Coat of Arms of Finland - Definition and Overview

The Coat of Arms of Finland were granted at the burial of Gustav Vasa in 1560 and still remain the arms of the Republic of Finland. The arms were also used as the official symbol of the Grand Duchy of Finland.

The blazon as described in the act on the arms of Finland (381/78) may be translated as follows:

"Gules, among nine roses argent, a lion rampant crowned Or, having for its dexter forepaw a human arm armoured, brandishing a sword and in base a falchion fesswise reversed, both of the second hilted of the third."

It has been assumed that the lion comes from the House of Folkung, which is also present in the Coat of Arms of Sweden. The two kinds of swords are similar to the ones in the Coat of Arms of Karelia. The curved Russian sabre placed under the feet of the lion reflects the political situation during the period. At that time, Sweden and Russia had been under constant war. The nine roses are often assumed to represent the nine historical provinces of Finland, but the number of roses has varied during history and is unrelated to the provinces.

The coat of arms appears in the Finnish state flag. It is similar to the coat of arms of Boromir

External links

• Virtual Finland - Finnish Coat of Arms (http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/english/vaakeng.html)
• The Presidential insignia and coat of arms (http://www.tpk.fi/eng/institution/ensign.html)