Nazi symbolism

Last updated

National Socialist swastika.svg
The swastika was the first symbol of Nazism and remains strongly associated with it in the Western world.

The 20th-century German Nazi Party made extensive use of graphic symbols, especially the swastika, notably in the form of the swastika flag, which became the co-national flag of Nazi Germany in 1933, and the sole national flag in 1935. A very similar flag had represented the Party beginning in 1920.

Contents

Nazi symbols and additional symbols have subsequently been used by neo-Nazis.

Swastika

The Nazis' principal symbol was the swastika, which the newly established Nazi Party formally adopted in 1920. [1] The formal symbol of the party was the Parteiadler , an eagle atop a swastika.

The black-white-red motif is based on the colours of the flags of the German Empire. This colour scheme was commonly associated with anti-Weimar German nationalists, following the fall of the German Empire. [2] The Nazis denounced the black-red-gold flag of the Weimar Republic (the current flag of Germany). [2]

Today, certain countries such as Germany (see Strafgesetzbuch section 86a), Austria, France, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, China and Israel have banned Nazi symbols and it is considered a criminal offence if they are displayed publicly for non-educational purposes. On August 9, 2018, Germany lifted the ban on the usage of swastikas and other Nazi symbols in video games. "Through the change in the interpretation of the law, games that critically look at current affairs can for the first time be given a USK age rating", USK managing director Elisabeth Secker told CTV. "This has long been the case for films and with regards to the freedom of the arts, this is now rightly also the case with computer and videogames." [3] [4]

Heraldry

Nazi era coat of arms of Thuringia with the lion holding a swastika. The swastika was removed in 1945. Coat of Arms of Thuringia 1933.svg
Nazi era coat of arms of Thuringia with the lion holding a swastika. The swastika was removed in 1945.
DEU Coburg COA.svg
Wappen-Coburg-NS-Zeit (neu).svg
The ancient arms of Coburg (left) featured the head of Saint Maurice, a symbol looked down upon by the Nazi party. In 1934, it was replaced by a coat of arms featuring a sword with a swastika on the pommel (right). The original coat of arms was restored in 1945.

Under the Nazi regime, government bodies were encouraged to remove religious symbolism from their heraldry. Few German councils actually changed their often ancient symbols. Some, however, did, including Coburg, which replaced the Moor's head representing Saint Maurice on their arms with a sword and swastika, and Thuringia, which added a swastika to the paws of their lion. [5]

Other symbols and insignia

Letters of the Armanen runes invented by Guido von List were used by the SS, particularly the Doppel Siegrune , based on the historical sowilo rune reinterpreted by List to signify 'victory' instead of the sun. Other Armanen runes used by the Nazis and subsequently by neo-Nazis include forms derived from Eihwaz, Tiwaz, Algiz [6] and Othala. [7]

Skull ring awarded to SS members - replica Totenkopfring.jpg
Skull ring awarded to SS members - replica

The death's head appears on the SS-Ehrenring presented by Heinrich Himmler to favored members of the SS, and was used as an insignia by the Death's Head Units of the SS that administered the concentration camps. [8]

Units of the Wehrmacht used insignia including the Wolfsangel [9]

The Ahnenerbe research unit of the SS also used Wilhelm Teudt's neo-heathen Irminsul symbol. [10]

Strasserism, a strand of Nazism with a Third Positionist ideology, used a crossed hammer and sword as its emblem.

Usages by neo-Nazi groups

Many symbols used by the Nazis have further been appropriated by neo-Nazi groups, including a number of runes; the so-called Black Sun, derived from a mosaic floor in Himmler's remodel of Wewelsburg; and the Celtic cross, originally a symbol used to represent pre-Christian and Christian European groups such as the Irish.[ citation needed ]

Neo-Nazis also employ various number symbols:

In 1997, Wolfgang Fröhlich, a Holocaust denier [16] and former district council member for the Freedom Party of Austria, alleged that Adolf Hitler's favorite food was egg dumplings ( Eiernockerl ). [17] Some restaurants in Austria started advertising the dish as a "daily special" for the 20th of April, which is Hitler's date of birth, [17] and although the allegation about the dish has never been historically confirmed, some neofascists began eating it as a symbolic food to celebrate Hitler's birthday. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swastika</span> Transcultural religious symbol

The swastika is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures. In the West it is widely recognized for having been appropriated by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. It continues to be used as a symbol of divinity and spirituality in Indian religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. It generally takes the form of a cross, the arms of which are of equal length and perpendicular to the adjacent arms, each bent midway at a right angle.

