Heraldry of Åland
Encyclopedia
The coat of arms of Åland features a gold red deer
on a blue field
. The arms carries a coronet
of an count
(older Swedish model).
Åland, which was a Province
of Sweden
, was granted its coat of arms prior to the funeral of King Gustav I of Sweden
in 1560.
The coat of arms originally blazoned for Åland displayed two roe deer
s on a field with nine white roses. But Åland was never to be granted the arms which was originally intended, instead it was awarded a coat of arms displaying a deer
, an odd fact since the Åland fauna never included deer.
In the 1940s the office of the Swedish Herald of the Realm (Riksheraldikerämbetet) discovered that a less than flattering mistake had been committed almost four centuries earlier. The arms granted to Åland had originally been intended for Öland
. Öland, an island off the coast of Småland
, was similarly the victim in this mixup. It had, with its history as a royal game park, an abundant supply of deer but no natural connection to the nine Finnish roses which adorned its coat of arms. The coats of arms had been mixed up and the blunder went unnoticed by the proper authorities for several centuries.
and issue a new grant for the coat of arms originally designed for the island. The heraldic authorities in Finland decided not to adopt the coat of arms originally intended with the roe deers and the nine Finnish roses.
This decision to adopt the coat of arm originally intended made it necessary to introduce some minor alterations for Öland. It included the introduction of a collar and differentiating the color of its armamanent, antlets and hoofs.
Red Deer
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
on a blue field
Field (heraldry)
In heraldry, the background of the shield is called the field. The field is usually composed of one or more tinctures or furs. The field may be divided or may consist of a variegated pattern....
. The arms carries a coronet
Coronet
A coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring. Unlike a crown, a coronet never has arches.The word stems from the Old French coronete, a diminutive of coronne , itself from the Latin corona .Traditionally, such headgear is – as indicated by the German equivalent...
of an count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
(older Swedish model).
- Blazon: "AzureAzureIn heraldry, azure is the tincture with the colour blue, and belongs to the class of tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of horizontal lines or else marked with either az. or b. as an abbreviation....
a Deer passant OrOr (heraldry)In heraldry, Or is the tincture of gold and, together with argent , belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". In engravings and line drawings, it may be represented using a field of evenly spaced dots...
"
Åland, which was a Province
Provinces of Sweden
The provinces of Sweden, landskap, are historical, geographical and cultural regions. Sweden has 25 provinces and they have no administrative function, but remain historical legacies and the means of cultural identification....
of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, was granted its coat of arms prior to the funeral of King Gustav I of Sweden
Gustav I of Sweden
Gustav I of Sweden, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known simply as Gustav Vasa , was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death....
in 1560.
The coat of arms originally blazoned for Åland displayed two roe deer
Roe Deer
The European Roe Deer , also known as the Western Roe Deer, chevreuil or just Roe Deer, is a Eurasian species of deer. It is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. Roe Deer are widespread in Western Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and from...
s on a field with nine white roses. But Åland was never to be granted the arms which was originally intended, instead it was awarded a coat of arms displaying a deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, an odd fact since the Åland fauna never included deer.
In the 1940s the office of the Swedish Herald of the Realm (Riksheraldikerämbetet) discovered that a less than flattering mistake had been committed almost four centuries earlier. The arms granted to Åland had originally been intended for Öland
Öland
' is the second largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area of 1,342 km² and is located in the Baltic Sea just off the coast of Småland. The island has 25,000 inhabitants, but during Swedish Midsummer it is visited by up to 500,000 people...
. Öland, an island off the coast of Småland
Småland
' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...
, was similarly the victim in this mixup. It had, with its history as a royal game park, an abundant supply of deer but no natural connection to the nine Finnish roses which adorned its coat of arms. The coats of arms had been mixed up and the blunder went unnoticed by the proper authorities for several centuries.
Öland
In 1944 the Swedish Herald of the Realm decided to withdraw Öland's granted armsHeraldry of Öland
Öland is a province of Sweden and at the funeral of Gustav Vasa in 1560 the province was granted a coat of arms.-Öland:The coat of arms originally granted for the island province of Öland in 1560 displayed two red deer on a field with nine silver roses...
and issue a new grant for the coat of arms originally designed for the island. The heraldic authorities in Finland decided not to adopt the coat of arms originally intended with the roe deers and the nine Finnish roses.
This decision to adopt the coat of arm originally intended made it necessary to introduce some minor alterations for Öland. It included the introduction of a collar and differentiating the color of its armamanent, antlets and hoofs.
- Blazon: "Azure a Deer Or attired, hoofed and gorged Gules."
External links
- Coats of arms at thisisFINLAND