Freemasonry in Denmark was first established in 1743[1] and is today represented by a number of Grand Lodges. The oldest and biggest Masonic Grand Lodge in Denmark is the Danish Order of Freemasons (Danish: Den Danske Frimurerorden), in English also known as the Grand Lodge of Denmark.
Freemasonry came to Denmark in 1743 with the founding of the Lodge of St. Martin. Named after Martin of Tours, the Lodge was founded in Copenhagen by several Danish Masons, who were also members of Grand Lodges abroad. 1745 saw the founding of Denmark's second Lodge, Zorobabel, also in Copenhagen. From Copenhagen, Freemasonry began to spread throughout the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway with the founding in 1749 of the Lodge St. Olai in Oslo as well as Lodges in Bergen and Trondheim. In 1767 St. Martin and Zorobabel merged to form Zorobabel til Nordstjernen. This Lodge took over St. Martin's role as Mother Lodge to the Freemasons' Lodges in Norway.
In 1855 Zorobabel til Nordstjernen merged with the Lodge of Friedrich zur Gekrönten Hoffnung (founded in 1778) to form the Lodge of Zorobabel og Frederik til det kronede Haab (Z & F for short).
Following a power struggle with Gustav III of Sweden on the issue of who had the right to exercise control of the Danish Order of Freemasons, Christian VII on 29 April 1780 used his power of government to issue an order-in-council declaring, that Freemasons throughout Denmark, Norway, Schleswig and Holstein, were prohibited from recognising any foreign prince as head of the order.
During the absolute monarchy, the Crown acted as a protector of Freemasonry in Denmark. However, following the adoption of a constitution build on classical liberal principles and the departure from absolutism in 1848, the protected status was lost.
Rituals and rites
From its very beginning in 1743, Freemasonry was decentralised, with lodges using rituals of what is most likely English origin. In 1747, Freemasons established a Danish-Norwegian provincial grand lodge, with Christian Conrad Danneskiold-Laurvig as grand master. This provincial grand lodge was abolished in 1765, following the successful attempt by the grand master himself and others, to introduce the Rite of Strict Observance; a chivalric brand of Freemasonry created in Germany by Karl Gotthelf von Hund. Following the death of von Hund in 1776, this system collapsed. Strict Observance was abolished following the Congress of Wilhelmsbad in 1782. The Danish Order of Freemasons has chosen to retain certain elements of Strict Observance within its high-degree system, as opposed to Freemasonic orders today adhering to the Swedish Rite.
The Rectified Rite was inspired by the Rectified Scottish Rite, which was introduced into continental Freemasonry as a replacement for Strict Observance, at the Masonic Congress of Wilhelmsbad in 1782. Because of disagreement at the congress on how to implement the higher degrees, the Danish delegation returned home before the issue was resolved, opting instead to introduce only the three agreed upon craft-degrees. Since there was no clarification as to what to do with the higher degrees, the Strict Observance Grand Chapter continued its work. Finally, in 1817, Prince Carl von Hessen-Kassel, then grand master, established a Scots St. Andrews lodge.
Like Strict Observance, the Swedish Rite was a system of chivalric Freemasonry created by the swede Carl Frederik Eckleff during the mid-1760s. Freemasons from the lodge Kosmos in Elsinore wanted to introduce the rituals in Denmark, having experienced the rituals themselves in Swedish. They attained the permission of King Frederick VII, acting as grand master, and began the practice in 1852. In 1858 the king, himself having experienced the rituals, founded the Grand Lodge of Denmark, working the highest Templar degrees in Copenhagen.
Since 1858, the Danish Order of Freemasons has practiced the rituals of the Swedish Rite. The Rite is divided into three divisions: St. John's (Craft) degrees (I–III), St. Andrew's ("Scottish") degrees (IV–VI) and the Chapter degrees (VII–X). Besides the Danish Order of Freemasons, a variety of fraternal organizations practice Freemasonry, using different Masonic rites. Two of these organizations are recognized by the Danish Order of Freemasons as regular, and they, in return, recognize the Grand Master of the Danish Order of Freemasons as their own grand master: The Danish Craft Masonry of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons (Danish: Det Danske Frimurerlaug) work the three craft degrees following the English Emulation Ritual, while The Union of Johannes Lodges (Danish: Johanneslogeforbundet) work the three craft degrees following the Schröder Rite created by Friedrich Ludwig Schröder.
