The coat of arms of Finland is a crowned lion on a red field, the right foreleg replaced with an armoured human arm brandishing a sword, trampling on a sabre with the hindpaws. The coat of arms was originally created around the year 1580.

Background

The lion in Nordic heraldry

The heraldic lion is quite common in

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

, and several European countries incorporate it into their national coats of arms. In Nordic

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known bran ...

, the lion is first found in the

coat of arms of Denmark The coat of arms of Denmark ( da, Danmarks rigsvåben) has a lesser and a greater version. The state coat of arms () consists of three pale blue lions passant wearing crowns, accompanied by nine red lilypads (normally represented as heraldic ...

in the later part of the 12th century. Starting in the 13th century, the territory of today's

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...

was gradually incorporated into the Swedish kingdom, and this coincided with the period when coats of arms first came into use in northern Europe. The first known use of the lion in Sweden was on the royal seals of Erik Knutsson (died 1216) and Erik Eriksson (1216–50), who used two and three lions on their seal, respectively. The first king of the

House of Bjelbo The House of Bjelbo ( sv, Bjälboätten), also known as the House of Folkung (''Folkungaätten''), was an Ostrogothian Swedish family that provided several medieval Swedish bishops, jarls and kings. It also provided three kings of Norway and o ...

, Valdemar Birgersson (1239–1302), also used 3 lions on his seal (''Figure 2'').

Finland as a duchy

Magnus Ladulås sköld, Nordisk familjebok

Bengt Birgersson Bishop Benedict, Duke of Finland ( sv, Bengt Birgersson; fi, Bengt Birgerinpoika; 1254 – 25 May 1291) was a Swedish prelate bishop and duke. Early life Bengt Birgersson was a member of the House of Bjelbo (''Folkungaätten''). He was the you ...

, the first Duke of Finland (1254–91, Duke from 1284 until 1291), and Valdemar Magnusson, the second Duke (died 1318, Duke of Finland from 1302 until 1317), both used the later Folkunga coat of arms, which was a crowned lion rampant with three bends sinister, the main difference being that Valdemar's arms had the field strewn with hearts (''Figure 3''). This version of the arms was quite similar to the modern coat of arms of Finland, but the lion did not yet brandish any weapon.

Creation

When John III assumed the title of "

Grand Duke Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. In status, a grand duke traditionally ranks in order of precedence below an emperor, as an approx ...

of Finland and Karelia", shortened to

Grand Duke of Finland Grand Duke of Finland, or, more accurately, the Grand Prince of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinas, sv, Storfurste av Finland, rus, Великий князь Финляндский, r=Velikiy knyaz' Finlyandskiy, p=vʲɪˈlʲikɪj knʲæsʲ f� ...

in 1577 (or soon thereafter), the lion became closely associated with Finland through the grand-ducal coats of arms (''Figure 5''). The grand-ducal coat of arms is thought to have resulted out of a combination of the ''Göta lion'' (originating from the ''Folkunga'' lion) and the arms of

Karelia Karelia ( Karelian and fi, Karjala, ; rus, Каре́лия, links=y, r=Karélija, p=kɐˈrʲelʲɪjə, historically ''Korjela''; sv, Karelen), the land of the Karelian people, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance fo ...

(''Figure 6''). The result was that the lion brandishes one weapon and treads on another. Coat of Arms of Finland

The best-known version of the grand-ducal coat of arms is found on the tomb of Gustavus I (1523–60) in the

Uppsala cathedral Uppsala Cathedral ( sv, Uppsala domkyrka) is a cathedral located between the University Hall of Uppsala University and the Fyris river in the centre of Uppsala, Sweden. A church of the Church of Sweden, the national church, in the Lutheran t ...

