‘A kingdom of no comparison’. Photo: Peter Porsman.
Simon Sellars, ‘Kingdom of Elleore’, originally published in John Ryan, George Dunford & Simon Sellars, Micronations: the Lonely Planet Guide to Home-made Nations, Footscray: Lonely Planet Publications, 2006, pp. 42-7.
KINGDOM OF ELLEORE
Prepare yourself for one of the most quirky and complex stories in this book. A story of of bizarre synchronicity, in fact, and more than a little cultish charm.
The Kingdom of Elleore is the oldest modern-day micronation, having been founded by a group of Danish schoolteachers (known as the ‘Immortals’) on the uninhabited island of Elleore in 1944. Later, when the Immortals delved into the history of the island, they discovered it actually had an ancient lineage, deriving back to 944 and the settlement of a depleted band of Irish monks.
Against the odds, the monks had more than a little in common with the Immortals themselves…
These days Elleore is uninhabited for all but one week a year, when the king and queen invite their devoted citizenry to the island to celebrate the Kingdom – and whatever it stands for.
Good luck finding that out, though: the Kingdom is pretty much off limits to ‘foreigners’, although there are ways and means of becoming a citizen – if you’re a kid (see p000).
Location
In Roskilde Fjord, Denmark.
Fast Facts
• Head of State King Leo III
• Capital Maglelille
• Population 263 registered citizens
• Currency Leo d’Or
• Languages Interlingua (an international language along the lines of Esperanto, but based on Latin)
• Website www.elleore.dk
Climate
The climate of Elleore is similar to the Danish climate. Winter temperatures can reach 0°C; spring temperatures average 10–15°C; summer 20–25°C; and autumn 5–10°C.
Geography & Wildlife
Elleore’s shape is approximately triangular, with each side of the triangle roughly 400 metres in length. The island is flat with small hills, a lake and a little forest. Birds are the only permanent inhabitants (including a large colony of Mute Swans and a Herring Gull colony) and the national animal is a lion, a creature that holds a very special place in Elleorian lore.
Roskilde Fjord is in fact a bird reserve, which is why the Danish authorities ordered the Elleorians to destroy their castle in 1958 in order to minimise human intervention on Elleore.
Economy
Since 1969 the Kingdom has minted coins that have been highly sought after by numismatics. Postage stamps, inevitably, are another sidelight.
“The Golden Island”, as seen from the air.
History
Elleore’s history is complex and exists in parallel forms.
First, the pre-history: in 6th-century Ireland, Saint Fintan of Doon founded Clonenagh Monastery. When Fintan died in 603, the monastery continued to operate under his guiding principles. In the 10th century, after persistent harassment from the Roman church, Clonenagh’s monks were forced to make their lives elsewhere.
They initially sailed to the Isle of Man before settling on Amitsoq, a tiny island off Greenland’s south coast. But the harsh conditions took their toll and many died during the severe Amitsoq winters. The last of the party then sailed south, before extreme weather forced them east – to the Roskilde inlet.
They landed on Elleore on 17 February 944 and immediately fell in love, as the island’s landscape reminded them of Ireland in miniature form. One monk declared ‘Hic est elie ore!’ (‘Here is the golden island’), and the name ‘Elleore’ was subsequently coined from ‘elie ore’ (‘golden island’).
The exiles set about building a new monastery, Krune, which was inhabited for a further 600 years. There were more than a few notable monks on Elleore during this time, including the enigmatic Caius (1485–1510), an alchemist and practitioner of black magic who could apparently conjure up storms.
Around the time of the Reformation, the Danes viewed this separate monastic society of Irish renegades with extreme suspicion, eventually attacking the island and burning the monastery down. Surveying the ruins, Oscar, Elleore’s last abbot, said that the Kingdom would again rise from the ashes, some time in the distant future…
Until then, the surviving monks and nuns had no choice but to go to Denmark and marry into the Danish race.
Fast forward to 1834, when the Danish historian Frederik Barfod helped to found a progressive school for young boys. At this school the teaching was free and the program subsequently proved to be very successful, so much so that in 1938 the school’s language teachers formed a society, Societas Findani, devoted to preservation of the school’s underlying philosophy. The society was named after none other than Saint Fintan, who also taught free of charge.
The Findani founders, who came to be known as ‘the Immortals’, grew their goals far beyond a mere secret society – they yearned to form a separatist Findanian State. The first step was to find land, which they did, in the form of the uninhabited island of Elleore.
In 1944 the Immortals bought Elleore from the Danish government and the Kingdom of Elleore was born. Amazingly the Immortals had no prior knowledge of Elleore’s settlement by the disciples of Saint Fintan. It was only later when they began to research Elleore’s history that they found it was inextricably linked to their sacred saint – Fintan himself.
Like the monks before them, they’d inadvertently found their ‘Golden Island’ and in 1946 they set about building the castle Braadeborg. However, in yet another very vivid echo of the past, this was destroyed in 1958 by ‘foreign invaders’; the people, disillusioned, once again left the island to return to Denmark.
