Coat of arms of the Faroe Islands

Coat of arms of the Faroese autonomous government.

The coat of arms of the state government of the Faroe Islands shown here has been in use since 2004 . It shows a blue shield with a ram (veðrur) on it.

The ram is the heraldic animal of the Faroe Islands , as the name was probably originally called the Sheep Islands . At least the sheep dominate the country as domestic animals. The current coat of arms goes back to a ram coat of arms on the church stalls in Kirkjubøur from the 15th century .

The Løgting also had a seal with the ram as a heraldic animal. This coat of arms was abolished with the dissolution of the Løgting in 1816 . Even after its re-establishment in 1852, and even during the extensive sovereignty during the British occupation of the Faroe Islands in World War II , it was not used again.

The old coat of arms (1950–2004).

It was not until the Autonomy Act of 1948 that the office of Løgmaður was re-established. In 1950 he chose the ram as his coat of arms. The blue coat of arms shown here has existed since 2004, based on the historical model, as it has represented the Faroe Islands in the large coat of arms of the Danish king since 1819 . The blue of the shield corresponds to the blue of the Merkið , the national flag.

The coat of arms is used by the head of government, the government and the embassies abroad. However, some government agencies still use the old coat of arms.

Blazon

Blazon : On a blue background, a silver, red-tongued ram in a defensive position with golden hooves and horns.