(''Figure 5''). It has been suggested that either Duke John himself, or his brother Eric XIV, was leading the design work on the heraldic signs on the tomb. Neither statement can be confirmed, but it is known that Eric XIV showed an interest in heraldry. The monument was commissioned from Guillaume Boyen (Willem Boy), a

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

architect and sculptor who had worked in Sweden. He started on the task in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

in 1562, completing it 10 years later; however, the tomb was not in place in Uppsala until the early 1580s, and the finishing work lasted until 1591. In addition to the royal arms of Sweden and those of Finland, the arms of the 11 provinces are depicted. From Finland they include North and South Finland, as well as Tavastia and Karelia. The work of Willem Boy is of exceptional quality, which is perhaps explained by the fact that lions were a dominant feature in the heraldry of

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

, and he would therefore have had a great deal of exposure to it before receiving the commission for the tomb of Gustavus I. The earliest known blazon from this period states that the arms of Finland represents ''A crowned lion of gold holding a sword in the right forepaw and trampling with both hindpaws on a Russian sabre (''ryssesabel''), surrounded by nine silver roses in a red field, over the shield a golden crown with a red cap''. As both King Gustavus I and his son, John III, were involved in lengthy wars with

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

, it should come as no surprise that this was a central element in the arms of both the Grand Duchy of Finland, and in that of the coat of arms of the Finnish province of

(''Figure 6''), which symbolizes the struggle between

East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

and

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

. The purpose of the nine roses remains unknown, but are now mostly considered to be decorative only. They have sometimes been claimed to represent the nine historical provinces of Finland, but this hypothesis has not found support among prominent scholars. The number of towns in the nominal "Grand Duchy of Finland and Karelia" in 1580 was also nine, but no known historical research provides support for a link between the number of roses and the number of towns in Finland in 1580.

Evolution

Swedish era

During the following centuries, the arms of Finland were to appear in different versions of varying artistic quality, and it was only in the late 19th century when the Uppsala lion was again taken into use as the prototype for the coat of arms of Finland. The lion experienced several changes during the 17th century. In the funeral

banner A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Als ...

of Charles X Gustavus (in 1660) it can be seen treading on the

sabre A sabre (French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as t ...

with all three free paws; in drawings by

Elias Brenner Elias Brenner (18 April 1647 – 16 January 1717) was a Finnish born, Swedish artist, draftsman and antiquarian. He is especially known for his work as a portrait miniaturist and a numismatist. Biography Brenner was born in the parish of St ...

(in the ''Suecia antique et hodierna'' by

Erik Dahlberg '' Count Erik Jönsson Dahlbergh (10 October 162516 January 1703) was a Swedish military engineer, Governor-general and Field marshal. He rose to the level of nobility through his military competence. As an architect and draftsman, he was reno ...

, printed in 1716), it is pictured with a double tail (''queue fourchée'') and with an almost walking posture. File:Valdemar Magnusson's seal.jpg, Seal of Valdemar, Duke of Finland, from the beginning of the 14th century. The seal is based on the coat of arms of the Folkunga family. File:Finland COA.jpg, Coat of arms of Finland in the ''chronicle of Laurentius Petrin'' from the 1580s. File:Finlands vapen - Livrustkammaren - 47927.tif, Coat of arms of Finland from the funeral procession of

Gustav II Adolf 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 ...

from 1633. File:Coat of arms of Finland 1660.png, The coat of arms of

is the coat of arms of Finland based on the model from the end of the 17th century.

Russian era

Coats of arms of the Grand Duchy of Finland

After Finland had been ceded to Russia (as a consequence of the Swedish–Russian war of 1808–1809), Elias Brenner's version of the lion was chosen by the authorities as the model for the new coat of arms of the

Grand Principality of Finland The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecess ...

in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...

. The

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The ...

in the

decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used ...

of 26 October 1809 states: ''The shield has a red field, strewn with roses of silver, on which a golden lion with a crown of gold, standing on a silver saber, which it grasps with the left forepaw while holding in the right forepaw an upright sword''. Obviously, any interpretation of the lion as ''trampling on a Russian sabre'' had been lost at this point in time. During the reform of the Russian official heraldry in 1857, the lion was again changed on the initiative of

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or kn ...

Bernhard Karl von Köhne. The blazon states: ''On a red field strewn with silver roses a crowned lion of gold, holding in the right forepaw an upright sword and in the left one a curved sword on which it rests with the right hindpaw''. The main changes were that the lion had started to resemble a dog rather than a lion, and the crown on top of the

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of ...

had been changed to an arched crown without a cap, and with a small Russian eagle on the rim. The sword in the right forepaw had shrunk in size, to the point of resembling a

dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use def ...

rather than a sword (''Figure 8''). During the years when the Russian emperors attempted

russification Russification (russian: русификация, rusifikatsiya), or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians, whether involuntarily or voluntarily, give up their culture and language in favor of the Russian cult ...

of Finland (1899–1905 and 1908–17), the use of the arms of Finland increased significantly, and eventually became popular in the broader population. The director of the Finnish National Archives,

Karl August Bomansson Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austri ...

