Swedish heraldry

Swedish heraldry follows the German-Nordic heraldic tradition, characterized by the use of multiple helmets and crests which are treated as inseparable from the shield, its repetition of colours and charges between the shield and the crest, and its scant use of heraldic furs. Swedish and Finnish heraldry have a shared history prior to the Diet of Porvoo in 1809; these, together with Danish heraldry, were heavily influenced by German heraldry. Because the medieval history of the Nordic countries was so closely related, their heraldic individuality developed rather late. Unlike the highly stylized and macaronic language of English blazon, Swedish heraldry is described in plain language, using (in most cases) only Swedish terminology.

The earliest known achievements of arms in Sweden are those of two brothers, Sigtrygg and Lars Bengtsson, from 1219. Armorial seals of noblewomen appeared in the 12th century, burghers and artisans began adopting arms in the 13th century, and even some peasants took arms in the 14th century. In order to become legally registered and protected under Swedish law, an official coat of arms must be registered with the Swedish Patent and Registration Office (PRV), and is subject to approval by the National Herald (Statsheraldiker) and the bureaucratic Heraldic Board of the National Archives of Sweden. Heraldic arms of common citizens (burgher arms), however, are less strictly controlled. These are recognised by inclusion in the annually published Scandinavian Roll of Arms. In Scandinavia (as distinct from the German custom), when an even number of helmets is displayed, they are usually turned, with their crests, to face outward; when an odd number, the center helmet is turned affronté and the rest turned outward (whereas in Germany the helmets are turned inward to face the center of the escutcheon). Traditionally, purple was rarely used as a tincture on the shield, though it does appear on the shields of some (especially modern) burgher arms. Ermine likewise appears in the lining of the mantling over the greater national coat of arms, but is otherwise virtually unknown in Swedish heraldry. Vair is also rare in Scandinavian heraldry, and other furs are unknown.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"

! Tinctures

! colspan=2 | Metals

! colspan=5 | Paints or Colours

! colspan="3" | Furs

! Escutcheons

| align=center | 65px

! English

| align=center | Or

| align=center | Argent

| align=center | Azure

| align=center | Gules

| align=center | Vert

| align=center | Purpure

| align=center | Sable

| align=center | Ermine

|Counter-ermine

| align=center | Vair

! Swedish

| align=center | Guld (gul)

| align=center | Silver (vit)

| align=center | Blå

| align=center | Röd

| align=center | Grön

| align=center | Purpur

| align=center | Svart

| align=center | Hermelin

|Kontrahermelin

| align=center | Gråverk

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"

!Ordinaries

| align=center |70px

!English

| align=center |Chief

| align=center |Base

| align=center |Pale

| align=center |Fess

| align=center |Bend

| align=center |Bend sinister

| align=center |Cross

| align=center |Saltire

| align=center |Chevron

| align=center |Canton

| align=center |Bordure

!Swedish

| align=center |Ginstam

| align=center |Stam

| align=center |Stolpe

| align=center |Bjälke

| align=center |Balk

| align=center |Ginbalk

| align=center |Kors

| align=center |Andreaskors

| align=center |Sparre

| align=center |Kanton

| align=center |Bård

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"

!Division of the field

| align=center |90px

!English

| align=center |Party per fess

| align=center |Party per pale

| align=center |Party per bend sinister

| align=center |Quarterly

| align=center |Quarterly with an inescutcheon

!Swedish

| align=center |Delad

| align=center |Kluven

| align=center |Ginstyckad

| align=center |Kvadrerad

| align=center |Kvadrerad med hjärtsköld

Officers of arms

thumb|right|100px|Arms of the National Archives

In the Middle Ages, heraldic arms in Sweden were granted by the Royal Council (kungliga kansliet), but this role was turned over to the College of Antiquities (antikvitetskollegiet) in 1660.

