Order of the Falcon
Encyclopedia
The Order of the Falcon or Hin íslenska fálkaorða is a national Order
of Iceland
, established on July 3, 1921 by King Christian X
of Denmark
and Iceland.
New statutes were incorporated for the Order on July 11, 1944, when Iceland became independent. It may be awarded to both Icelanders and citizens of other countries for achievements in Iceland or internationally.
The President of Iceland is the designated Grand Master
of the Order. A five-member council makes recommendations on awards to the Grand Master, who then grants the award. However, the Grand Master may award the Order without recommendations from the Order Council. The Grand Master and the Chairman of the Order Council then sign the Letters Patent, which are given to those who receive the awards.
The Order has five classes:
The badge consists of a gilt
cross, enamelled in white, with a blue-enamelled central disc bearing the white falcon.
The star is a silver, eight-pointed star. For the Grand Cross class it has the badge of the Order superimposed upon it; for the Grand Knight with Star class it has a blue-enamelled central disc bearing the white falcon.
The ribbon is blue with white-red-white border stripes.
In summary:
If a holder is promoted to a higher rank, the lower rank's insignia must be returned. The insignia is retained during the recipient's lifetime, but it must be returned to the Icelandic Government upon his or her death.
(Silver medalists in handball
at the 2008 Summer Olympics
) Guðni Ágústson (Former Minister of Agriculture) David Architzel
(Vice Admiral, US Navy) Knut O.H.A Hammarskjöld (Swedish Foreign Service) His Excellency Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
(Current President of Iceland) Sue McCourt Cobb (US Ambassador to Jamaica) Helgi Hallvarðsson (Captain, Icelandic Coast Guard) Guðmundur Kjærnested
(Commander, Icelandic Coast Guard) George P.L. Walker
(Vulcanologist) Michael D. Haskins (Vice Admiral, US Navy)
Order (decoration)
An order or order of merit is a visible honour, awarded by a government, dynastic house or international organization to an individual, usually in recognition of distinguished service to a nation or to humanity. The distinction between orders and decorations is somewhat vague, except that most...
of Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, established on July 3, 1921 by King Christian X
Christian X of Denmark
Christian X was King of Denmark from 1912 to 1947 and the only King of Iceland between 1918 and 1944....
of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and Iceland.
History and appointments
The President of Iceland is the designated Grand Master
Grand Master (order)
Grand Master is the typical title of the supreme head of various orders of knighthood, including various military orders, religious orders and civil orders such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Orange Order...
of the Order. A five-member council makes recommendations on awards to the Grand Master, who then grants the award. However, the Grand Master may award the Order without recommendations from the Order Council. The Grand Master and the Chairman of the Order Council then sign the Letters Patent, which are given to those who receive the awards.
Classes
- Keðja með stórkrossstjörnu or Collar with Grand Cross, only for heads of state
- Stórkrossriddari or Knight Grand Cross
- Stórriddari með stjörnu or Grand Knight with Star
- Stórriddari or Grand Knight
- Riddari or Knight
Insignia
The collar is gilded metal, consists of links bearing the Icelandic coat-of-arms and blue-enamelled discs bearing the white falcon.The badge consists of a gilt
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
cross, enamelled in white, with a blue-enamelled central disc bearing the white falcon.
The star is a silver, eight-pointed star. For the Grand Cross class it has the badge of the Order superimposed upon it; for the Grand Knight with Star class it has a blue-enamelled central disc bearing the white falcon.
The ribbon is blue with white-red-white border stripes.
In summary:
- Grand Cross - wears the badge on a collar or a sash on the right shoulder, plus a star on the left chest;
- Grand Knight with Star - wears the badge on a necklet, plus a star on the left chest;
- Grand Knight - wears the badge on a necklet;
- Knight - wears the badge on a chest ribbon.
If a holder is promoted to a higher rank, the lower rank's insignia must be returned. The insignia is retained during the recipient's lifetime, but it must be returned to the Icelandic Government upon his or her death.
Some notable recipients
Iceland national handball teamIceland national handball team
The Iceland national handball team is the national handball team of Iceland and is controlled by the Icelandic Handball Association.- World Championships :- European Championships :- Olympic games :- Current squad :...