(1827–1906), made the first significant study on the arms of Finland in modern times. He restored the appearance of the arms in 1886, so that it closely resembled the ''Uppsala lion''. However, there was a slight deviation on how the lion tramples on the saber, and the arched crown with the imperial eagle in the ''von Köhne'' version was replaced with a crown similar to that of a German princely

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

. This version of the arms was subsequently used in the early years of

Finnish independence Finland declared its independence on 6 December 1917. The formal Declaration of Independence was only part of the long process leading to the independence of Finland. History Proclamation of Empress Elizabeth (1742) The subject of an independ ...

. File:Coat of arms of Finland 1809.tif, Coat of arms of Finland from the canopy of the throne of Emperor

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome * Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of A ...

used in the Porvoo parliament from 1809. File:Russian COA 1825—55 A.jpg, 1825–1855: The coat of arms of Finland was part of Second variant of the Russian Empire coat of arms File:HAZELIUS(1881) Vol.1, p151.jpg, 1881 version: The lion stands on three legs, 16 roses. File:Suomen senaatin sinetti.jpg, During autonomy, the coat of arms of Finland was often depicted as being supported by the double-headed eagle of Russia. File:Greater Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire 1700x1767 pix Igor Barbe 2006.jpg, The coat of arms of Finland was part of the great coat of arms of the Russian Empire in 1882–1917. File:Coat of arms of Finland 1889.jpg,

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 his ...

's model of the coat of arms of Finland from 1889. File:Stamp of Finland - 1890 - Colnect 45662 - Coat of Arms Type m-89 - Trilingual.jpeg, Coat of arms of Finland on the 1890 Finnish postage stamp File:Финляндия благотворительная виньетка.jpg, The lion coat of arms of the Gallen-Kallela mourning sign from the first oppression period in 1900.

Early independence

Gallen-Kallelan ehdotus Suomen vaakunaksi

Coat of Arms of Kingdom of Finland (1918-1919)

During the 1920s and 1930s, the national arms became the subject of some

controversy Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an opposite d ...

, and the debate centered on whether the lion should be replaced with a

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the No ...

, which had an important place in the national

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, rangin ...

. Already in 1557, the bear had emerged as the emblem of ''Finnia Septentrionalis'' ("North Finland", at the time roughly the same as Satakunta and northern

Southwest Finland Southwest Finland, calqued as Finland Proper ( fi, Varsinais-Suomi ; sv, Egentliga Finland), is a region in the southwest of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, Pirkanmaa, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Uusimaa, and Åland. The reg ...

) and continues to be used as the coat of arms of

Satakunta Satakunta (in both Finnish and Swedish, ) is a region ( / ) of Finland, part of the former Western Finland Province. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Pirkanmaa, South Ostrobothnia and Ostrobothnia. The capital city of the region ...

. However, outside Finland, the bear was usually regarded as a symbol of Russia. The debate was however not settled, and throughout most of the 20th century, versions of the arms were used that closely adhered to the ''Uppsala lion''. In 1936, a state committee suggested a compromise that Finland should have a "greater" and a "smaller" coat of arms. The greater coat of arms was proposed to have two bears as supporters of the arms (''Figure 9''), with a base of spruce twigs and with the motto ''vapaa, vankka, vakaa'' ("free, firm, steadfast"). This would have given the bear a place in the national heraldry, but the design was never confirmed, nor was this version of the arms taken into use. Coat of arms of Finland 1918.svg, Coat of arms of 1918 Coat of arms of Finland 1920.svg, Coat of arms of 1920 Coat of arms of Finland used in the state flag 1918.jpg, alt=, Coat of arms used in the Finnish national flag in 1918–1920 Coat of arms of Finland used in the state flag 1920.jpg, alt=, Coat of arms used in the Finnish national flag in 1920–1978 Finnish SS battalion flag.JPG, Coat of arms used in the Finnish Waffen-SS Volunteer Battalion flag in 1941–1943 Suomen lippu ja vaakuna.tif, Coat of arms used in the Finnish national flag since 1978