Prior to 1953, the office of the National Herald (Riksheraldiker) was responsible for preparing municipal arms and the royal arms of Sweden, but today these duties are carried out by the Heraldry Board of the National Archives, including the State Herald (Statsheraldiker). In order to register new municipal arms, a municipality must submit its proposal to both the National Archives Heraldry Board, which consults and renders an opinion, and to the PRV for registration. Once the board has completed its consultation process and provided a warrant of arms, the arms thus warranted may then be registered by the PRV and implemented by the municipality. is the highest heraldic body in Sweden. The board is chaired by the National Archivist and includes three other officials, three deputies, the State Herald (who acts as secretary), the National Archives jurist and the National Archives heraldic artist. Subsequent National Heralds included Daniel Tilas (1768–1772), Anders Schönberg (1773–1809), Jonas Carl Linnerhielm (1809–1829), Niklas Joakim af Wetterstedt (1829–1855), August Wilhelm Stiernstedt (1855–1880), Carl Arvid Klingspor (1880–1903), Adam Lewenhaupt (1903–1931) and Harald Fleetwood (1931–1953), and State Heralds (since the 1953 reform) have included Carl Gunnar Ulrik Scheffer (1953–1974), Lars-Olof Skoglund (1975), Jan von Konow (1975–1981), Bo Elthammar (1981–1983), and Clara Nevéus (1983–1999). Since 1999, the State Herald of Sweden has been Henrik Klackenberg.

The Swedish Collegium of Arms, operating under the Swedish Heraldry Society, is responsible for reviewing and registering burgher arms. A Swedish Greve (Count) bears three barred helmets, each crowned with a coronet showing five leaves, and supporters are usually—though not always—present. The arms of Swedish counts also, from the late 17th century, began using manteaux (see the Greater Coat of Arms of Sweden, pictured above) in place of the traditional mantling, although this practice has since been deprecated. and the Royal orders of the State (except for the Order of Carl XIII) were not conferred to Swedes according to a special ordinance that was repealed in 2023. The house of nobility lost the last of its official privileges in 2003. This may have been especially true in Stockholm, where there was a large German population. Approximately 3000 burgher arms are known today in Sweden.

National heraldry

thumb|right|250px|The greater coat of arms of Sweden

The Swedish arms evolved from royal heraldry. Traditionally, only persons bore arms and so these arms were originally only arms of the monarchs. Gradually, however, they have also become considered "national arms".

The greater national arms (stora riksvapnet) originated in 1448 and has remained unchanged in Swedish law since 1943. The first legislation of state arms in Sweden was in 1908, and prior to that the state arms were changed by royal decree. It also, as it originally was, remains to be the personal coat of arms of the king of Sweden; as such he can decree its use as a personal coat of arms by other members of the Royal House, with the alterations and additions decided by him. Since the beginning of the reign of Gustav Vasa in 1523 it has been customary in Sweden to display the arms of the ruling dynasty as an inescutcheon in the centre of the greater arms.

The coat of arms of Queen Silvia of Sweden is similar to the greater arms of Sweden, but without the ermine mantling, and with the central inescutcheon exchanged for her personal arms: Per pale gules and Or, a fleur-de-lis counterchanged. The shield is encircled by an azure ribbon with dependent cross of the Order of the Seraphim.

The lesser coat of arms of Sweden (lilla riksvapnet) is emblazoned: Azure, with three coronets Or, ordered two above one; Crowned with a royal crown. This is the emblem used by the government of Sweden and its agencies; it is, for example, embroidered on all Swedish police uniforms. Any representation consisting of three crowns ordered two above one is considered to be the lesser coat of arms, and its usage is therefore restricted by Swedish Law, Act 1970:498. The three crowns have been recognized as the official arms of Sweden since the 14th century. The earliest credible attribution of the three crowns is to Magnus Eriksson, who reigned over Sweden and Norway, and in 1330s, bought Scania from Denmark. Vladimir Sagerlund, heraldic artist at the National Archives since 1994, was critical of the decision, saying, "once upon a time coats of arms containing lions without genitalia were given to those who betrayed the Crown." The Times in London noted a recent trend toward heraldic "castration", pointing to the lions passant on the royal coat of arms of England, as well as the lions rampant on those of Norway, Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg and Scotland, all of which have been depicted without genitals; in conclusion, The Times wrote, "some crests are ambiguous, but the message remains clear: the lions are supposed to display courage and nothing else." The Nordic Battle Group's coat of arms was originally designed to incorporate heraldic elements and colours from all member nations, including "a lion that did not look Finnish, Norwegian, Estonian or Swedish." In an unusual move, the Armed Forces Heraldry Council authorised the Nordic Battle Group commander's use of a command sign. This consisted of a bunting divided into fields of blue, gold and blue with a Roman numeral V in the gold field, since the unit would be the fifth mobilized combat unit of the European Union. and a blue field with a single upright golden sword appears on the flag of Military Region Command infrastructure, with three gold crowns in the canton. topped with a crown, and has been used on the flags of naval commanders, including on the flag of the Inspector General of the Navy,

