THE SOCIETY

Seven Heralds is organised in a deliberately informal manner, drawing on the language and traditions of heraldic offices rather than conventional association titles. The organisation is headed by three a King of Arms, supported by two councils: the High Council and the Secret Council.

The current chairman is always SJUHÄRAD King of Arms for Sjuhärad (Jesper Wasling) supportet by two vice chairman, TYGRIKET and KNALLELAND King of Arms (Thomas Falk & Stefan Bede)

The bord, High Council, consists of seven heralds representing different parts of the Sjuhärad region: Joakim Wennberg, Herald of BOLLEBYGD; Greger Lundstedt, Herald of GÄSENE; Lennart Wasling, Herald of KIND; Pontus Rosenqvist, Herald of MARK; Henric Åsklund, Herald of REDVÄG; and Sofia Hagberg, Herald of ÅS. The office of Herald of VEDEN is currently vacant.

The Secret Council (members) includes Björn Fridén, Herald of KINNA; Ed Pazikas, Herald of HERRLJUNGA; and Leif Persson, Herald of SVENLJUNGA. The offices of Herald of SKENE and Herald of TRANEMO are currently vacant.

The titles are more than a formal structure. Each herald is associated with a particular part of Sjuhärad, while the descriptions traditionally attached to the offices reflect the varied interests and contributions of the individuals involved: heraldic research, heraldic art, ceremonies, local history, archives and the creation of new coats of arms.

The group has deliberately retained this informal structure as Seven Heralds has developed from a local heraldic society into a network of people with a common connection to Sjuhärad and an interest in heraldry.

The History

During its first years, Borås Heraldiska Förening was active not only in Borås but in the wider Sjuhärad region. The society arranged lectures and study circles, organised a heraldic exhibition at Borås City Library and Årås Mill in Ulricehamn, and compiled a register of civic coats of arms. Its members also became increasingly active in the Swedish Heraldry Society, SHF.

Between 1995 and 2005, BHF entered a period of formal inactivity. Much of its original membership had moved away to study, but several former BHF members continued to play important roles within SHF. In effect, much of the heraldic activity that might otherwise have taken place through BHF was carried out under the name of the national society instead.

In 2006, BHF was re-established by heraldists from Borås and Gothenburg, with the ambition of creating a stronger local network and broadening its activities. The main project became the electronic publication Sju Härolder, which appeared in six issues between 2006 and 2008. From 2010, the society abandoned formal organisational structures and adopted the name Seven Heralds (Sju Härolder), becoming an informal and increasingly digital association. The principle remained that once a member had joined, they remained a member.

Since then, Seven Heralds has maintained a modest but continuous heraldic presence in the region through lectures, exhibitions, social gatherings, digital publications and social media. It has also collaborated with other heraldic societies, contributed to the development of local and regional heraldry, and taken part in projects such as the Swedish parish heraldry project. In 2015, several of the same people were also involved in founding the Heraldry Society of Gothenburg.

The group continues to operate today. In 2025, Seven Heralds was involved in organising the Nordic heraldic conference in Gothenburg, and in 2026 it renewed its ranks and established a medal of merit for significant contributions to heraldry in Sjuhärad or by people from the region.

Contribution to heraldry in Sweden

Stefan Bede and Jesper Wasling served on the council of the Swedish Heraldry Society in 1993. Henric Oscarsson/Åsklund joined in 1998, Thomas Falk in 2004, and Lennart Wasling in 2008. Per Ladenvall also held an officer position in the society. Björn Fridén joined in 2020, and Eduardo Pazikas became a council member in 2021.

Inspired by the society in Lund, which Henric Åsklund co-founded earlier, Jesper and Stefan co-founded the Heraldry Society of Gothenburg (Göteborgs heraldiska sällskap) in 2015. This means the founders of Seven Heralds also co-founded two of the three other local heraldic societies in Sweden. The fourth, founded in Stockholm and Uppsala in 1992, has no connection to Borås... yet.

Stefan Bede, Jesper Wasling, and Per Ladenvall were assistants at the 19th International Genealogical and Heraldic Congress in Uppsala, Sweden, in 1992.

Jesper Wasling has had five books about heraldry published, as confirmed by Wikipedia. He also runs the largest heraldic blog in Scandinavia, perhaps in the world - www.waslingmedia.se.