Othala, also known as ēðel and odal, is a rune that represents the o and œ phonemes in the Elder Futhark and the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc writing systems respectively. Its name is derived from the reconstructed Proto-Germanic *ōþala- "heritage; inheritance, inherited estate". As it does not occur in Younger Futhark, it disappears from the Scandinavian record around the 8th century, however its usage continued in England into the 11th century.

Strafgesetzbuch, abbreviated to StGB, is the German penal code.

Volksfront, also known as Volksfront International, was an American white separatist organization founded on October 20, 1994, in Portland, Oregon. According to Volksfront's now defunct website, the group described itself as an "international fraternal organization for persons of European descent." The logo of Volksfront was the Algiz rune, a common rune used as a neo-Nazi symbol common among other organizations such as National Alliance. Volksfront had approximately 50 members in the United States split between four chapters designated as Pac-West, Central States, North East, and Gulf-Atlantic, and an additional 50 members dispersed in other countries including Germany, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Spain. The goal of the movement was to create an all-White homeland in the Pacific Northwest. The flag of Volksfront was based on the Nazi flag in the colors of black, white, and red with the Volksfront logo and the slogan was "Race Over All" implying that race mattered over everything else. In August 2012, the United States branch of Volksfront announced their dissolution via their website. Citing harassment and investigations by the authorities, the group said it was disbanding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Nazi Germany</span> Historical Flag

The flag of Nazi Germany, officially the flag of the German Reich, featured a red background with a black swastika on a white disc. This flag came into use initially as the banner of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) after its foundation. Following the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor in 1933, this flag was adopted as one of the nation's dual national flags, the other being the black-white-red triband of the German Empire.

Fascist symbolism is the use of certain images and symbols which are designed to represent aspects of fascism. These include national symbols of historical importance, goals, and political policies. The best-known are the fasces, which was the original symbol of fascism, and the swastika of Nazism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thor Steinar</span> German clothing brand

Thor Steinar is a German clothing brand manufactured by Thor Steinar Mediatex GmbH, a subsidiary of International Brands General Trading, a Dubai-based company.

Wolfsangel or Crampon is a heraldic charge in countries like Germany, the Netherlands and eastern France, which was inspired by medieval European wolf traps that consisted of a Z-shaped metal hook that was hung by a chain from a crescent-shaped metal bar. The stylized symbol of the Z-shape can include a central horizontal bar to give a Ƶ-symbol, which can be reversed and/or rotated; it is sometimes mistaken as being an ancient rune due to its similarity to the "gibor rune" of the pseudo Armanen runes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armanen runes</span> Set of modern runic letters created by Guido von List

Armanen runes are 18 pseudo-runes, inspired by the historic Younger Futhark runes, invented by Austrian mysticist and Germanic revivalist Guido von List during a state of temporary blindness in 1902, and described in his Das Geheimnis der Runen, published as a periodical article in 1906, and as a standalone publication in 1908. The name seeks to associate the runes with the postulated Armanen, whom von List saw as ancient Aryan priest-kings. The Armanen runes continue in use today in esotericism and in Germanic neopaganism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariosophy</span> Ideological systems of an esoteric nature, pioneered by Guido von List and Jörg Lanz von Liebenfels

Armanism and Ariosophy are esoteric ideological systems that were largely developed by Guido von List and Jörg Lanz von Liebenfels, respectively, in Austria between 1890 and 1930. The term 'Ariosophy', which translates to wisdom of the Aryans, was invented by Lanz von Liebenfels in 1915, and during the 1920s, it became the name of his doctrine. For research on the topic, such as Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke's book The Occult Roots of Nazism, the term 'Ariosophy' is generically used to describe the Aryan/esoteric theories which constituted a subset of the 'Völkische Bewegung'. This broader use of the word is retrospective and it was not generally current among the esotericists themselves. List actually called his doctrine 'Armanism', while Lanz used the terms 'Theozoology' and 'Ario-Christianity' before the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Sun (symbol)</span> Neo-Nazi and satanism symbol

The Black Sun is a type of sun wheel symbol originating in Nazi Germany and later employed by neo-Nazis and other far-right individuals and groups. The symbol's design consists of twelve radial sig runes, similar to the symbols employed by the SS in their logo. It first appeared in Nazi Germany as a design element in a castle at Wewelsburg remodeled and expanded by the head of the SS, Heinrich Himmler, which he intended to be a center for the SS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nazi memorabilia</span> Items originated from Nazi Germany

Nazi memorabilia are items produced during the height of Nazism in Germany, particularly the years between 1933 and 1945. Nazi memorabilia includes a variety of objects from the material culture of Nazi Germany, especially those featuring swastikas and other Nazi symbolism and imagery or connected to Nazi propaganda. Examples are military and paramilitary uniforms, insignia, coins and banknotes, medals, flags, daggers, guns, posters, contemporary photos, books, publications, and ephemera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nazi chic</span> Dress or play as Nazis for publicity

Nazi chic is the use of style, imagery, and paraphernalia in clothing and popular culture related to Nazi-era Germany, especially when used for taboo-breaking or shock value rather than out of genuine support of Nazism or Nazi ideology.

