Law of Jante

English

Etymology

Introduced by the Dano-Norwegian author Aksel Sandemose in the 1933 novel A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks (En flyktning krysser sitt spor), in which Jante is a small Danish town where nobody is anonymous.

Proper noun

Law of Jante

1. A social code in Scandinavian countries that opposes individualism, ambition and vanity.

Translations

Law of Jante

• Danish: janteloven
• Finnish: Janten laki
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: jantelov (no) m

  Nynorsk: jantelov m or f

• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Swedish: jantelagen c, jante c