Line #44 UsefulNotes/Sweden


1	[[quoteright:328:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sw-map.gif]]
2	[[caption-width-right:328: ''Du gamla, Du fria...''[[note]]Thou old, thou free...[[/note]]]]
3
4	->''"And still as of old are the folk that abide Mid northerly mountain and valley; In God and their weapons they ever confide, To voice of their fathers they rally."''
5	-->-- '''Creator/{{Voltaire}}''' ''Histoire de Charles XII, Roi de Suede''
6
7	The country of hot blondes, [[ForeignQueasine disgusting fish]] and [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail majestic møøse]].
8
9	OK, that's not totally true. Only half the population is actually blond, though most have the usually associated blue eyes, and the Swedish alphabet has ö, not ø like Danish and Norwegian. Moose, on the other hand...
10
11	Sweden ('''Swedish:''' ''Sverige''), officially known as the Kingdom of Sweden ('''Swedish:''' ''Konungariket Sverige''), is a Northern European country, by far the most populous Nordic country with more than 10 million people, and a democratic monarchy, with King Carl XVI Gustaf holding the ceremonial crown and about eight different political parties in parliament, depending on popular vote. The monarch is required to be a Protestant (Lutheran). The country also has equal rights for both sexes when it comes to inheriting the throne, having a woman, Crown Princess Victoria as heir apparent.[[note]]In fact, Victoria herself has a female heir apparent in her daughter Princess Estelle.[[/note]] For much of The20thCentury, Swedish politics had been dominated by the centre-left Social Democrats, though their influence has waned in recent years. Tage Erlander, the Prime Minister from 1946 to 1969, holds the record for being the longest-serving leader of a democracy. Sweden is also notable as being the first country to completely outlaw corporal punishment of children, with parental rights being removed in 1966, and explicitly banning corporal punishment in the schools and homes in 1979, with an amendment to the Parenthood and Guardianship Code, reading: "Children are entitled to care, security and a good upbringing. Children are to be treated with respect for their person and individuality and may not be subjected to corporal punishment or any other humiliating treatment."
12
13	Sweden was one of the first countries in the world to have a telegraphy line, with a line entering use in 1796. This, however, led to Sweden being reluctant to adopt ''electrical'' telegraphy, which explains why Sweden's (and the world's) last commercial semaphore line ceased operation in 1880, some forty years after the electrical telegraph had entered commercial use. A few decades later, Sweden became an early adopter of telephones, much thanks to an industrialist named Lars Magnus Ericsson, with Johan Ullman's prototypes leading to the development of Bluetooth wireless headset technology.
14
15	Swedish-made cars in other countries often have their lights on all the time. This is mandated by Swedish law, due to the country's latitude.
16
17	A 1973 bank robbery in Stockholm, later cinematized as ''Norrmalmstorg'', was the TropeNamer for the UsefulNotes/StockholmSyndrome.
18
19	Sweden has been a part of UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion since 1995, but uses its own currency (Krona), instead of adopting the Euro. Following the 2022 UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}n invasion of UsefulNotes/{{Ukraine}}, it applied to join the UsefulNotes/{{NATO}}, a process that was finalized in 2024.
20
21	!! Prehistory and Viking age
22
23	Although Hollywood usually approaches Swedish history with [[UnknownCharacter ear-deafening silence]], Sweden was seen even by other Northmen as a mysterious country with a strong spiritual bond to the [[Myth/NorseMythology Æsir gods]]. The ''Literature/{{Heimskringla}}'' even proposes (thanks to Creator/SnorriSturluson's personal beliefs) that Odin was a Swedish chieftain who'd gained a cult of ancestral worshippers upon his passing and that this cult later spread to the rest of Scandinavia. No matter what you may think about this, the clan that the Æsir supposedly founded (known as the Ynglings) is largely historically proven to be true. Both Icelandic sagas (particularly the legendary or "fornaldar" sagas) and other sources such as ''Literature/{{Beowulf}}'' mentions a strong Swedish warrior clan based around the areas of Uppland. Strong archeological evidence (particularly around the areas of Vendel and Valsgärde seem to corroborate this, at the same time christening this pre-Viking period as "the Vendel era.")