The t-rune is named after Týr, and was identified with this god. The reconstructed Proto-Germanic name is *Tîwaz or *Teiwaz. Tiwaz rune was an ideographic symbol for a spear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Z with stroke</span> Letter of the Latin alphabet

Ƶ is a letter of the Latin alphabet, derived from Z with the addition of a stroke through the centre.

The German Strafgesetzbuch in section § 86a outlaws "use of symbols of unconstitutional organizations" outside the contexts of "art or science, research or teaching". The law does not name the individual symbols to be outlawed, and there is no official exhaustive list. However, the law has primarily been used to outlaw fascist, Nazi, communist, Islamic extremist and Russian militarist symbols. The law was adopted during the Cold War and notably affected the Communist Party of Germany, which was banned as unconstitutional in 1956, the Socialist Reich Party and several small far-right parties.

The use of flags, emblems and anthems of Nazi Germany (1933–1945) is currently subject to legal restrictions in a number of countries, such as Austria, Brazil, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and other countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curtis Allgier</span> American murderer and white supremacist

Curtis Michael Allgier is an American white supremacist skinhead who is being held in the Utah State Prison in Draper, Utah, for the murder of corrections officer Stephen Anderson.

The esoteric insignia of the Schutzstaffel were used from the 1920s to 1945 on Schutzstaffel (SS) flags, uniforms and other items as symbols of various aspects of Nazi ideology and Germanic mysticism. They also represented virtues seen as desirable in SS members, and were based on völkisch mystic Guido von List's pseudo-runic Armanen runes, which he loosely based on the historical runic alphabets. Some of these insignias continue to be used by neo-nazi individuals and groups.

References

  1. "History of the Swastika". United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Archived from the original on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  2. 1 2 Hilmar Hoffmann, John Broadwin, Volker R. Berghahn. The Triumph of Propaganda: Film and National Socialism, 1933–1945. Berghahn Books, 1997. Pp. 16.
  3. Staff (9 August 2018). "Germany lifts ban on Nazi symbols in video games". The Telegraph . Archived from the original on 9 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  4. Chalk, Andy (9 August 2018). "Germany Lifts Ban on Swastikas in Videogames". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 9 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  5. Slater, Stephen (2003). The Complete Book of Heraldry: An International History Of Heraldry And Its Contemporary Uses. London: Anness Publishing. p. 212. ISBN   0754810623.
  6. "Hate Symbols: Life Rune - From A Visual Database of Extremist Symbols, Logos and Tattoos". Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Hate Symbols: Othala Rune - From A Visual Database of Extremist Symbols, Logos and Tattoos". Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  8. "Hate Symbols: Neo-Nazi Skull and Crossbones". Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
  9. "Wolfsangel". Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on 2008-12-17. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
  10. Wichert, Lasse (2018). Personale Mythen des Nationalsozialismus: Die Gestaltung des Einzelnen in literarischen Entwürfen. Genozid und Gedächtnis (in German). Wilhelm Fink. p. 154. ISBN   978-3-7705-6342-5.
  11. "Hate Number Symbols: 18". Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  12. "Hate Number Symbols: 88". Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  13. "Hate Number Symbols: 14 (words)". Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  14. "Hate Number Symbols: 14/88". Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  15. Willingham, A.J. (22 February 2017). "These are the new symbols of hate". CNN. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  16. Vessely, Rebecca (12 November 1996). "Germany restricts internet content". Wired . Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  17. 1 2 "Some Austrians celebrated 4/20 by eating Hitler's favorite dish". The Jerusalem Post . 21 April 2016. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  18. Herbst, Hanna (20 April 2016). "Hitler-Verehrer servieren zur Feier des Tages Eiernockerl mit Salat" [Hitler's admirers serve Eiernockerl with salad to celebrate the day]. Vice (in German). Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  19. "Hate Symbols: Neo-Nazi Skull and Crossbones". Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  20. "Wolfsangel". Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  21. Kovaleski, Serge; Turkewitz, Julie; Goldstein, Joseph; Barry, Dan (10 December 2016). "An Alt-Right Makeover Shrouds the Swastikas". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  22. "Hate Symbols: Celtic Cross". Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2015.