Editing Order of the Falcon

{{Short description|Icelandic order of chivalry}}
{{About|the Icelandic order|the Czechoslovak order|Order of the Falcon (Czechoslovakia)}}
{{Infobox order
|title=Order of the Falcon
|image=Grand_Cross_Order_of_the_Falcon_Iceland_AEA_Collections.jpg
|caption=Grand Cross star
|image2=[[File:Order of the Falcon ribbon.jpg|100px]]
|caption2=Ribbon of the Order of the Falcon
| awarded_by= the<br>[[File:Coat of arms of the President of Iceland.svg|x60px]]<br>[[President of Iceland]]
|type=[[Order (honour)|State order]]
|established=July 3, 1921
|criteria=
|country= {{flag|Iceland}}
|status= Currently constituted
|house=
|religion=
|ribbon=
|head_title=[[Grand Master (order)|Grand Master]]
|head=[[President of Iceland]]
|classes= {{plainlist|
Grand Cross with Collar<br>
Grand Cross<br>
Grand Officer<br>
Grand Knight's Cross<br>
Knight's Cross}}
|notes=
}}

The '''Order of the Falcon''' ({{langx|is|Hin íslenska fálkaorða}}) is the only [[order of chivalry]] in [[Iceland]], founded by [[Christian X of Denmark|King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland]] on 3 July 1921.<ref name=president>{{cite web |url=https://english.forseti.is/TheOrderoftheFalcon/ |title=The Order of the Falcon |work=Website of the President of Iceland |publisher=English.forseti.is |access-date=July 1, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910032538/http://english.forseti.is/TheOrderoftheFalcon/ |archive-date=September 10, 2012 }}</ref> The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. Nowadays, appointments are made on the nomination of the [[President of Iceland]] and that of a "five-member council."

==History and appointments==
[[Christian X of Denmark|Christian X]], the King of Denmark, ruled Iceland until 17 June 1944. During his royal visit to Iceland in 1921, King Christian X issued the royal decree founding the Icelandic Order of the Falcon.<ref name=president/> When Iceland became a republic, new statutes were incorporated for the Order on 11 July 1944. The Republic of Iceland replaced the King by an elected [[List of Presidents of Iceland|President of Iceland]] who is the designated [[Grand Master (order)|Grand Master]] of this Order. It may be awarded to both Icelanders and citizens of other countries for achievements in Iceland or internationally.<ref name=president/> 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.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Hieronymussen|editor-first1=Poul Ohm|editor-last2=Lundø|editor-first2=Jørgen|translator-last=Karnila|translator-first=Christer|title=Eurooppalaiset kunniamerkit värikuvina|trans-title=Europæiske ordner i farver|year=1968|publisher=WSOY|location=Porvoo|language=fi|oclc=466954328|page=101}}</ref> The Grand Master and the Chairman of the Order Council then sign the Letters Patent, which are presented to the awards's recipients.

==Classes==
[[File:Order of the Falcon grand cross badge sash (Iceland 1950-1970) - Tallinn Museum of Orders.jpg|alt=|thumb|Grand Cross sash and sash badge]]
[[File:Tweemaal de Orde van de Valk.jpg|thumb|right|120px|Knight's Crosses on current suspension and older crown suspension]]
The Order has five classes:<ref>[https://grapevine.is/mag/articles/2011/08/24/the-fellowship-of-the-order-of-the-falcon/ The Fellowship of the Order of the Falcon] - website of [[The Reykjavík Grapevine]]</ref>

# '''Collar with Grand Cross Breast Star''' (''Keðja ásamt stórkrossstjörnu''), only for heads of state
# '''Grand Cross''' (''Stórkross'')
# '''Grand Knight's Cross with Star''' (''Stórriddarakross með stjörnu'')
# '''Grand Knight's Cross''' (''Stórriddarakross'')
# '''Knight's Cross''' (''Riddarakross'')

==Insignia==
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2021}}
The ''collar'' is gilded metal; it consists of links bearing the Icelandic coat-of-arms and blue-enamelled discs bearing the white falcon.