24
25	Depending on who you ask, the Ynglings would get wiped out by a Scanian king called Ivar Vidfamne (Ivar the Widegrasping) who laid most of Scandinavia under him. The last Swedish Yngling called Olof Trätälja (Olaf the Woodcarver) thus fled to {{UsefulNotes/Norway}}, where he would start a new lineage which eventually led to the rule of Harald Fairhair and his descendants.
26
27	Sweden's Viking Age interests laid mostly in the East. Swedes would found what we now know as UsefulNotes/KievanRus as well as supply an endless stream of mercenaries for the Varangian guard, so much so that even in the 13th century there was a Swedish law that prohibited a free man from receiving his inheritance "as long as he's staying in {{UsefulNotes/Greece}}." Does this mean Sweden had no interests in the west? Well, the fact that Sweden has 27 runestones mentioning men who have died in {{UsefulNotes/England}}, while {{UsefulNotes/Denmark}} and Norway only have one each, we can safely say "no."
28
29	!! Medieval Period
30
31	UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} had a rough start in Sweden. Whereas the kings in Denmark and Norway largely enjoyed dictatorial power and thus could simply say "convert or die", the Swedish Yeomanry were far more likely to say "convert ''us'' and ''you'll'' die." A regional king in Birka named Björn supposedly was the first one to invite a missionary, in this case Ansgar of Hamburg. Yet the historical consensus seems to be that Sweden remained largely split between Christianity and Paganism up until the early 12th century. Götaland converted earlier than Uppland, perhaps because the king was still expected to be present at the annual sacrifice at the Uppsala temple, according to those who believe such a temple even existed at all. Supposedly king Inge the Elder finally destroyed the temple and implemented a campaign of forcible conversion after dethroning his brother Blot-Sweyn ([[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Sweyn the Sacrificier]]) in 1087. In any case Uppland seems to have suffered a power vacuum in the late 11th century, which threw the country into a political turmoil.
32
33	Pretty much all of the 12th century would be characterized by [[TheClan clan wars]] between the house of Erik and the house of Sverker, with the king having little power other than being a thin symbol of central authority. By the 13th century these clan wars began to die off as the country became increasingly united under a Jarl of the Bjälbo clan, named Birger. Birger Jarl was very European in his outlook, and took inspiration from mainland European kingdoms, which in their turn took inspiration from the so-called ''Roman law.'' Gone were the days were regions could mind their own business. If you violated a church, violated the sanctity of a farmer's homestead, or violated the chastity of women, you had committed a crime against the kingdom at large. This was obviously an important early step towards unification. Sweden also participated in the [[UsefulNotes/TheCrusades crusades]] during this time, laying UsefulNotes/{{Finland}} under them in a union that would last for over 500 years.
34
35	Another important step was signing a trade deal with the UsefulNotes/HanseaticLeague. Originally only permitted to operate in certain Swedish cities for a limited amount of time, the Hansa had grown so powerful by the end of the 14th century that they were downright behaving as a state within the state and had a direct influence on Scandinavian domestic politics. One Hansa merchant even lamented that [[FeelingOppressedByTheirExistence "you can walk down the street in Stockholm without hearing a single word of German."]] Denmark's mutual problems with the Hansa would ultimately lead to the 1397 founding of [[TheFederation the Kalmar Union]], a dynastic union between all the modern Nordic countries plus the Orkney Islands and Shetland. Roughly speaking, the point of the union was to counter the Hansa by creating a Nordic union led from Denmark that would see a united Northland with a common military and economic policy but one which otherwise would not interfere in the domestic politics of its member countries. [[BlatantLies And this is exactly what ended up happening, as not only did the power of the Hansa severly diminish, the Danish feudal lords never made any attempts at exploiting or running roughshod over the other countries in the Kalmar Union whatsoever.]]