(Silver medalists in handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
) Guðni Ágústson (Former Minister of Agriculture) David Architzel
David Architzel
David Architzel is a Vice Admiral in the United States Navy. He grew up in Merrick, New York and has one brother, Ralph, and two sisters, Reba and Anne Fleming. Architzel graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1973 with a degree in mathematics. He became the Commanding officer of the USS...
(Vice Admiral, US Navy) Knut O.H.A Hammarskjöld (Swedish Foreign Service) His Excellency Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson is the fifth and current President of Iceland. He has served as President since 1996; he was unopposed in 2000, re-elected for a third term in 2004, and re-elected unopposed for a fourth term in 2008. He is the longest-serving left-wing president in the history of...
(Current President of Iceland) Sue McCourt Cobb (US Ambassador to Jamaica) Helgi Hallvarðsson (Captain, Icelandic Coast Guard) Guðmundur Kjærnested
Guðmundur Kjærnested
Cdr. Guðmundur Kjærnested was born Guðmundur Hjaltason Halldórsson Kjærnested in Hafnarfjörður, Iceland on the 29th of June 1923. Cdr. Kjærnested was a commander in the Icelandic Coast Guard and took part in all three Anglo-Icelandic Cod Wars; he is most famous for being the commander of ICGV Týr...
(Commander, Icelandic Coast Guard) George P.L. Walker
George Patrick Leonard Walker
George Patrick Leonard Walker FRS was a British geologist who specialized in mineralogy and volcanology.- Life :He worked on the volcanic rocks of Iceland, and on Mount Etna.He taught at Imperial College....
(Vulcanologist) Michael D. Haskins (Vice Admiral, US Navy)
- Her Majesty Elizabeth IIElizabeth II of the United KingdomElizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
(queen of 16 statesCommonwealth RealmA Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...
) Erling Blöndal Bengtsson (Cellist) Orri VigfússonOrri VigfússonOrri Vigfússon is an Icelandic entrepreneur and environmentalist. In 2004 Time Magazine named him a "European Hero". He was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2007 for his efforts on saving endangered species...
(Chairman of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund) Warren W. Rosenthal, awarded 1983 His Majesty Carl XVI Gustav (King of SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
) Her Majesty Queen Sofía (Queen of SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
) Her Majesty Margrethe II (Queen of DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
) His Majesty Harald V King of NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
Her Majesty Sonja Queen of NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
Sigrún Eðvaldsdóttir (violinist), awarded 1988 Helgi Tomasson (New York City BalletNew York City BalletNew York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
, San Francisco BalletSan Francisco BalletThe San Francisco Ballet is a ballet company, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, under the direction of Helgi Tomasson. SFB is the first professional ballet company in the United States...
) awarded 1990 Evelyn Stefansson Nef, awarded 2001 Baldur Stefansson, awarded 2002 Philip Cronenwett, awarded 2003 Brad LeithauserBrad LeithauserBrad E. Leithauser is an American poet, novelist, essayist, and teacher. After serving as the Emily Dickinson Lecturer in the Humanities at Mount Holyoke College and visiting professor at the MFA Program for Poets & Writers at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, he is now on faculty at The...
(writer, poet, scholar), awarded 2005. Thorbergur ThorvaldsonThorbergur ThorvaldsonThorbergur Thorvaldson M.Sc., PhD. was an Icelandic-Canadian chemist. He was the head of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Saskatchewan....
, cement chemist, awarded 1939. Rory McTurk, Professor of Icelandic Studies, University of Leeds, awarded 2007 Her Excellency Vigdís FinnbogadóttirVigdís FinnbogadóttirVigdís Finnbogadóttir is an Icelandic politician who served as the fourth President of Iceland from 1980 to 1996. In addition to being both Iceland's and Europe's first female president, she was the world's first democratically elected female head of state...
(former president of Iceland) William Paton Cleland (Surgeon) Anders Grubb, Professor of Clinical Chemistry, University of Lund, awarded 2007 for research on Icelandic hereditary diseases Helga Bachmann (actress) Jack T. Weir (Captain, US Navy) Awarded 1978 Arthur Young (police officer)
External links
- The Collection of Henrik Revens Website features orders and medals of Iceland as well as other Nordic countries
- Images of the medals conferred on the members of the Order of the Falcon