Coat of arms of Öland

The coat of arms originally granted for the island province of Öland in 1560 displayed a golden red deer on a blue field and generally resembled Öland's present arms but lacked the deer's red collar and red attire. In 1569, the island province of Åland had been given to the queen dowager Katarina Stenbock as a fief and was awarded a coat of arms displaying two roe deer on a field strewn with nine roses. The arms of these two similar-sounding provinces became confused early on, and in the 1880s Öland's arms were recorded as two roe deer with nine roses.[2]

During a heraldic revision in 1944, the office of the Swedish Herald of the Realm (Riksheraldikerämbetet) discovered that a mistake had been committed. It was then decided the Öland deer should have a collar, something which had sometimes occurred before and had been considered for Djurgården. So in 1944 the arms of Öland were reverted to the single golden red deer, which at this time was granted the distinction of a collar, marking it as the royal game.[2]

Heraldic authorities in Finland had long since granted the Åland Islands (which Sweden had ceded to Russia in 1809 along with the rest of Finland) arms bearing a single golden red deer on a blue field. In 1944 they were notified of the error but ultimately decided not make any changes and not to adopt the coat of arms originally intended for Åland with the roe deer and the nine Finnish roses. This decision made it necessary for Swedish heralds to once again alter the coat of arms for Öland, to avoid further confusion. This change included the introduction of a red collar and red antlers and hooves.

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  Arms granted to Öland in 1560 and used there prior to the 1569 transfer of Åland, subsequently used there until present day
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  Arms designed for Åland in the 16th century but instead used by Öland (officially 1880s–1944, but also used earlier)
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  Arms granted to Öland in 1944, with the red collar added and the attire changed to red to distinguish it from Åland

Official blazon (in Swedish): "I blått fält en gående hjort av guld med rött halsband och röd beväring, därest sådan skall komma till användning."[1] (In a blue field a walking deer of gold with red collar and red arms, when such shall come to use.)

The arms are displayed with a ducal coronet. The province was originally ranked as an earldom but following a decision by the Privy Council on January 18, 1884 gave all Provinces the right of use to a ducal coronet for their arms.

• Swedish heraldry