36
37
38	!!0 to 60 in under a second, missiles to deal with air rage--the Swedish military
39
40	Sweden, having had to deal with a possible threat from UsefulNotes/NaziGermany and later the UsefulNotes/WarsawPact, used to have a pretty advanced military, because it has been a politically neutral country since the early 19th century (the idea being that military neutrality is only credible if your military [[ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself does not rely on one side or the other for vital equipment]]). Or at least, it was neutral; in 2009, it began to adopt defense treaties with the EU and other Nordic countries, and by 2022, the country has abandoned all pretenses of neutrality by applying to and eventually joining NATO. Sweden maintains mandatory conscription (though it was briefly scrapped between 2010 and 2017), and the country tends to get involved in international peacekeeping a lot.
41
42	Sweden's main rifle is the AK-5, a more rugged version of the FNC.
43
44	Sweden's best known military company was also a car company- Saab- although the car arm went to GM years ago and has since disappeared. Saab is best known for its fighter aircraft, but does other stuff too. The most recent of these is the JAS 39 Gripen ("Gryphon"/"Griffin"), first known for [[EpicFail crashing twice at public exhibition flights]], later as one of the world's best new fighters that is not the F-22, it's in service with six countries and others have it on order or are looking at it. It can land on public roads, and is known for being the most fuel-efficient modern fighter jet (this being relative; all jets guzzle lots of fuel).
45
46	See UsefulNotes/SwedesWithCoolPlanes for more information.
47
48	!!True or false
49	Polar bears: False. Though there are Brown Bears occasionally attacking people.
50
51	Eskimos: False. The closest one can find is the [[UsefulNotes/{{Sapmi}} Sami people]], who have been described as the European counterpart to the Inuit (though they don't look all that different from other Europeans; they're related to the Finns).
52
53	Nymphomania: Mostly false (see below)
54
55	!!Accent
56	Throughout history, educated Swedes have tended to be very good at the language of the dominant Western power (such as Latin during the Middle Ages, French from the 16th century, German from the 19th century, English from the middle of the 20th century on). There are some weak spots however, like voiced versus voiceless consonants, the distinctions being all but absent in Swedish. Swedish speakers tend to use voiceless consonants, but usually spell the words correctly[[labelnote:*]]in the spelling of Swedish names, "v" / "w" and "s" / "z" can often be used interchangably; "Villy" / "Willy", "Hansson" / "Hanzon" are considered the same names and are pronounced the same way[[/labelnote]].
57
58	!!Famous Swedes
59
60	Sweden has produced a lot of famous actors, several of whom have done FakeRussian at some point in the career (e.g. Creator/LenaOlin in ''Series/{{Alias}}'' -- the Derevko sisters are played by a Swede, an Italian (whose mother was Swedish, too) and a Brazilian). Creator/GretaGarbo and Creator/IngridBergman are the most famous. Sweden was also home to the celebrated stage and film director Creator/IngmarBergman (no relation to Ingrid). As a rule, the most famous Swedes tend to become Monegasque (citizens of UsefulNotes/{{Monaco}}) for purposes of tax evasion.
61	----
62	* Creator/PeterStormare is famous for having played characters from many European countries in American productions, including UsefulNotes/{{Germany}}, UsefulNotes/{{Iceland}}, Russia and Norway, but never from Sweden. He does speak a bit of Swedish in ''Film/MinorityReport'' and ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark'' though.
63	* Creator/StellanSkarsgard is another Swede who has played FakeRussian roles (he plays one in ''Film/TheHuntForRedOctober'' and ''Film/Ronin1998''), but he's taken a variety of roles. His son [[Creator/AlexanderSkarsgard Alexander]] has had US success with ''Series/GenerationKill'' and ''Series/TrueBlood''[[labelnote:*]]in which he gets to speak Swedish a lot, if you're interested in how Swedish sounds[[/labelnote]]. Another son of his, [[Creator/BillSkarsgard Bill]], has found success on ''Series/HemlockGrove'' and ''Film/It2017''.
