historien

Historien is a noun used in Danish and Norwegian Bokmål that most often translates to “the history” or “the story.” It is the definite form of the noun historie, and its meaning depends on context: it can refer to the historical record of past events or to a narrative or tale. In ordinary use, the same word may express either sense.

The word history derives from Latin historia, via Old French histoire, itself from Greek historía meaning inquiry or knowledge gained by investigation. In Germanic languages the term took shape as historie or historie-like forms, with the definite suffix -en producing historien in Danish and Norwegian Bokmål. The range of meanings—history in the sense of a discipline or chronicle, and history as a narrative—reflects this shared origin.

In scholarly and public discourse, “historien” commonly denotes the subject of history or a historical account rather than a person. The professional who studies history is typically called a historian in English or historiker/historikeren in Danish and Norwegian, not historien. The term also appears in everyday storytelling to refer to a tale or anecdote, so the exact sense is guided by context. Related concepts include history, historiography, and narrative.