Runic insignia of the Schutzstaffel
The runic insignia of the Schutzstaffel (known in German as the SS-Runen) were used from the 1920s to 1945 on Schutzstaffel flags, uniforms and other items as symbols of various aspects of Nazi ideology and Germanic neopaganism. They also represented virtues seen as desirable in SS members. Although they were ostensibly based on the runes of ancient Germanic societies, the SS runes had a more immediate origin in the reactionary völkisch movement of the late 19th century and especially the occult runology of Guido von List, which had a deep influence on Nazi ideology.
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[edit] Runes in German nationalist and Nazi ideology
Runes seem to have originated some time around the first century AD as an alphabetic form of writing used by the Germanic peoples of northern Europe, probably influenced by the Roman alphabet. They were, however, more than just letters and had esoteric overtones as well; the word rúnar in Old Norse has meanings that include "secret knowledge" and "sign used in magic".[1] Some runes were used to symbolise human traits or ideals, and Tacitus records in his book Germania that the ancient Germans used what he called "notae" (marks) for divination.[2]
During the 19th century, interest in runes was revived by the völkisch movement, which promoted interest in Germanic folklore and language in a reaction against the rapid modernisation of the German Empire under Kaiser Wilhelm I. The collapse of Wilhelmine Germany at the end of the First World War led to an upsurge of interest in völkisch ideology, which rejected liberalism, democracy, socialism and industrial capitalism – all traits reflected in the political system of Weimar Germany – as "un-German" and inspired by subversive Jewish influences.[3] By the end of the war there were about seventy-five völkisch groups in Germany, promoting a variety of pseudo-historical, mystical, racial and anti-semitic views. This had a major influence on the embryonic Nazi Party; Hitler wrote in his 1925 book Mein Kampf that "the basic ideas of the National Socialist movement are völkisch and the völkisch ideas are National Socialist."[4]
A crucial development in the connection between runes and Nazi ideology came in 1906–8 with the publication of Das Geheimnis der Runen (The Secret of the Runes), a work by the Viennese mystic Guido von List that established the foundations of his racially based ideological system of "Armanism". List's work led to the adoption of runes by the völkisch movement, which had already adopted the swastika as a symbol of Germanic antiquity, and from there runes became an integral part of German and Austrian far-right symbology.[5] Heinrich Himmler, who led the SS from 1929 to 1945, was one of many leading Nazi figures associated with the Thule Society völkisch group, and his interest in pagan German mysticism led him to adopt various runes, derived from von List's theories, for the SS. Some had already been adopted by members of the SS and its predecessor organisations but Himmler systematised their use throughout the SS. By 1945 the SS used twelve runes with a variety of meanings, in addition to the swastika and the sonnenrad. Until 1939, members of the Allgemeine SS were given training in runic symbolism on joining the organisation.[6]
[edit] Runes used by the SS
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Sig | "Victory" or "Schutzstaffel" | The sig rune (or Siegrune) symbolised victory (sieg). In its original form as the ᛋ-rune of the Younger Futhark, it represented the sun; however, von List reinterpreted it as a victory sign when he compiled his list of "Armanen runes" .[7]
It was adapted into the emblem of the SS in 1933 by Walter Heck, an SS Sturmhauptführer who worked as a graphic designer for Ferdinand Hoffstatter, a producer of emblems and insignia in Bonn.[7] Heck's simple but striking device consisted of two sig runes drawn side by side like lightning bolts, and was soon adopted by all branches of the SS – though Heck himself received only a token payment of 2.5 Reichsmarks for his work.[8] The device had a double meaning; as well as standing for the initials of the SS, it could be read as a rallying cry of "Victory, Victory!".[7] The symbol became so ubiquitous that it was frequently typeset using runes rather than letters; during the Nazi period, an extra key was added to German typewriters to enable them to type the double-sig logo with a single keystroke.[9] In February 2012, it was reported that United States Marine Corps scout snipers had been using the double-sig rune to symbolize their function since at least the 1980s.[10][11] The disclosure led to strong public criticism due to the link with the SS. The Commandant of the Marine Corps gave orders to stop the practice, issued an apology and ordered an investigation into the prevalence of the practice.[11] |
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Eif | Zeal / enthusiasm | The Eif rune is a rotated version of the ᛇ or Eihwaz rune. During the early years of the SS it was used by Hitler's personal adjutants, such as Rudolf Hess.[8] |
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Ger | Communal spirit | The Ger rune was used to symbolise the communitarian ideal of the SS. The 11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division Nordland, a Waffen-SS unit, adopted the rune as a variant of its divisional insignia.[8] |