The ''badge'' consists of a [[Gilding|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. It is worn on the left shoulder.

In summary: 
* '''Collar with Grand Cross Breast Star''' &ndash; wears the badge on a collar plus a star on the left chest;
* '''Grand Cross''' &ndash; wears the badge on a sash on the left shoulder, plus a star on the left chest;
* '''Grand Knight's Cross with Star''' &ndash; wears the badge on a necklet, plus a star on the left chest;
* '''Grand Knight's Cross''' &ndash; wears the badge on a necklet;
* '''Knight's Cross''' &ndash; 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 are retained during the recipient's lifetime, but they must be returned to the Icelandic Government upon the recipient's death.

{| class="wikitable" style="float:left; width:70%;"
|-
!colspan=5| Ribbon bars
|-
|  style="vertical-align:top; width:20%; text-align:center;"|[[File:ISL Icelandic Order of the Falcon - Grand Cross BAR.png|100px|center]]<small>Collar with Grand Cross</small>
|  style="vertical-align:top; width:20%; text-align:center;"|[[File:ISL Icelandic Order of the Falcon - Grand Cross BAR.png|100px|center]]<small>Grand Cross</small>
|  style="vertical-align:top; width:20%; text-align:center;"|[[File:ISL Icelandic Order of the Falcon - Grand Knight with Star BAR.png|100px|center]]<small>Grand Knight's Cross with Star</small>
|  style="vertical-align:top; width:20%; text-align:center;"|[[File:ISL Icelandic Order of the Falcon - Grand Knight BAR.png|100px|center]]<small>Grand Knight's Cross</small>
|  style="vertical-align:top; width:20%; text-align:center;"|[[File:ISL Icelandic Order of the Falcon.png|100px|center]]<small>Knight's Cross</small>
|}
{{Clear}}

==Notable recipients==
 {{Category see also|Recipients of the Order of the Falcon}}

