Gotland (Sweden)

Last modified: 1997-09-03 by filip van laenen
Keywords: gotland | sweden | cross | scandinavian cross | oland | ram | lamb | visby |
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(1) Jan Oskar Engene, 1996-MAR-12

(2) Jan Oskar Engene, 1996-MAY-27

(3) Jan Oskar Engene, 1996-MAY-27

(4) Jan Oskar Engene, 1996-MAY-27

• Description and meaning of the flag (1)
• Description of the flag for Gotland as a landskap and län (2)
• Description of the flag for Gotland as a municipality (3)
• Description of the flag for Gotland as a commune (4)
• Some history of the lamb
• Sources

See also:

• Sweden
• Öland
• http://www.luma.com/gotland/
• Flag for Visby?

Gotland is an island belonging to Sweden. The flag (made in 1991) is inspired by that of the neighbouring island Öland. The colours have been reversed, so the flag of Gotland is yellow with a green cross. Yellow is for the beaches and green for vegetation. Proportions are 10:16 (4-2-4 : 5-2-9).

Jan Oskar Engene, 1996-MAR-12

The flag of Gotland as a historical province (landskap) and as a contemporary county (län) has a blue field with a white ram armed yellow. The ram is holding a yellow cross staff with a red flag bordered in yellow and with five yellow tails. Though the motive is quite old, the present flag was adopted in 1936.

Jan Oskar Engene, 1996-MAY-27

The flag of the municipality of Gotland (formed in 1971 by the unification of all the municipalities in the island) has a red field instead of blue. Otherwise, it is identical to the flag of the province/county. The flag of the municipality (kommun) was adopted in 1987.

Jan Oskar Engene, 1996-MAY-27

Actually, the flag is mentioned (in one sentence) in Per Andersson's Nordiska korsflaggor (Mjölby, 1992), but I only noticed that now.

The flag is indeed red with a white emblem, a seal to be exact. The seal is the one used by the community of Gotland when the island was a peasant 'republic' loosely attached to the Swedish crown. It is known from 1280, but may be older. The seal depicts a ram with a banner, surrounded by the text GUTENSES SIGNO XPISTVS SIGNATVR IN AGNO. This would read something like "I represent the Gotlanders, Christ is represented by a lamb" in English. As we can see from the text, the motive alludes to the Agnus Dei, although the animal is clearly a ram, not a lamb, and the banner is not a cross banner of victory. The seal stamp is preserved in the original. It was discovered in the 1740s at a farm in Gotland, where it was used to decorate Christmas cookies.

On the contemporary flag the ram, banner, text and borders of the seal are in white on a red background. According to Andersson, the flag was created in 1984. I do not know who made it or by whom it is used. Note that the flag is based on the same design idea the flag of Jamtland: placing a mediaeval seal on a flag.

Jan Oskar Engene, 1996-MAY-27

Like most provincial arms and flags in Sweden, the one of Gotland goes back to the funeral of Gustavus Wasa in December 1560. At the time, Gotland was occupied by the Danish, a fact the Swedes had a hard time accepting. Thus arms were created for the island, signalling Sweden's claim to it. These arms were on red, a silver ram carrying a blue and yellow cross flag - the flag of Sweden. In 1570 Sweden ceded the island to Denmark, and the arms were no longer used. However, Sweden regained the island in 1658. At this time the island's arms were on blue an Agnus Dei carrying a silver banner with a red cross. It is possible that the old seal of Gotland (with the ram) was mixed up with the seal of the city of Visby. Visby's seal originally had an Agnus Dei combined with a tree of lilies (known from the 1340s). As a Hansa city, Visby had a German as well as a Gotlandic population. In the 1340s the two communities were united. This was reflected in the seal: The lamb represented the Gotlanders, while the tree of lilies represented the Germans. Later, the tree of lilies disappeared, leaving only the lamb and banner. In 1945, Visby officially got arms with an Agnus Dei in red.

Per Andersson: Nordiska korsflaggor, Mjolby, 1992

Clara Neveus: Ny svensk våpenbok, Stockholm, 1992

Knut Pipping and Leif Tengstrom: "Huset Vasa, Jagellonerna och Ivan IV Vasilievitj: Nagra hypoteser om de svenska landskapsvåpnens uppkomst", Heraldisk tidsskrift, Vol. 5, No. 49-50, 1984, pp. 107-138

Jan Oskar Engene, 1996-MAY-27