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Hagall | Faith in Nazism | The Hagall rune was widely used in the SS for its symbolic representation of "unshakeable faith" in Nazi philosophy, as Himmler put it.[12] It was used in SS weddings as well as on the SS-Ehrenring (death's head ring) worn by members of the SS. It is roughly similar to the ᚼ or Haglaz rune of the Younger Futhark, which stood for "hail", but it was modified by von List for his Armanen runes. List considered it to be the "mother rune" of his runic alphabet and envisaged it as a representation of a hexagonal crystal.[13] |
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Leben | Life | The Leben or "life" rune was used by the Lebensborn e. V., the SS body responsible for the Lebensborn programme which supported the "racially, biologically, and hereditarily valuable families" of SS members and other "Aryans".[8] It was derived by von List from the ᛉ or Algiz rune, which he redefined as meaning "man".[14] |
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Odal | Kinship, family and blood unity | The Odal rune symbolised several values of which were of central importance to Nazi ideology. It was adopted from the Elder Futhark ᛟ-rune. During the Second World War it was used by the 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen, as well as the SS-Rasse- und Siedlungshauptamt, which was responsible for maintaining the racial purity of the SS.[15] |
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Opfer | Self-sacrifice | The use of the Opfer rune – which, like the Eif rune, is a rotated version of the ᛇ or Eihwaz rune – preceded the Nazis, as it was first adopted after 1918 by the Stahlhelm war veterans' movement that eventually merged with the Nazi Sturmabteilung (SA). The symbol was adopted by the Nazis after 1923 to commemorate the party members who died in Hitler's failed Beer Hall Putsch.[8] |
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Toten | Death | The Toten rune is an inverted version of the Leben or "life" rune. It was based on the ᛦ or Yr rune, which originally meant "yew".[14] It was used by the SS to represent death on documents and grave markers in place of the more conventional † symbol used for such purposes.[8] |
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Tyr | Leadership in battle | The Tyr rune followed the design of the ᛏ or Tiwaz rune, named after Týr, the god of single combat, victory and heroic glory in Norse mythology. Its association with war meant that the SS thought of it as the "Kampf" or battle rune, symbolising military leadership. The SS commonly used it in place of the Christian cross on the grave markers of its members. It was also used by graduates of the SA Reichsführerschule, which trained SS officers until 1934; they wore it on their upper left arms. It was adopted as an emblem by the 32nd SS Volunteer Grenadier Division 30 Januar, which was assembled from the members of SS schools in January 1945, as well as by the SS Recruitment and Training Department[15] |
[edit] Other esoteric symbols used by the SS
As well as runes, the SS used a number of other esoteric symbols. These included:
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Wolfsangel | Liberty and independence | The Wolfsangel ("wolf hook") originated as a pagan charm said to have the power to repel werewolves. It was later used as a heraldric symbol alluding to a wolf trap, and is still found on the municipal arms of a number of German towns and cities. It was adopted by a fifteenth-century peasants' uprising, thus acquiring an association with liberty and independence. The Nazi Party adopted the symbol during its early years and it was subsequently widely used by the SS, including by units such as the 2nd SS Division Das Reich. A variant of the Wolfsangel was used by the Weer Afdeelingen, the paramilitary wing of the National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands and the 34th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Landstorm Nederland, which was raised from Dutch Nazis.[15] |
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Heilszeichen | Prosperity | The Heilszeichen symbols appeared on the SS "death's head" ring and were used to symbolise good fortune and success.[15] |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Spurkland, Terje; van der Hoek, Betsy (2005). Norwegian Runes and Runic Inscriptions. Boydell Press. pp. 3–4. ISBN 9781843831860.
- ^ Mees, Bernard (2006). "Runes in the First Century". Runes and their secrets: studies in runology. Museum Tusculanum Press. p. 211. ISBN 9788763504287.
- ^ Levy, Richard S. (2005). Antisemitism: a historical encyclopedia of prejudice and persecution, Volume 1. ABC-CLIO. p. 743. ISBN 9781851094394.
- ^ Benz, Wolfgang; Dunlap, Thomas (2006). A Concise History of the Third Reich. University of California Press. p. ix. ISBN 9780520234895.
- ^ Mees, Bernard Thomas (2008). The Science of the Swastika. Central European University Press. pp. 60–2. ISBN 9789639776180.
- ^ Lumsden, Robin (1993). The Allgemeine-SS. Osprey Publishing. p. 17. ISBN 9781855323582.
- ^ a b c Yenne, Bill (2010). Hitler's Master of the Dark Arts: Himmler's Black Knights and the Occult Origins of the SS. Zenith Imprint. p. 68. ISBN 9780760337783.
- ^ a b c d e f Lumsden, p. 18
- ^ Yenne, p. 71
- ^ Lamothe, Dan (9 February 2012). "Marine scout snipers used Nazi SS logo". Marine Corps Times. http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2012/02/marine-scout-snipers-nazi-ss-logo-020912. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
- ^ a b Lamothe, Dan (10 February 2012). "Amos sorry for Marine use of Nazi SS logo". Marine Corps Times. http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2012/02/marine-amos-apologizes-for-scout-sniper-nazi-ss-logo-021012/. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
- ^ Lumsden, p. 15
- ^ Yenne, p. 26
- ^ a b Yenne, p. 27
- ^ a b c d Lumsden, p. 19