===Politicians and heads of state===
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Halla Tómasdóttir]] (current President of [[Iceland]])
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Guðni Th. Jóhannesson]] (former President of [[Iceland]])
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Guðni Ágústsson]] (former Minister of Agriculture)
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Jóhannes Jóhannesson]] (First Chairman of the order council)
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson]] (former President of Iceland)
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Vigdís Finnbogadóttir]] (former president of Iceland; first popularly elected female president in the world)
* {{flagicon|EST}} [[Lennart Meri]] (former President of [[Estonia]])
* {{flagicon|LIT}} [[Dalia Grybauskaitė]] (former President of [[Lithuania]])
* {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Sauli Niinistö]] (former President of [[Finland]])
* {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Tarja Halonen]] (former President of Finland)
* {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Martti Ahtisaari]] (former President of Finland)
* {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Mauno Koivisto]] (former President of Finland)
* {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Urho Kekkonen]] (former President of Finland)
* {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Juho Kusti Paasikivi]] (former President of Finland)
* {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Kyösti Kallio]] (former President of Finland)
* {{flagicon|DEU}} [[Frank-Walter Steinmeier]] (current President of [[Germany]])
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]] (Awarded 1963), Royal Consort of [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Elizabeth II]]
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Elizabeth II]] (former Queen of the [[United Kingdom]] and the other [[Commonwealth realms]]) Awarded in 1963
* {{flagicon|NED}} Princess [[Beatrix of the Netherlands]]
* {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden|Carl XVI Gustav]] (King of [[Sweden]])
* {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Queen Silvia of Sweden|Silvia]] (Queen of [[Sweden]])
* {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden]]
* {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Daniel Westling|Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland]]
* {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland]]
* {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Princess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland]]
* {{flagicon|SWE}} [[ Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland]]<ref name="Reference C">https://www.kungahuset.se/arkiv/nyheter/2025-05-06-statsbesok-fran-island/</ref>
* {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Christopher O'Neill]]<ref name="Reference C">https://www.kungahuset.se/arkiv/nyheter/2025-05-06-statsbesok-fran-island/</ref>
* {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson]]
* {{flagicon|BEL}} [[Albert II of Belgium|Albert II]] (former King of [[Belgium]])
* {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Juan Carlos I of Spain]] (former King of [[Spain]])
* {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Queen Sofía of Spain|Sofía]] (former Queen of [[Spain]])
* {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo]]
* {{flagicon|ESP}} [[Infanta Cristina of Spain]]
* {{flagicon|DEN}} [[Margrethe II]] (former Queen of [[Denmark]])
* {{flagicon|DEN}} [[Frederik X]] (King of [[Denmark]])
* {{flagicon|DEN}} [[Queen Mary of Denmark|Mary]] (Queen of [[Denmark]])
* {{flagicon|DEN}} [[Prince Joachim of Denmark]]
* {{flagicon|DEN}} [[Princess Marie of Denmark]]
* {{flagicon|DEN}} [[Princess Benedikte of Denmark]]
* {{flagicon|NOR}} [[Harald V of Norway|Harald V]] (King of [[Norway]])
* {{flagicon|NOR}} [[Queen Sonja of Norway|Sonja]] (Queen of [[Norway]])
* {{flagicon|NOR}} [[Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway]]
* {{flagicon|NOR}} [[Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway]]
* {{flagicon|NOR}} [[Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway]]
* {{flagicon|NOR}} [[Princess Märtha Louise of Norway]]
* {{flagicon|NOR}} [[Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner]]
* {{flagicon|CAN}} [[Janis Johnson]] (Canadian Senator, Manitoba) Awarded 2000
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Lisa Murkowski]] (United States Senator, Alaska)<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hersey |first1=Linda |title=Sen. Murkowski honored by Iceland's president |url=https://www.newsminer.com/news/alaska_news/sen-murkowski-honored-by-icelands-president/article_984860cc-bc3e-11eb-b22c-1bf2a2ac6e43.html |website=Fairbanks Daily News-Miner |access-date=25 May 2021 |date=24 May 2021}}</ref>

===Artists and entertainers===
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Björk|Björk Guðmundsdóttir]] (singer, songwriter), 1997
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Helga Bachmann]] (actress)
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Ragga Gísla]] (singer, composer, actor), 2012<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ellefu sæmd fálkaorðu |url=https://www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2012/01/01/ellefu_saemd_falkaordu/ |access-date=2024-03-14 |website=www.mbl.is |language=is}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Ólöf Pálsdóttir]] (sculptor), 1970
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Steinunn Thorarinsdottir]] (sculptor)
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Vladimir Ashkenazy]] (pianist, conductor)
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Stefán Karl Stefánsson]] (actor, singer), 2018
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Edda Björgvinsdóttir]] (actress), 2018
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir]] (actress), 2023
* {{flagicon|DEN}} [[Erling Bløndal Bengtsson]] (cellist)
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Brad Leithauser]] (writer, poet, scholar), awarded 2005.
* {{flagicon|DEN}} [[Victor Borge]] (Børge "Victor" Rosenbaum) (concert pianist, entertainer)
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson]], Icelandic composer, awarded 1993.
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[:is:Jónas Jónasson|Jónas Jónasson]] (composer, radio host), 2006
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[:is:P%C3%A1ll %C3%8Ds%C3%B3lfsson|Páll Ísólfsson]] (organist, composer, radio host), 1940<ref> Árni Heimir Ingólfsson, “Ísólfsson, Páll”,  In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, Oxford University Press; https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.13946, (accessed 19 November 2023).</ref>