File:Armén vapen bra.svg| Swedish Army

File:Marinen vapen bra.svg| Swedish Navy

File:Flygvapnet vapen bra.svg| Swedish Air Force

File:Hemvarnet vapen bra.svg| Swedish Home Guard

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Regional heraldry

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Each of Sweden's 21 counties (län), 25 provinces (landskap) and 290 municipalities (kommun) has its own coat of arms. The Instrument of Government (1634) introduced the modern counties of Sweden, superseding the 25 medieval provinces. Although many of these counties have been the subject of more recent reforms, many of them occupy broadly similar regions. (See comparative maps at Counties of Sweden.) Most of the counties that have remained largely intact (Dalarna, Gotland, Skåne, Södermanland, Uppsala, Värmland, etc.) retain the respective province's coat of arms, while the redistricting of other lands has been reflected heraldically (e.g. the newly created Gävleborgs län, occupying parts of Hälsingland and Gästrikland, bears their arms quarterly). By royal decree on 18 January 1884, King Oscar II granted all provinces the rights to the rank of duchy and to display their arms with a ducal coronet. While more exhaustive lists can be found elsewhere, this article only discusses the arms of a few of these regions, selected for their heraldic notability. The arms of Gotland, Västerbotten, Uppland, Södermanland, Skåne and Lappland will be considered here in further detail.

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Gotland, as a free republic loosely associated with the Swedish crown, had already borne a ram with a banner (Agnus Dei) as a well-known city seal by 1280. The municipality, created in 1971, uses the same arms on a red field, influenced by the arms of Visby.

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Västerbotten received arms in preparation for Gustav Vasa's funeral in 1560. According to the Swedish Heraldry Society, the reindeer came to represent all lands west of the Gulf of Bothnia at that time, and Västerbotten's coat of arms received its stars in the 1590s. the Skåne County arms are the province arms with different colors. When the county arms is shown crowned with a Swedish royal crown, it represents the County Administrative Board, which is the regional presence of royal government authority. Blazon: Or, a Griffin's head erased Gules, crowned and langued Azure, when it should be armed.

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Lappland itself was never considered a duchy, but was granted the right to use a ducal coronet, together with all the provinces, in 1884. The wildman first appears on a few coins minted at the time of Karl IX's coronation in 1607, and then at his funeral in 1612. Kalmar was the first to establish city arms in 1247, and Stockholm, Skara and Örebro were also among the first cities in Sweden to establish city arms. Municipal arms may not use any colors (tinctures) other than argent, Or, gules, azure, sable and vert.

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Kalmar (1100) has the oldest known city arms in Sweden, depicting a fortified tower (borgtorn) and dating to 1247. The two stars were added by the end of the 13th century, and the arms have remained virtually unchanged to date. Blazon: Argent, a tower embattled gules, with door and windows Or, issuing from a wavy base azure, between two mullets of six points gules.

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Arboga (13th century), settled in the 10th century, has been a city since 1480 and was the site of the first Riksdag of the Estates assembled in 1435. Arboga's city arms originated from a city seal dating from 1330. The original city seal showed an eagle with three roundels placed one on each wing and the tail, and a letter "A" between two stars. The "A" was omitted and the stars moved onto the eagle's wings in 1969, and the same arms granted to the municipality in 1974. Blazon: Argent, an eagle sable, beaked langued and armed gules, each wing charged with a mullet of six points Or. Malmö's City Archives still preserve the letter written April 23, 1437 by Eric, granting his own griffin head arms to the city. In the 1920s, the city arms were revised, based upon a church icon said to represent Saint Erik, (the blazon clearly indicates Saint Erik as the intended subject), and these arms were officially granted in 1934. Blazon: Azure, a crowned head of Saint Erik [couped] Or.

