Heraldry of Åland

Blazon: "Azure a Deer passant Or"

The coat of arms originally blazoned for Åland displayed two roe deers on a field with nine white roses. The roses which adorned were symbolically linked to the nine white roses present in the coat of arms of Finland. 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 Oelandia. Oelandia, an island off the coast of Smalandia, 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.

Finland

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.

Oelandia

In 1944 the Swedish Herald of the Realm decided to withdraw Oelandia's granted arms 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 Oelandia. 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."

See also: Heraldry of Sweden

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