a Book
"Nils, a mischevious boy who is bewitched into a dwarf, learns about nature, geography
and folklore while flying with his barnyard goose from Sweden to Lapland"
The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, Selma Lagerlöf
a Name
Name: Nils
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Swedish, Norwegian
Swedish and Norwegian form of Nicholas - from the Greek name Νικολαος (Nikolaos) which meant "victory of the people" from Greek νικη (nike) "victory" and λαος (laos) "people".
Saint Nicholas was a 4th-century bishop from Anatolia who, according to legend, saved the daughters of a poor man from lives of prostitution. Also known as Santa Claus (from Dutch Sinterklaas), the bringer of Christmas presents. Patron saint of children, sailors and merchants, and Greece and Russia. Nicholas was the name of two czars and five popes.
a Quote
"Die wohlfeilste Art des Stolzes hingegen ist der
Nationalstolz. Denn er verrät in dem damit Behafteten
den Mangel an individuellen Eigenschaften, auf die er
stolz sein könnte ... Aber jeder erbärmliche Tropf
... ergreift das letzte Mittel, auf die Nation, der
er gerade angehört, stolz zu sein ..."
Arthur Schopenhauer