Anyone who sees the coat of arms of Stockholm for the first time will be very surprised, because, on the one hand, the authors of the main heraldic symbol have departed from the traditions and rules of science. On the other hand, in this official symbol of the Stockholm municipality, the very ancient history of both the Swedish state and the capital is instantly read.
Moreover, it is important that the symbol has been used by Stockholm for almost seven hundred years; it was officially approved in 1358. Its modern appearance is more than a hundred years old.
From castles to man
The first city seals of Stockholm, a kind of coats of arms of the city, had a slightly different look, their photos can be found on the Internet or in books on the history of Norway. They, like many other seals of European cities, depicted a fortress.
For example, in 1296, a schematic representation of a castle and wavy lines appeared, symbolizing the geographical position of the city - on the coast. In 1326, the seal depicted a fortress with four towers rather realistically. And on the seal of 1376 you can already see the image of Saint Erich IX in a precious crown.
Minimalism of colors and depth of symbol
For the coat of arms of Stockholm, only three colors are now used - azure, gold, black. The shape of the shield has changed somewhat during this time, back in 1917 it had a rounded bottom, now it is pointed.
A hundred years ago, the Swedish king was depicted up to the middle of the chest, so you could see not only the headdress, but also part of the royal attire, including a shirt decorated with precious stones on the collar, and a royal robe trimmed with ermine fur. Today, the main heraldic symbol of the Swedish capital has an image of the crowned head of St. Eric, who ruled the country for only four years (from 1156 to 1160).
The most interesting thing is that there are practically no historical facts about him. But there are a huge number of myths associated with his name. In the Roman martyrology, the day of memory of St. Eric is considered May 18. The shrine with the relics of King Eric is today in Uppsala, in the Cathedral, where many pilgrims come. Scientists believe that the Trinity Church located in the same city, which dates back to the beginning of the XIII century, stands on the site of an older one, where the legendary Swedish king ended his earthly journey.