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Uppsala (1286) was the seat of power in Sweden from antiquity. Since the 12th century, it has been the ecclesiastical center of Sweden, and it is the site of the oldest university in Sweden. The origin of the city arms is somewhat obscure, but the lion has been featured on Uppsala's city seal since 1737, and in the city arms which were granted in 1943. Up until the 18th century (1737) there were different forms of a church in the city seal like in the arms of the city of Skara, also a seat of a bishop. Blazon: Azure, a crowned lion passant gardant Or, fimbriated sable and langued and armed gules.

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Landskrona (1413) was established by Eric of Pomerania while the region was part of Denmark, as an anti-Hansa city to compete with other Danish port cities under Hansa control. The city was originally symbolised by a gold "queen's crown" on a red field, in direct reference to Margrethe Valdemarsdatter, and the city received its present arms in 1880, based on a city seal from 1663 depicting a crown, a lion, a ship and a cornucopia on a quartered field. Landskrona is unique among Swedish municipal arms in having its own crown and supporters as part of its own achievement. The direction of the Gothenburg lion and the crown have been especially controversial. The blazon received in 1952 read: "Azure, three wavy bends sinister argent, overlaid with a lion contourné crowned with closed crown Or, with forked tail, langued and armed gules, swinging with the right forepaw a sword Or, and maintaining in the left a shield azure with three crowns Or, arranged two and one."

Other municipal arms

The following examples do not represent an exhaustive list of Swedish municipal arms. See the list of municipalities of Sweden for a complete listing of these.

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Oxelösund is one example of a municipality emerging from a split between two cities – in this case, Nyköping and Oxelösund, which are now in neighboring municipalities since the splitting of Nikolai rural municipality in 1950. The town of Oxelösund was established in 1900 and became a city in 1950, when it became a separate municipality from Nyköping.

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Stenungsund is one example of a municipality that, having no historic city arms, created wholly new arms in the 1970s. This device, displaying a hydrocarbon molecule, alludes to the area's petrochemical industry, and is also an example of distinctly modern arms. The arms, registered with the PRV in 1977, display: Argent, a hydrocarbon molecule of three pellets conjoined with six bezants gules, over a base wavy azure.

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Mullsjö Municipality was newly created in 1952. The coat of arms, granted in 1977, was proposed by the municipality's recreation committee, to market the municipality as a center for winter sports. The snow crystal is a relatively modern charge, and the modern tree-top line, called kuusikoro in Finnish, is reflective of the Finnish influence on Swedish heraldry. Blazon: Azure, a snow crystal argent beneath a spruce-top chief of the same. The ram seen here was included in the seal of the legislature of Rödön from 1658. The arms of the church have been found displayed on a 14th-century heraldic flag discovered in Uppsala cathedral, and are blazoned: Or, upon a cross gules, a crown Or. The crown has long been said to represent St. Erik, but in early 2005, the church issued a press release adopting "a new interpretation of the 600-year-old coat of arms which was found in Uppsala cathedral," calling it the victory crown of Christ (Kristi segerkrona). The Church of Sweden also has many dioceses and parishes with their own coats of arms.

According to tradition, bishops may use the arms of their diocese marshalled with their own personal arms, with a mitre in place of the helmet and a crosier displayed behind the shield, but these are removed when the bishop retires. These arms may take the form of a shield divided per pale or quartered with the arms of the diocese in the first and third quarters and the bishop's personal arms in the second and fourth quarters. The cross staff or "primate cross" is used only by the Archbishop of Uppsala and the Bishop of Lund, crossed with the crosier behind the shield. Antje Jackelén, Bishop of Lund, uses the traditional oval shield of a woman's arms, and her arms were designed by the diocese's heraldist, Jan Raneke. Raneke also designed the arms of Jackelén's predecessor, Christina Odenberg, who was the first woman to be a bishop in the Church of Sweden.