64	* Creator/DolphLundgren is (in)famous for appearing in second/third-rate action movies, like ''Film/UniversalSoldier'' and ''Film/MastersOfTheUniverse'', though he's probably still most famous as Ivan Drago (also a FakeRussian) from ''Film/RockyIV''. He also has a master's degree in chemical engineering and a second degree black belt in karate.
65	* Creator/MaxVonSydow appeared in some 140 movies from his debut in 1949 until shortly before his death in 2020. Among his more famous parts are Antonius Block, the knight who plays chess with [[TheGrimReaper Death]] in ''Film/TheSeventhSeal''; Jesus in ''Film/TheGreatestStoryEverTold''; Father Merrin in ''Film/TheExorcist''; Joubert in ''Film/ThreeDaysOfTheCondor''; Karl Oskar in ''Literature/TheEmigrants''; Emperor Ming in ''Film/{{Flash Gordon\|1980}}''; Blofeld in ''Film/NeverSayNeverAgain''; Judge Fargo in ''Film/JudgeDredd'', Director Burgess in ''Film/MinorityReport'', and Esbern is ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim''.
66	* Creator/AnnMargret was born Ann-Margret Olsson in Stockholm, the daughter of Anna (née Aronsson) and Gustav Olsson, a native of Örnsköldsvik. She and her parents moved to the United States when she was five. She grew up to become a popular singer, dancer and actress, starring in films like ''Theatre/ByeByeBirdie'', ''Viva Las Vegas'', ''Film/KittenWithAWhip'', ''Film/TheCincinnatiKid'', ''Film/CarnalKnowledge'' and ''Film/{{Magic}}''.
67	* Music/{{ABBA}} is still the most famous Swedish band, but there are many others. Sweden is the world's third largest exporter of music after the US and the UK, possibly because of the combination of assimilation of those countries' modern musical traditions and the easy access to free music instruction. Other Swedish bands/musicians include rock bands like Music/{{Europe}}, Music/ATeens, Music/TheHives and Music/TheCardigans, as well as pop groups like Music/AceOfBase and The Sounds and singers like Neneh Cherry. Sweden is also home to many Metal bands (see below). Sweden's hip hop scene has also gained time in the spotlight in recent years as their biggest names - Yung Lean and the Drain Gang collective (composed of Bladee, [=Ecco2K=], Thaiboy Digital, Yung Sherman and Whitearmor) in particular - have popularized the so-called "cloud rap" style by bringing a more free-form, melancholic take on trap music. The country has also had its share of big names in electronic dance, among them the late Music/{{Avicii}} and the Music/SwedishHouseMafia. Behind the scenes, Sweden's Music/MaxMartin is the most successful (by chart metrics) songwriter and music producer of the last few decades, second only to Music/PaulMcCartney and Music/JohnLennon (for songwriting)and [[Music/TheBeatles George Martin]] (for production) in all-time lists.
68	* Owing to its keen interest in music, Sweden has one of the most distinguished records at the Series/EurovisionSongContest, having won it seven times (tied with Ireland), with such winners as ABBA (Brighton 1974), the Herrey Brothers Per, Richard, and Louis (Luxembourg 1984), Carola Häggkvist (Rome 1991), Charlotte Nilsson-Perelli (Jerusalem 1999), Loreen Talhaoui (Baku 2012 and Liverpool 2023) and Måns Zelmerlöw (Vienna 2015), with Loreen becoming the first woman to win twice and the second after Johnny Logan of Ireland (The Hague 1980 and Brussels 1987).
69	* The three most famous Swedes in the field of the sciences are probably Carl von Linné (Carolus Linnaeus), the creator of the sexual system of plant classification, Anders Celsius, father of the Celsius temperature system, and Alfred Nobel, founder of the Nobel Prizes and inventor of dynamite.
70	* Swedes dominated the first influx of European talent into the North American hockey leagues in TheSeventies, with many becoming stars in the WHA, while Börje Salming became the first Swedish star in the [[UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague NHL]] (which was more reluctant to bring in European players). Swedish stars in the NHL have included Håkan Loob, Tomas Sandström, Peter Forsberg, Nicklas Lidström, Henrik Zetterberg, the twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin, and Henrik Lundqvist, among many others. The "Tre Kronor" (Three Crowns) - the Swedish national team - has emerged as a hockey power in international competition.
