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The coat of arms of Ã…land features a golden red deer on a blue field. This is traditionally surmounted by a comital coronet of the elder Swedish style.


History

First known symbol of the Ã…land islands is a seal from 1326 depicting Saint Olaf, the patron saint of the islands. The saint is seated on a throne, holding in his hands a
globus cruciger The ''globus cruciger'' ( for, , Latin, cross-bearing orb), also known as "the orb and cross", is an orb surmounted by a cross. It has been a Christian symbol of authority since the Middle Ages, used on coins, in iconography, and with a sceptre ...
and an axe. The medieval seal was later used as an inspiration for the arms of Jomala municipality, granted in 1952. The arms borne today by the Åland islands were originally granted to the similar-sounding island province of Öland in 1560, displaying a golden red deer on a blue field. In 1569, Åland had been given to the
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
queen dowager A queen dowager or dowager queen (compare: princess dowager or dowager princess) is a title or status generally held by the widow of a king. In the case of the widow of an emperor, the title of empress dowager is used. Its full meaning is clear ...
Katarina Stenbock as a fief and was awarded a provincial coat of arms displaying two roe deer on a field strewn with nine roses. The arms of these two similar-sounding Swedish provinces became confused early on, and in the 1880s Öland's arms were recorded as two roe deer with nine roses. Sweden had ceded much of its eastern territory, including the Åland Islands, to Russia in 1809, which became the Grand Duchy of Finland, but the heraldic switch-up was not discovered until the 1940s. During a heraldic revision in 1944, the Swedish National Heraldry Office (''Riksheraldikerämbetet'') discovered that a mistake had been committed. Heraldic authorities in Finland were notified of the error but ultimately decided not make any changes and not to adopt the coat of arms originally intended for Åland (with the two roe deer and nine Finnish roses), as they had long since granted Åland the arms which had been usurped from Öland. This decision made it necessary for Swedish heralds to once again alter the coat of arms for Öland, to avoid further confusion. It was then decided in 1944 that the Öland deer should have a red collar and attire to distinguish it from the arms which had been first granted to Öland but now belonged to Åland.


Gallery

File:Åland_seal_1326.png, Seal of Åland from 1326 File:Åland vapen.svg, Arms granted to Öland in 1560 and used there prior to the 1569 transfer of Åland, subsequently used there until present day File:Öland-Åland vapen.svg, Arms designed for Åland in the 16th century but instead used by Öland (officially 1880s–1944, but also used earlier) File:Öland vapen.svg, Arms granted to Öland in 1944, with the red collar added and the attire changed to red to distinguish it from Åland File:N17819_19991.jpg, Arms of Åland used in the funeral of King
Gustavus Adolphus Gustavus Adolphus (9 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">N.S_19_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/now ...
in 1634. File:Ã…land_1889.jpg, Arms of Ã…land by
Karl Bomansson Karl August Bomansson (5 April 1827 in Saltvik – 7 February 1906 in Helsinki), was a Finnish historian and archivist. Between 1870 and 1883 he was chief archivist at the National Archives of Finland. From 1862 he was associate professor in hist ...
from 1889 showing the stag with a jewelled collar. File:Turun_ja_Porin_läänin_vaakuna_1890.jpg, Arms of Åland as part of the arms of
Turku and Pori Province Turku and Pori Province (, , ) was a province of independent Finland from 1917 to 1997. The province was however founded as a county in 1634 when today's Finland was an integrated part of Sweden. It is named after the cities of Turku () and Por ...
from 1890.


See also

*
Flag of Ã…land The flag of Ã…land ( sv, Ã…lands flagga) is a yellow or gold Nordic cross with another red cross inside on a blue background with the vertical bar shifted towards the hoist side. It is intended to resemble the Swedish flag defaced by a red cros ...
* Finnish heraldry *
Swedish heraldry Swedish heraldry encompasses heraldic achievements in modern and historic Sweden. Swedish heraldic style is consistent with the German-Nordic heraldic tradition, noted for its multiple helmets and crests which are treated as inseparable from th ...
* Coat of arms of Öland


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coat of arms of Aland Finnish heraldry History of Ã…land Aland Aland