===Scholars===
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[George P. L. Walker]] (Volcanologist)
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[Andrew Wawn]] (Philologist)
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Thorbergur Thorvaldson]], cement chemist, awarded 1939.
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Unnur Anna Valdimarsdóttir]], Professor of Epidemiology, University of Iceland, awarded 2023.
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[A. R. Taylor]], Professor of medieval English, Old Norse and modern Icelandic Studies, University of Leeds, awarded 1963
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[Rory McTurk]], Professor of Icelandic Studies, University of Leeds, awarded 2007
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[Mark Watson (archaeologist)|Mark Watson]], archaeologist, dog breeder and benefactor, awarded 1965
* {{flagicon|AUS}} [[William Paton Cleland]] (Surgeon)<ref name="q1">Caroline Richmond, ''Obituary of William Paton Cleland (1912-2005)'', British Medical Journal, 2005, 330; 1212; [https://www.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/330/7501/1212.pdf pdf]</ref> 
* {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Anders Grubb]], Professor of Clinical Chemistry, University of Lund, awarded 2007 for research on Icelandic hereditary diseases
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[John Lindow]], Professor Emeritus of Old Norse and Folklore at University of California, Berkeley, awarded 2018 for scholarly contributions in the area of Icelandic medieval literature.
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Carol J. Clover]], [[Professor]] of [[Film studies|Medieval Studies (Early Northern Europe) and American Film]] at the [[University of California, Berkeley]].
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Lee M. Hollander]], translator of Kierkegaard and academic.
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Sigrún Árnadóttir]], awarded the Knight's Cross for the translation of several books to [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]] including [[Alfie Atkins]] and for her contributions to Icelandic children's culture.

===Other===
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[Pike Ward]], fisherman who started and developed the Icelandic fishing industry, awarded 1936.
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Iceland men's national handball team]] (Silver medalists in [[Team handball|handball]] at the [[2008 Summer Olympics]])
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson]] (chief [[Allsherjargoði (Ásatrúarfélagið)|goði]] of the [[Ásatrúarfélagið]]), 2018
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Friðrik Skúlason]] (computer scientist), 2018
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[David Architzel]] (Vice Admiral, US Navy)
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Guðmundur Kjærnested]] (Commander, Icelandic Coast Guard)
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Sunna Olafson Furstenau]] (Founder/Pres Icelandic Roots; Þjóðræknisfélag Ísland, INL in USA & Canada), 2017
* {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Orri Vigfússon]] (Chairman of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund)
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Anna Kisselgoff]] (Columbia Univ.) Awarded 2002
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[James L. Kauffman]], Vice-admiral during World War II 
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[William S. Key]], Major General during World War II 
* {{flagicon|UK}} [[Arthur Young (police officer)|Sir Arthur Young]], police officer
* {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Antti Tuuri]] (Writer) translated some Icelandic [[saga]]s
* {{flagicon|YUG}} [[Koča Popović]] (Colonel General, [[Yugoslav People's Army|YPA]])
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[John W. White (general)|John W. White]], USAF General, Commander [[Iceland Defense Force]]
* {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Signy Stefansson Eaton]], socialite and philanthropist of Icelandic descent
* {{flagicon|Portugal}}[[Leonor Beleza]], lawyer, former Minister of Health and 1st President of the [[Champalimaud Foundation]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://revens.com/ The Collection of Henrik Revens] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060910091025/http://www.revens.com/ |date=2006-09-10 }} – a website featuring orders and medals of Iceland as well as other Nordic countries

{{DEFAULTSORT:Order Of The Falcon}}
[[Category:Order of the Falcon]]
[[Category:Culture of Iceland]]
[[Category:Orders of chivalry of Iceland|Falcon]]
[[Category:Orders, decorations, and medals of Iceland]]
[[Category:Orders of chivalry awarded to heads of state, consorts and sovereign family members|Falcon, Order of the]]
[[Category:Awards established in 1921]]
[[Category:1921 establishments in Iceland]]