71	* Sweden has also produced a good number of top golfers, especially for a country with a northern climate. Undoubtedly the greatest of the bunch was Annika Sörenstam, winner of over 70 events on the LPGA tour in the States[[note]]though the tour is US-based, it holds many events in other countries around the world[[/note]], including 10 major championships, and the tour's all-time leading money winner when she retired.
72	* As for football/soccer, the country has produced quite a few notables, with Zlatan Ibrahimović by far the most famous.[[labelnote:*]]If the name doesn't look anything like Swedish to you, you're right. He's the Sweden-born son of Bosnian (father) and Croatian (mother) immigrants.[[/labelnote]]
73	* Sweden is also famous for Volvo and IKEA, the former a car which always has its headlights on (per Swedish law) and the latter a flat-pack furniture store that is a day out in itself. Sweden was also home to another famous car company, SAAB. However, two international car manufacturers in such a small country as Sweden makes the sales a bit shaky, and the company has changed hands approximately every 20 years since being founded in the late 1940s. Other well-known Swedish companies include H&M, a clothing retailer known as "the IKEA of fashion"; it originally was only women's clothing but has expanded to men and children and even home goods. SKF, an abbreviation for [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Swedish Ball-bearing Manufacturing"]] makes bearings and related products for just about every kind of rotating equipment from roller skates to wind turbines, and actually founded Volvo (Latin for "I roll") as a subsidiary, before splitting it off. Another well-known Swedish company is Electrolux, which originally started out in 1919 with vacuum cleaners under the 1960's U.K. marketing slogan "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux", and expanded to washing machines, dishwashers, and other home appliances.
74	** Volvo has been two separate companies since 1999, when Volvo AB sold its automotive operations, operating as Volvo Cars, to Ford. Volvo Cars was most recently sold to the Chinese automaker Geely in 2010, but still operates largely independently. Volvo AB continues on as a major producer of heavy trucks, buses, construction equipment, and marine and industrial drive systems.
75	** Saab AB still thrives as an aerospace and defense manufacturer, but it spun off its auto operations in 1990 into Saab Automobile, a joint venture with General Motors. GM took full ownership in 2000 and drove it into the ground, selling it off in 2010, and Saab Automobile went belly-up in 2012.
76	** Of course, it's impossible not to mention Koenigsegg, one of the most important names in the modern supercar market and brief holders of the "world's fastest production car" record with the CCR (for 6 months between March and September 2005 until Bugatti broke the record with the Veyron). In 2013 they also produced the first ever production car with a 1:1 power-weight ratio with the One:1, a heavily upgraded variant of their then-flagship - the Agera.
77	** And Polestar, a company with an interesting history that's starting to make waves in the electric car market. It started out in 1996 as Flash Engineering, a racing team that competed in domestic touring car racing. In the following decade, it was sold off and rebranded as Polestar Racing, which modified Volvos for racing, and in 2009 became Volvo's official modification partner under the name Polestar Performance. Volvo Cars bought Polestar in 2015. Two years later, Volvo and Geely announced that Polestar would become a standalone brand producing only electric vehicles. The retooled brand's first model was a plug-in hybrid; all others since have been full electric.
78	* Sweden is one of the biggest video game developing countries in the world, with the majority of indie game developers in the Western world coming from Sweden and Swedish companies making many of the most popular modern video games series, including ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'', the highest selling video game in the world. Creator/DanielRemar, Creator/{{Cactus}}, Notch, Creator/{{Nifflas}} and Creator/FrictionalGames, among others, are all Swedes. They even hold [[http://www.nomoresweden.com/ an annual indie game development convention]] there. Larger Swedish developers include the likes of Creator/MassiveEntertainment (''VideoGame/GroundControl'', ''VideoGame/WorldInConflict''), Starbreeze Studios (''VideoGame/TheDarkness'', ''VideoGame/EscapeFromButcherBay'', ''VideoGame/AssaultOnDarkAthena''), DICE (the ''VideoGame/{{Battlefield}}'' series, ''VideoGame/MirrorsEdge'', etc.) and Creator/MachineGames (''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder'' and ''VideoGame/WolfensteinIITheNewColossus'').