Among the other organizations, the English system is used by the independent Masonic Order of the Circle (Danish: Cirkel-Ordenen), while the Order of Sct. Andrews (Danish: Sct. Andreas Ordenen) and the Order of Serapion (Danish: Serapions-Ordenen) each use their own rites. Grand Lodge of Denmark of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons (Danish: Storlogen af Danmark af Gamle Frie & Antagne Murere) – not to be confused with the Danish Order of Freemasons, which is recognized as the grand lodge of Denmark by the United Grand Lodge of England - practice Ritus Hauniensis, a Danish system comparable to the York Rite. It is associated with the independent Great Orient, which work in accordance with the Scottish Rite's 33 degree system.
The Danish Order of Freemasons (Danish: Den Danske Frimurerorden) (abbr.: DDFO) was founded on 16 November 1858 and is the main governing body of regular Freemasonry in Denmark. With around 8,000 members, it is the largest Masonic order in the country.
In English, the order is known colloquially as the Grand Lodge of Denmark, though this is not a direct translation of its name. In addition, the order should not be confused with the much smaller and irregular Grand Lodge of Denmark of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons (Danish: Storlogen af Danmark af Gamle Frie & Antagne Murere).
The Danish Order of Freemasons has 89 lodges in 45 cities, all practicing the rituals of the Swedish Rite. The Rite is divided into three divisions:
St. John's (Craft) degrees (I–III)
St. Andrew's (Scottish) degrees (IV–VI)
Chapter degrees (VII–X).
The Swedish Rite demands members be Christian and not just that they believe in a supreme being. Like other Regular Masonic jurisdictions, only men are allowed membership.
Within the Danish Order of Freemasons are two quasi-autonomous orders, neither of which requires its members to produce a Christian certificate of baptism:
The Danish Craft Masonry of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons. (Danish: Det Danske Frimurerlaug af Gamle Frie og Antagne Murere) (abbr.: DDFL) has 42 lodges and practises the English Emulation Ritual. In 2012 seven members of Logen De Drie Hamre nr. 815 in the DDFL started up the only English-speaking Danish Freemasons lodge in Copenhagen, namely Lodge 850 Cosmopolitan.[2][3][4]
Members of the Danish Order of Freemasons, the Danish Craft Masonry, and the Union of Johannes Lodges have mutual visiting privileges. Since both Danish Craft Masonry and Union only work the three degrees of craft Masonry, its members are invited to join the Order of Freemasons with respect to its higher degrees.[citation needed]
Grand Lodge of Denmark of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons
There is a fourth masonic obedience in Denmark, not within the Danish Order of Freemasons. The Grand Lodge of Denmark of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons (Danish: Storlogen af Danmark af Gamle Frie & Antagne Murere) was established in 1929. It follows the tradition of Orient or Continental Freemasonry and works in accordance to a ritual based on the York Rite (modified version of the 1929 Ritus Hauniensis written by Grunddal Sjallung). Grandlodge of Denmark A F & A M works: Apprentice, Fellow Craft, Mark Master (as second part of Fellow Craft), Master Mason, Installed Master - from 1989 is added, Excellent Master (Passing the Four Veils) & Royal Arch.[5][circular reference][6][circular reference] It is a member of CLIPSAS.[7]
Scandinavian Federation of Le Droit Humain
The International Order of Freemasonry for Men and Women, Le Droit Humain founded its first lodge in Scandinavia in what was then Kristiania (now Oslo) in 1912, in Copenhagen in 1917 and in Stockholm in 1918. The lodges of the order in Norway, Sweden and Denmark are linked together in the Scandinavian Federation.[8]
Literature
Bugge K.L.: Det Danske Frimureries Historie, 2 volumes, 1910–1927 (in Danish)
Kjeldsen, Jørgen (red.): I Guld og Himmelblaat, (Den Danske Frimurerorden, 1992) (in Danish)
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities and clients. Modern Freemasonry broadly consists of two main recognition groups:
A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered by a Grand Lodge, but is subject to its direction only in enforcing the published constitution of the jurisdiction. By exception the three surviving lodges that formed the world's first known grand lodge in London have the unique privilege to operate as time immemorial, i.e., without such warrant; only one other lodge operates without a warrant – the Grand Stewards' Lodge in London, although it is not also entitled to the "time immemorial" title. A Freemason is generally entitled to visit any lodge in any jurisdiction in amity with his own. In some jurisdictions this privilege is restricted to Master Masons. He is first usually required to check, and certify, the regularity of the relationship of the Lodge – and be able to satisfy that Lodge of his regularity of membership. Freemasons gather together as a Lodge to work the three basic Degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason.
