Heraldry of �land

�land

The coat of arms originally granted for the island province of �land in 1560 displayed two roe deers[?] on a field with nine silver roses. In the 1940s the office of the Swedish Herald of the Realm (Riksheraldiker�mbetet) discovered that a mistake had been committed, almost 400 years earlier, when the arms had been granted. The arms granted had been blazoned not for �land, but for the likewise, and similar sounding, island province of �land. The nine white roses which adorned the field under the two roe deers was none other than the same nine white roses present in the coat of arms of Finland. At the same time, in the 16th century, �land had been awarded a coat of arms displaying a deer. An odd fact since the �land fauna did not include larger deers, but had the smaller roe deers. �land on the other hand was a royal game park, which stocked an abundant supply of deers. The coats of arms had been mixed up and the blunder went unnoticed, from the proper authorities, for several centuries.

In 1944 the Swedish Herald of the Realm decided to withdraw granted arms and issue a new grant for the coat of arms originally designed for �land. The proper authorities in Finland were notified, but they ultimately decided not make any changes and not to adopt the coat of arms originally intended with the roe deers and the nine Finnish roses. This decision made it necessary to introduce some minor alterations for the coat of arms for �land, and it included the introduction of a collar and differentiating the color of its armamanent, antlets and hoofs.

The arms are displayed with a dukal coronet. The province was originally ranked as an earldom but following a decision by the Privy Council on January 18, 1884 gave all Provinces the right of use to a dukal coronet for their arms.

Blazon: "Azure a Deer Or attired, hoofed and gorged Gules."

Official blazon in Swedish: "I bl�tt f�lt en g�ende hjort av guld med r�tt halsband och r�d bev�ring, d�rest s�dan skall komma till anv�ndning."

�land Main article: Heraldry of �land[?]

�land is today an autonomous province of Finland. The arms is displayed with a Finnish countal coronet.

Blazon: "Azure a Deer passant Or"

Finland Main article: Heraldry of Finland[?]

Description: The lion holds a raised sword in its right gauntleted fore leg and is trampling a curved sabre. The lion, the crown and the sword and sabre handles are gold, as are the gauntlet joints. The blades and the gauntlet are silver. The field is adorned by nine silver roses.

County of Kalmar Main article: Heraldry of Kalmar[?]

The County of Kalmar includes the eastern part of Sm�land and the island province of �land. The arms is a combination of the arms of Sm�land and �land. The arms is displayed with a royal crown, representing the County Administrative Board.

Blazon: "Quatered, the arms of Sm�land and �land"

Sm�land Main article: Heraldry of Sm�land

The arms is displayed with a dukal coronet.

Blazon: "Or a lion rampant Gules langued and armed Azure holding in front paws a Crossbow of the second bowed and stringed Sable with a bolt Argent."

See also: Heraldry of Sweden[?]