79	----
80
81	!!Sweden in fiction and media
82
83	NorseByNorsewest covers a lot of the Sweden stuff, with hot Swedish blond people being fairly common in fiction. See also Main/SwedishSeries.
84
85	* British and American media in general seem prone to confuse a general Swedish lack of embarrassment about nudity with permanent horniness on the part of the Swedish people. When these media use EuropeansAreKinky as a trope, Sweden is the most likely country to attach it to. The Swedish Nymphomaniac Student/Hiker/Au Pair girl became a stereotypical character in British sex comedies of TheSeventies and persists.
86	** Not just [[BritishStuffiness the British]]. There was reported in the media an incident with a Swedish lady who lived in UsefulNotes/{{Australia}}. She sought psychological counseling due to permanent quarrels and scandals caused by accusations she was flirting with married Aussie guys. The reporter was savvy enough to add that [[FridgeBrilliance Swedish women when talking to men stay on average 17 cm closer during the talk and are a few orders of magnitude more likely to touch]] compared to Anglophones.
87	** UsefulNotes/{{Italy}} also briefly came in touch with the stereotype through Luigi Scattini's {{mondo}} film ''Film/SwedenHeavenAndHell'', which offered an obviously sensationalized look into the country's more liberal views on sexuality, but is nowadays more known for being the movie where [[Franchise/TheMuppets "Mah Na Mah Na"]] originated. Fun fact, Scattini himself never wanted to release the movie in Sweden after promising so to the people he intended to film, but the film ended up getting leaked in the country anyways through a lone copy mysteriously left in the French embassy. The movie was then put on national TV, and this caused a minor diplomatic incident between Italy and Sweden which culminated in Scattini getting temporarily banned from entering Sweden.
88	* Sweden also hands out the various Nobel Prizes (except for the Peace Prize, which is handed out by Norway for reasons involving personal unions and symbolism), which are like the UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s for people [[HollywoodHomely too ugly]] to be [[PopularIsDumb allowed into Hollywood]].
89	* However, that's not all Sweden does. Pippi Långstrump (you may know her better as Literature/PippiLongstocking) holds a Swedish passport and was created by Creator/AstridLindgren, a Swedish writer. Then of course you have the Swedish Chef on ''Series/TheMuppetShow''. So it goes both ways.
90	* NordicNoir is a recently successful genre. Of particular note in recent years is a detective named [[Series/{{Wallander}} Kurt Wallander]], the star of a series of novels, adapted for TV in [[Series/{{Wallander}} English]] as well as Swedish. Also of considerable note is the ''Literature/MillenniumSeries'', a series of novels created by the late Stieg Larsson and further extended by David Lagercrantz and Karin Smirnoff. All three Larsson novels have been adapted into films, and an adaptation of one of Lagercrantz' three entries is in development. A well-known Swedish novel is also ''Literature/LetTheRightOneIn'', which also has a film adaptation.
91	* An important thing to keep in mind if watching a Swedish film is that as soon as the target audience grow into their teens, everything takes a sharp turn towards the cynical side of the spectrum: Every child protagonist will, without fail, be bullied, neglected or {{rape\| as backstory}}d. If it's drama, there will be a sense of unease and much yelling. If it's a police procedural, like ''Wallander'' above, expect the victim to be the butchered, rotting remains of Taiwanese victim of trafficking who leaves behind five childen, as well as even more unease and yelling. The comedies are almost always a bit tragic [[MoodWhiplash as well as]] comic, and offers [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment even more unease and yelling]].
92	* The 2012 miniseries ''Series/NeverWipeTearsWithoutGloves'', based on the three-book series of the same name, took home a couple of international awards and received glorious reviews when it aired on BBC. Author Jonas Gardell is in talks with undisclosed Hollywood producers about an English language feature film version. The series chronicles a group of gay men in Stockholm in the 80ies during the onset of AIDS, and the prejudice and injustice they were subjected to.