Today

The

of the national coat of arms was finally settled in 1978, when the law of 26 May 1978 (381/78) described the coat of arms as follows: ''On a red field, a crowned lion, the right forepaw replaced with an armoured hand brandishing a sword, trampling on a saber with the hindpaws, the lion, crowned and armed, the weapons hilted and the armour garnished gold, the blades and the armour silver, the field strewn with nine roses of silver''.Law on the coat of arms of Finland
(Laki Suomen vaakunasta 26.5.1978/381). Hosted by Finlex. (This is, however, a direct translation from Finnish; the heraldic blazon would be ''Gules, a lion crowned Or rampant striking with a sword Argent on his armoured dexter arm, trampling on a sabre Argent; surmounted with nine roses Argent'') The coat of arms appears on the Finnish state flag. The Finnish lion is also used in a wide variety of emblems of different state authorities, often modified to depict the duties of the unit or the authority. On the other hand, the Finnish municipalities and regions usually use heraldic motifs drawn from elsewhere, leaving the lion for state use (exceptions exist, such as the Coat of arms of Jakobstad). The Finnish lion also appears as an armed force's generals' rank insignia and in the navy as part of an officer's rank insignia. File:7 Ohjuslaivue lippu.jpg, 7th Missile Squadron,

Finnish Navy The Finnish Navy ( fi, Merivoimat, sv, Marinen) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. The navy employs 2,300 people and about 4,300 conscripts are trained each year. Finnish Navy vessels are given the ship prefix "FNS", short f ...

: Finnish lion with a fish-tail and a trident File:TykPr-lippu.jpg,

Artillery Brigade An artillery brigade is a specialised form of military brigade dedicated to providing artillery support. Other brigades might have an artillery component, but an artillery brigade is a brigade dedicated to artillery and relying on other units f ...

: Finnish lion holding a cannon File:Pion- ja SKoul lippu.jpg, Engineering and NBC Warfare School,

Finnish Army The Finnish Army ( Finnish: ''Maavoimat'', Swedish: ''Armén'') is the land forces branch of the Finnish Defence Forces. The Finnish Army is divided into six branches: the infantry (which includes armoured units), field artillery, anti-aircraf ...

: Finnish lion holding a shield, symbolizing NBC protection. File:Suomen Maavoimien tunnus.svg, Finnish Army: Finnish coat of arms with jaeger green escutcheon placed upon crossed swords File:Suomen Merivoimien tunnus.svg, Finnish Navy: Coat of arms with an anchor of naval blue colour. File:PvKvK-lippu.jpg,

Finnish Defence Forces The Finnish Defence Forces ( fi, Puolustusvoimat, sv, Försvarsmakten) are the military of Finland. The Finnish Defence Forces consist of the Finnish Army, the Finnish Navy and the Finnish Air Force. In wartime the Finnish Border Guard (whic ...

International Center: Finnish lion holding a

herald A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms. Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen to ...

's staff File:Mpkk-lippu.jpg,

Finnish National Defence University The Finnish National Defence University ( fi, Maanpuolustuskorkeakoulu, MPKK, sv, Försvarshögskolan) is a military university located in Helsinki. The university trains officers for the Finnish Defence Forces and the Finnish Border Guard. The ...

: Finnish lion carrying a shield with the heraldic rose, the Finnish officers' rank insignia File:Emblem of the Police of Finland.svg, Police of Finland: lion's head as a handle of a sword File:Asekoulu lippu.jpg, Technical Training Center, Finnish Army: Finnish lion rising from an anvil File:Kenraali_kauluslaatta.svg, Collar insignia of General of the Finnish Defence force general staff File:Yliluutnantti_olkalaatta.svg, Shoulder strap of Senior Lieutenant of the Finnish Navy FIle:Yliluutnantti_l_hihalaatta.svg, Sleeve insignia of Senior Lieutenant of the Finnish Navy

References

Vide also Dr Antti Matikkala, 'Finnish Heraldic Bookplates', The Heraldic Craftsman, No. 87, January 2015, www.heraldic-arts.com

Bibliography

* Talvio, Tuukka. ''The Lion of Finland''. .

External links

ThisisFINLAND – Finnish Coat of Arms

Information from the Finnish Ministry of Interior on the arms of Finland
{{Coats of arms of Europe National symbols of Finland Finnish heraldry *