# Fatherland or Motherland? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 12, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatherland-or-motherland/352404 "2006-04-12T17:21:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rippingtons\_fan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rippingtons_fan/32/11767_2.png) [@rippingtons\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rippingtons_fan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatherland-or-motherland/352404/1 "2006-04-12T17:21:58Z")
Is there any real distinction between one’s Fatherland or one’s Motherland? They sound like they’re describing the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatherland-or-motherland/352404/2 "2006-04-12T17:28:13Z")
Has anything besides Nazi Germany commonly been referred to as the Fatherland? ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatherland-or-motherland/352404/3 "2006-04-12T17:37:20Z")
AFAIK, the USA is called the Heartland. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatherland-or-motherland/352404/4 "2006-04-12T17:46:09Z")
I think it has to do with whether the country has \*traditionally \* been considered a Motherland or Fatherland. India, in my language anyway, has mostly been considered a motherland. (More on this in a second). Be aware that the cultural differences in India are so huge and varied that others may feel differently. I think the reason India may have been considered a motherland by my ancestors is because we’re predominantly farmers, and herders. So what gives the milk - the female cow. Who is the first to feed you? Your mom. So since the very soil of India feeds you, it’s a motherland. I could be wrong. Other countries might be calling themselves Fatherland on the basis of their warlike capabilities. I can see why the US may call itself the Heartland, wedged as it is between Mexico and Canada. That makes the Canadians the head, which I’m sure they don’t mind, but Mexico the feet, which sure doesn’t seem very nice. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatherland-or-motherland/352404/5 "2006-04-12T17:53:51Z")
> [@rippingtons\_fan](#): > > Fatherland or Motherland? I choose…Disneyland! What? Do I win a prize? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatherland-or-motherland/352404/6 "2006-04-12T18:03:18Z")
I never understood “Heartland” to refer to the USA as a whole; I thought it meant specifically the agricultural midwest. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatherland-or-motherland/352404/7 "2006-04-12T18:07:59Z")
Actually, the two terms seem somewhat intertwined in usage. Germany is _Das Vaterland_ to German patriots, though as noted the Nazi usage of it has left something of a bad taste in people’s mouths for that usage. But Romans considered it _dulce et decorum est pro patria mori_ – sweet and fitting, to die for the fatherland. Wikipedia lists [Fatherland](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatherland) and [/url=“[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motherland](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motherland)”]Motherland usages for various languages. ---
**Author:** ![furnishesq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/977dab/32.png) [@furnishesq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furnishesq)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatherland-or-motherland/352404/8 "2006-04-12T18:34:21Z")
In the U.S. instead of saying “Motherland” or “Fatherland” we say “Homeland Security” “In the Interest of the Fatherland” vs. “In the Interest of Homeland Security” same thing. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatherland-or-motherland/352404/9 "2006-04-12T20:05:29Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > I never understood “Heartland” to refer to the USA as a whole; I thought it meant specifically the agricultural midwest. I agree; aka “God’s Country”. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatherland-or-motherland/352404/10 "2006-04-13T01:40:17Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > Has anything besides Nazi Germany commonly been referred to as the Fatherland? In English probably not so often, but the German _Vaterland_ does not refer to any specific country (not only in Germany but also in the other German-speaking countries.) It can be used for any country but always in relation to somebody. Everybody here has their own Fatherland. It’s true that the term has fallen out of favor in recent decades, but no more than e.g. “Patriot”. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatherland-or-motherland/352404/11 "2006-04-13T02:59:47Z")
In french, the commonly used word “patrie” ethymologically means “fatherland”, though it’s not readily obvious. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatherland-or-motherland/352404/12 "2006-04-13T22:07:36Z")
In Russian you use both. You fight wars for the “отечество” (fatherland) and you were born in your “родина” (motherland). I know the words don’t translate root-for-root, but they are the closest translations into English. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatherland-or-motherland/352404/13 "2006-04-13T23:01:44Z")
I consider any land, just a part of Earth. Someones heartland, motherland, fatherland; IMO is pretty insignificant and usually used to pretty much say that “my place is better then your place”, with a play on prefixes before -land.