93	* Sweden is also known (along with its neighbours {{UsefulNotes/Norway}} and {{UsefulNotes/Finland}}) for its extensive contribution to the various forms of metal music... which of course is just more [[OverusedRunningGag unease and yelling]]. They don't usually use HeavyMetalUmlaut though, since å, ä and ö are used as proper letters. Examples of bands include Music/{{Hammerfall}}, Music/{{Sabaton}}, Music/AmonAmarth, Music/{{Therion}}, Music/{{Candlemass}}, Music/{{Bathory}}, Music/{{Meshuggah}}, Music/ArchEnemy, Music/{{Evergrey}}, Music/GhostBand, Music/{{Entombed}}, Music/{{Marduk}}, Music/{{Dragonland}}, Twilight Force, The Gothenburg Three (Music/DarkTranquillity, Music/InFlames, and Music/AtTheGates), and whatever ensemble Music/YngwieMalmsteen has [[IAmTheBand playing second fiddle to him.]]
94	* [[WebVideo/RegularOrdinarySwedishMealTime They also have the world's angriest chefs]]. So yeah, unease and yelling galore.
95	* Stockholm is a terrifying place, if ''VideoGame/CryOfFear'' is to be believed.
96	* A number of infamously bad {{Slasher Movie}}s, such as ''Blood Tracks, Camp Slaughter, Film/TheDrowningGhost, Film/DeathAcademy, Madness'' and ''Blood Runs Cold''. It's worth to note that the Swedish Film Insistute [[WebVideo/TheCinemaSnob does not usually support horror films]] so therefore the majority are made by self taught filmmakers using their own money.
97	* After ''Literature/LetTheRightOneIn'' and ''Film/{{Frostbite}}'', vampires having fun in the winters. FridgeBrilliance due to the longer nights. Especially since Northern Sweden has [[TheNightThatNeverEnds polar night]].
98	* [[HornyVikings Vikings]] of course.
99	* Parodies of ''Film/TheSeventhSeal'' (especially the scene where Creator/MaxVonSydow is playing ChessWithDeath) are not uncommon in American media, and they often include a fair attempt at talking actual Swedish.
100	* The TabletopRPG ''TabletopGame/{{KULT}}'', one of the darkest out there.
101	* In a refreshing change, the film ''Film/ShowMeLove'', while hardly all sugar and light, is still the single most adorable film about schoolgirl lesbians in Western media you will ''ever'' see and swept the Swedish equivalent of the Academy Awards in 1997, defeating, of all things, Creator/JamesCameron's juggernaut ''Film/{{Titanic\|1997}}''.
102	* ''VideoGame/LittleMisfortune'', which is set in Sweden in 1993.
103
104	!! See also:
105	[[index]]
106	* SwedishMedia
107	* UsefulNotes/NotableSwedishMonarchs
108	** UsefulNotes/CarolusRex
109	[[/index]]
110	----
111	[[AC:The Swedish Flag]]
112	[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flag_of_sweden_0.png]]
113	->Like all other Nordic flags, this one takes after the design of the Danish flag, the ''Dannebrog'' (cross with one axis aligned to the hoist). Its blue field and gold cross alludes to the national coat-of-arms, which shows three golden crowns on a blue shield.
114	----
115	[[AC:Coat of arms of Sweden]]
116	[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/great_coat_of_arms_of_sweden.png]]
117	->The coat of arms was adopted in 1905 based on an arms created by King Karl Knutsson in 1448.
118	----
119	[[AC:The Swedish national anthem]]
120	->Du gamla, Du fria, Du fjällhöga nord
121	->Du tysta, Du glädjerika sköna!
122	->Jag hälsar Dig, vänaste land uppå jord,
123	->Din sol, Din himmel, Dina ängder gröna.
124
125	->Jag hälsar Dig, vänaste land uppå jord,
126	->Din sol, Din himmel, Dina ängder gröna.
127
128
129	->Du tronar på minnen från fornstora da'r,
130	->då ärat Ditt namn flög över jorden.