In 1964 a revival of interest ensured a return to Elleore and in 1975 the government purchased a 45-sq-m tent from a Swedish army depot and anointed it as the City Hall of Maglelille.
Now, every year, the big tent hosts Elleorian Week and the Kingdom is alive once again with eccentric people baring their teeth and curling their hands like fangs in imitation of the Lion that Ole shot, all those years ago..
The Lion, the Director & the Minister of Defence
In 1907 Elleore became famous as the setting for Denmark’s first feature film, The Lion Hunt, directed by Ole Olsen. Part of the plot revolved around two fully-grown German male lions that kill a goat and an old horse before they, too, are killed by the filmmakers – all of it captured on film. The film created a huge stir in Denmark: Olsen was tried for animal abuse, although he was acquitted, and the Minister of Defence, some guy named Alberti, banned the movie from being shown in theatres. This became news worldwide, eventually leading to Alberti’s resignation.
To this day there are Elleorians who believe that this controversy led to the Immortals purchasing Elleore, while others adhere to the theory that it was purely by chance that they came by the island. Whatever, the lion is now a symbol of Elleorian culture and can be seen on crests, medals, the coat of arms and all kinds of official documents.
People & Culture
For most of the year Elleore is uninhabited – except for one week in summer, when hordes of Elleorians descend on the island for Elleorian Week. As the Elleorians love to say, they are simply returning to their island after ‘a 51-week holiday abroad’. During the week the big tent is erected and the City Hall of Maglelille is set in motion. Chefs prepare three-course meals; young Elleorians study at one of three ‘Universities of Elleore’ and play all manner of games; while the elders get down to earnest historical research or administrative tasks.
At all times, Elleorians have a deep knowledge and respect for the culture of the monks who lived on the island centuries before them. Especially revered are the works of Caspar Tromphett (1583–1653), known as the ‘Shakespeare of Elleore’ – these days, his plays are performed during Elleorian Week at the ruins of Braadeborg Castle. Another major event is the Court Ball, held annually by the Royal Couple at Kildegaard Castle in Hellerup, north of Copenhagen, to which all Elleorians are invited.
Elleore’s entire population is also enrolled in the Air, Land and Maritime Forces, enabling a ‘300% level of military preparedness’ (so they say).
Finally, it’s forbidden to take the book Robinson Crusoe onto Elleore, as the Kingdom believes it gives a ‘distorted and false impression of how life is on a small island’.
‘For Every Man, a Motto’
The Immortals proclaimed their first king Erik I, whose motto was ‘Let us help one another’. Each subsequent king has had their own motto, including King Leo the 1st (‘Seriousness and Merriment’); Erik the 2nd (‘Faith above Trust’); Leo the 2nd (‘Hope to the Sea’); and the current King Leo the 3rd (‘With Lion and People for the Kingdom’). Erik the 2nd’s wife, by the way, was known as Queen Lilian the Happy One, leading one to wonder whether Monty Python took Elleore as their inspiration for their ‘Happy Valley’ episode (you know, the one with the happy Princess with the Wooden Teeth).
Further Reading
• A Kingdom of No Comparison (1991). This book took ’17 years and three computer systems to finalize’ and features pictures and essays written by prominent Elleorians.
• The Chronicles of Krune Monastery. This is a thorough history of the monastery, ‘available in every Elleorian bookstore’ (wherever these stores may be – in the Big Tent, perhaps?).
Places to Stay
Camping is the only option. There’s no electricity or water on the island.
Things to See & Do
Visit the ruins of Krune Monastery, or the large stone that was laid when the monks first landed; it’s inscribed with the legend, ‘Hic est locum’ (‘This is the place’). Elleorians call the stone ‘Anstødsstenen’ (‘The Stumbling Block’) and today it’s been moved slightly to the south of its original location.
There’s a museum in Jyllinge, near Roskilde, that contains Elleorian relics.
Getting There & Away
The ‘state’ boats Elfin and Sealion make the journey during Elleorian Week. Note that while only Elleorians have permission to camp on the island, it’s forbidden for anyone to land on any of the fjord islands during the bird-breeding period (from April 1 until July 15).
At any other time Elleore is private property. You might try asking for an appointment to visit, but this is rarely granted to non-Elleorians. If you just want to take a look at the Kingdom, try the Sagafjord boat (www.sagafjord.dk; adult/child DKK89/39), which traverses up and down the fjord – twice past Elleore. During Elleorian Week the islanders salute the boat and the boat salutes them with gunshots. Mind your head.
The other way to visit is to take out citizenship, and that can be done one of two ways. For the first you’ll need to be 12 and enrolled at Kildegaard School (one of the original schools founded by the Immortals); all Kildegaard 12-year-olds are given the chance to enrol in the Land Forces’ Under-graduation Course, effectively an introduction course to Elleorian culture. After that the pupils can decide whether to become citizens or not.
The second way is a bit more accessible: you’ll need to be recommended by at least two citizens.