte des Herrn von Haller (1762) by Albrecht von Haller – Collected poems including Die Alpen; Helvetic Republic Seal (1798) – Helvetia with liberty cap and spear; Niederwalddenkmal-era visual culture (19th century)
Sample Read Die Gedichte des Herrn von Haller (1762) [Internet Archive]
Description Helvetia is the female national personification of Switzerland, officially Confoederatio Helvetica, the Swiss Confederation. The allegory is typically pictured in a flowing gown, with a spear and a shield emblazoned with the Swiss flag, and commonly with braided hair, commonly with a wreath as a symbol of confederation. The name is a derivation of the ethnonym Helvetii, the name of the Gaulish tribe inhabiting the Swiss Plateau before the Roman conquest: see Switzerland in the Roman era.