The York Rite, sometimes referred to as the American Rite, is one of several Rites of Freemasonry. It is named for, but not practiced in York, Yorkshire, England. A Rite is a series of progressive degrees that are conferred by various Masonic organizations or bodies, each of which operates under the control of its own central authority. The York Rite specifically is a collection of separate Masonic Bodies and associated Degrees that would otherwise operate independently. The three primary bodies in the York Rite are the Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, Council of Royal & Select Masters or Council of Cryptic Masons, and the Commandery of Knights Templar, each of which are governed independently but are all considered to be a part of the York Rite. There are also other organizations that are considered to be directly associated with the York Rite, or require York Rite membership to join such as the York Rite Sovereign College but in general the York Rite is considered to be made up of the aforementioned three. The Rite's name is derived from the city of York, where, according to one Masonic legend, the first meetings of Masons in England took place.
The history of Freemasonry encompasses the origins, evolution and defining events of the fraternal organisation known as Freemasonry. It covers three phases. Firstly, the emergence of organised lodges of operative masons during the Middle Ages, then the admission of lay members as "accepted" or "speculative" masons, and finally the evolution of purely speculative lodges, and the emergence of Grand Lodges to govern them. The watershed in this process is generally taken to be the formation of the first Grand Lodge in London in 1717. The two difficulties facing historians are the paucity of written material, even down to the 19th century, and the misinformation generated by masons and non-masons alike from the earliest years.
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The relationship between Mormonism and Freemasonry began early in the life of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Smith's older brother, Hyrum, and possibly his father were Freemasons while the family lived near Palmyra, New York. In the late 1820s, the western New York region was swept with anti-Masonic fervor.
The Knights Templar, full name The United Religious, Military and Masonic Orders of the Temple and of St John of Jerusalem, Palestine, Rhodes and Malta, is a fraternal order affiliated with Freemasonry. Unlike the initial degrees conferred in a regular Masonic Lodge, which only require a belief in a Supreme Being regardless of religious affiliation, the Knights Templar is one of several additional Masonic Orders in which membership is open only to Freemasons who profess a belief in Christianity. One of the obligations entrants to the order are required to declare is to protect and defend the Christian faith. The word "United" in its full title indicates that more than one historical tradition and more than one actual order are jointly controlled within this system. The individual orders 'united' within this system are principally the Knights of the Temple, the Knights of Malta, the Knights of St Paul, and only within the York Rite, the Knights of the Red Cross.
Freemasonry in Sweden was introduced by the Swedish Order of Freemasons, founded in 1735 as the oldest still active Swedish fraternal order, working the Swedish Rite of Freemasonry. It is under royal patronage of the King of Sweden and closely associated with the Lutheran Church of Sweden. It is a jurisdiction that admits Christian men only, and is recognised by the United Grand Lodge of England as a Regular Masonic jurisdiction, being the only Regular Grand Lodge that admits a 34th informal Masonic Degree. Its total membership is about 16,500.
There are many organisations and orders which form part of the widespread fraternity of Freemasonry, each having its own structure and terminology. Collectively these may be referred to as Masonic bodies, Masonic orders or appendant bodies of Freemasonry.
The Norwegian Order of Freemasons is the Masonic Grand Lodge in Norway. The first lodge was opened in 1749 and is still working. The Grand Lodge has followed the Swedish Rite since 1818, which requires its members to adhere to Christianity. During the union of Sweden-Norway, the Swedish-Norwegian king was Grand Master of the Order. The sovereign Grand Lodge of Norway was consecrated in 1891. As of 2009, the Order has about 20,000 members.
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The Rectified Scottish Rite, also known as Order of Knights Beneficent of the Holy City or Knights Benefactor of the Holy City is a Christian Masonic rite founded in Lyon (France) in 1778.
The Royal Arch is a degree of Freemasonry. The Royal Arch is present in all main masonic systems, though in some it is worked as part of Craft ('mainstream') Freemasonry, and in others in an appendant ('additional') order. Royal Arch Masons meet as a Chapter; in the Supreme Order of the Royal Arch as practised in the British Isles, much of Europe and the Commonwealth, Chapters confer the single degree of Royal Arch Mason.
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The Danish Order of Freemasons, in English also known as the Grand Lodge of Denmark, is a governing body of some Masonic Lodges in Denmark. The Danish Order of Freemasons was founded on 16 November 1858.
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