131	->Jag vet att Du är och Du blir vad Du var.
132	->Ja, jag vill leva, jag vill dö i Norden.
133
134	->Jag vet att Du är och Du blir vad Du var.
135	->Ja, jag vill leva, jag vill dö i Norden.
136	--
137
138	->You ancient, you free, you mountainous north
139	->You quiet, you joyful beauty!
140	->I greet you, loveliest land upon Earth,
141	->Your sun, your sky, your green landscapes.
142
143	->I greet you, loveliest land upon Earth,
144	->Your sun, your sky, your green landscapes.
145
146	->You are enthroned on memories of great olden days,
147	->When honoured your name flew across the Earth,
148	->I know that you are and remain what you were,
149	->Yes, I want to live, I want to die in the North.
150
151	->I know that you are and remain what you were,
152	->Yes, I want to live, I want to die in the North.
153	----
154	[[AC:Government]]
155	* Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
156	** Monarch: Carl XVI Gustaf
157	** Riksdag Speaker: Andreas Norlén
158	** Prime Minister: Ulf Kristersson
159	----
160	[[AC:Miscellaneous]]
161	* '''Capital and largest city:''' Stockholm
162	* '''Population:''' 10,380,491
163	* '''Area:''' 450,295 sq km (173,860 sq mi) (55th)
164	* '''Currency:''' Swedish krona (kr) (SEK)
165	* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' SE
166	* '''Country calling code:''' 46
167	* '''Highest point:''' Kebnekaise (2097 m/6,880 ft) (122nd)
168	* '''Lowest point:''' Kristianstad (−2 m/−8 ft) (35th)
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170
171	->''"Fälldin has been pestering me to talk about why I am a socialist..."'' [[note]]''"I am a democratic socialist with pride and joy. I became so when I went around in India and saw the terrible poverty although some were extremely rich, when I went around and saw an even more degrading poverty, in a way, in the United States, when at a very young age I came to see eye with communism's lack of freedom and oppression and human persecution in the communist states. When I got to the Nazi concentration camp and got to see the death lists of social democrats and trade unionists. I became one when I realized that it was social democracy that broke the ground for democracy in Sweden, when I realized that it was social democracy that lifted the country out of poverty and unemployment with the crisis policy of the 1930s. When I myself got to work for ATP and had to face the socialist campaigns of the privileged when ordinary wage earners wanted to secure their old age, because that's what you were doing then.I became so during many years of collaboration with Tage Erlander when I learned what democracy and humanism are and with close friends such as Willy Brandt, Bruno Kreisky and Tryggve Bratteli, who risked their lives in the fight for human dignity. But more importantly, I am confirmed in my convictions when I look out over the world, when I see the wars and the arms race and the mass unemployment and the divisions between people. I am confirmed in my conviction when I see in our own country injustices increasing, unemployment increasing, speculation and fiddling taking hold. When I see how right-wing politics in country after country drives people into unemployment, destroys security, but still does not solve the economic problems, and when I look into the future that the bourgeois apparently have to offer, where the wage earners will become poorer and the rich richer, where the social security becomes more fragile and luxury yachts more, where solidarity becomes weaker and egoism stronger, where the strong can take care of themselves and the weak have to take the spoon in a beautiful hand. Of course I am a democratic socialist. I am so with pride at what this democratic socialism has accomplished in our country, I am so with joy because I know that we have important tasks ahead of us after the years of bourgeois misrule. And with confidence, because now people know what happens to jobs and security and stability when right-wing forces are in charge. I am in a way with an amused smile because I know that modern Swedish history is full of valuable reforms that you have portrayed as evil socialism but then you fight to get credit for the reforms when the people have experienced what it means. Certainly Fälldin and Ullsten, I am a democratic socialist; like Branting when he implemented suffrage; like Per-Albin when he fought unemployment in the 30s and spoke about the public home; like Erlander when he expanded social security and ATP. Because it is about solidarity and consideration between people. And what exactly is Fälldin?"''[[/note]]

Context UsefulNotes / Sweden