Jämtland

JÄMTLAND

Province (Landskap): Blekinge

Official blazon

I blått fält en gående älg av silver med en lyftande falk på ryggen och i posten åtföljd av en vänstervänd upprest hund, båda av guld.

Origin/meaning

Jamtland became a part of Sweden at the Peace of Brömsebro 1645 (the are was part of Norway before), and the arms were created for the procession at the Karl X Gustavs funeral 1660.

The old medieval seal of Jämtland showed the Norwegian lion, which was not considered an appropriate symbol. A later seal, created by order of the Danish King Christian IV in Copenhagen 1635, showed three animals. The animal group was difficult to interpret, but most likely it is a moose being attacked by an eagle and a wolf .

In 1935 it was decided that it showed a hunting scene - a moose attacked by trained dogs and falcons. To avoid misunderstandings, the dog was fitted with a collar, and the falcon with a bell on its leg.

Besides being explained as a hunting scene, it may also be allegorical : the moose being Jämtland being attacked by a dog (Denmark-Norway) and falcon/eagle (Sweden).

The seal from 1274	The arms embroidered on funeral banners to Karl X Gustavs funeral November 4, 1660.
The arms as shown by Liljeblad, 1878

Literature: Nevéus and de Waern, 1992

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