Crowns and helmets used in Swedish heraldry

File:Royal crown of the King of Sweden.svg| Royal (Kunglig) crown

File:Coronet of the Crown Prince of Sweden.svg|Ducal (Hertiglig) coronet of the heir apparent

File:Coronet of a Swedish Duke.svg| Ducal (Hertiglig) coronet

File:Grevlig rangkrona.svg| Countly (Grevlig) coronet

File:Friherrlig rangkrona.svg| Baronial (Friherrlig) coronet

File:Obetitlad adel.svg| Noble (Adlig) coronet

File:Murkrona.svg| Swedish mural crown, used by cities

File:Meuble héraldique Heaume comte.svg| Open or barred helmet, reserved for nobility

File:Skraiste 3.png| Closed or tilting helmet, used for burgher arms

File:Mitra heráldica.svg| Mitre, used by bishops in place of a helmet

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Footnotes

Volborth (1981), p. 10, states that ermine is rare in Scandinavian arms, and usually appears outside the shield (lining the royal pavilion or trimming the caps of high nobility) in continental heraldry.
Many examples of Swedish canting arms can be found here on the web.
According to this article on the Swedish Heraldry Society's web site, ermine first appeared in Sweden in the arms of Eufemiga Eriksdotter (1316–1363), and "that is the only time ermine existed in medieval Swedish heraldry."
Volborth (1981), p. 10, discusses the use of furs in Scandinavian and "Germanic countries", and notes the lack of furs in Polish heraldry. Also, according to this article on the Swedish Heraldry Society's web site, vair did not appear in Swedish heraldry until 1412–13 in the arms of Gert Comhaer of Lund, a Dutchman.
[Reserved]
Original text of Swedish statute 1982:268, 3 §, states: Lilla riksvapnet består av en med kunglig krona krönt blå sköld med tre öppna kronor av guld, ordnade två över en. Skölden får omges av Serafimerordens insignier. Såsom lilla riksvapnet skall också anses tre öppna kronor av guld, ordnade två över en, utan sköld och kunglig krona.
The official blazon of the arms of Västerbotten states: I med 6-uddiga stjärnor av guld bestrött blått fält en springande ren av silver med röd beväring.
The official blazon of the arms of Västerbotten County states: Delad sköld, i övre fältet Västerbottens vapen, undre fältet kluvet, med Lapplands vapen till höger och Ångermanlands vapen till vänster.
The official blazon of the arms of Uppland states: I rött fält ett riksäpple av guld.
The official blazon of the arms of Södermanland states: I fält av guld en upprest svart grip med röd beväring, därest sådan skall komma till användning.
The official blazon of the arms of Skåne states: I guldfält ett rött, avslitet griphuvud med blå krona och med blå beväring, därest dylik skall komma till användning.
The official blazon of the arms of Lappland states: I fält av silver en stående röd vildman med grön björklövskrans på huvudet och kring länderna, hållande i höger hand en på axeln vilande klubba av guld.
The official blazon of the arms of the Church of Sweden states: I fält av guld ett rött kors, i korsmitten belagt med en krona av guld.
Examples of the former can be found in the arms of Esbjörn Hagberg, Bishop of Karlstad and Martin Lind, Bishop of Linköping, and the latter in the arms of Ragnar Persenius, Bishop of Uppsala and Antje Jackelén, Bishop of Lund.
One online article asserts that the arms of Södermanland followed on the noble arms of Bo Jonsson Grip. The seal from 1379 shown here may suggest a less direct connection, however, as the arms of Södermanland feature a full griffin and not only the head.

References

External links

International Civic Heraldry listing
Burgher arms in the Swedish heraldry database (in Swedish)
The Swedish Way by the Swedish Heraldry Society
Skandinavisk Vapenrulla (in Swedish)
Svenskt Vapenregister (in Swedish)
Swedish Patent and Registration Office – bilingual web site

Swedish heraldry

Officers of arms

National heraldry

Regional heraldry

Other municipal arms

Crowns and helmets used in Swedish heraldry

See also

Footnotes

References

Further reading

External links