Jump to content

Black Sun (symbol): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Undid revision 1088400555 by 117.99.104.99 (talk) Fully on topic and fully sourced
Tags: Undo Reverted
Undid revision 1088400895 by Bloodofox (talk) nothing to do with the topic per discussion
Tags: Undo Reverted
Line 29: Line 29:
{{quote|The Black Sun motif is even less ambiguous. Though based on medieval German symbols, the Wewelsburg mosaic is a unique design commissioned specifically for Himmler, and its primary contemporary association is [[Nazi occultism]], for which Nazi Satanic groups and [[Esoteric Nazism|esoteric neo-Nazis]] adopt it.{{sfnp|Mathews|2009|p=153}}}}
{{quote|The Black Sun motif is even less ambiguous. Though based on medieval German symbols, the Wewelsburg mosaic is a unique design commissioned specifically for Himmler, and its primary contemporary association is [[Nazi occultism]], for which Nazi Satanic groups and [[Esoteric Nazism|esoteric neo-Nazis]] adopt it.{{sfnp|Mathews|2009|p=153}}}}


The Ukrainian [[Azov Battalion]], founded in 2014, has used the symbol as part of its logo.<ref>[https://euromaidanpress.com/2019/11/04/is-the-azov-battalion-a-terrorist-organization-as-40-us-house-democrats-claim/ Is the Azov Battalion a terrorist organization as 40 US House Democrats claim?] Quote: "The Azov Battalion included the Black Sun in its emblem in 2014-2015, however, removed it later."</ref><ref name="Franceinfo 2022">{{cite web | title=Guerre en Ukraine : quatre questions sur le régiment Azov, ce bataillon ukrainien accusé de compter des néonazis dans ses rangs | website=Franceinfo | date=2022-03-15 | url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/monde/europe/manifestations-en-ukraine/guerre-en-ukraine-quatre-questions-sur-le-regiment-azov-ce-bataillon-ukrainien-accuse-de-compter-des-neonazis-dans-ses-rangs_5004578.html | language=fr | access-date=2022-05-16|quote=These are old emblems of the paramilitary group, still used by some soldiers, says [INALCO researcher] Adrien Nonjon }}</ref> During the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]], [[NATO]] [[Twitter|tweeted]] a photo of a female Ukrainian soldier for [[International Women's Day]]. The soldier wore a symbol on her uniform that "appears to be the black sun symbol". After receiving complaints from social media users, NATO removed the tweet and stated "The post was removed when we realised it contained a symbol that we could not verify as official," choosing to feign ignorance and hope the public forgets about the Tweet. The Ukrainian [[Azov Battalion]] has used the symbol as part of its logo. The Azov Battalion in particular has since become a point of [[propaganda]] for the Russian government and Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]] during Russia's invasion of Ukraine, who have sought to frame the invasion as "denazification". Ukraine's president [[Volodymyr Zelenskyy]], who is Jewish, has responded by stating that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was comparable to those of [[Nazi Germany]] and that Putin exhibits "pure Nazi behavior".{{sfnp|O'Conner|2022}}
The Ukrainian [[Azov Battalion]], founded in 2014, has used the symbol as part of its logo.<ref>[https://euromaidanpress.com/2019/11/04/is-the-azov-battalion-a-terrorist-organization-as-40-us-house-democrats-claim/ Is the Azov Battalion a terrorist organization as 40 US House Democrats claim?] Quote: "The Azov Battalion included the Black Sun in its emblem in 2014-2015, however, removed it later."</ref><ref name="Franceinfo 2022">{{cite web | title=Guerre en Ukraine : quatre questions sur le régiment Azov, ce bataillon ukrainien accusé de compter des néonazis dans ses rangs | website=Franceinfo | date=2022-03-15 | url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/monde/europe/manifestations-en-ukraine/guerre-en-ukraine-quatre-questions-sur-le-regiment-azov-ce-bataillon-ukrainien-accuse-de-compter-des-neonazis-dans-ses-rangs_5004578.html | language=fr | access-date=2022-05-16|quote=These are old emblems of the paramilitary group, still used by some soldiers, says [INALCO researcher] Adrien Nonjon }}</ref> During the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]], [[NATO]] [[Twitter|tweeted]] a photo of a female Ukrainian soldier for [[International Women's Day]]. The soldier wore a symbol on her uniform that "appears to be the black sun symbol". After receiving complaints from social media users, NATO removed the tweet and stated "The post was removed when we realised it contained a symbol that we could not verify as official," choosing to feign ignorance and hope the public forgets about the Tweet. The Ukrainian [[Azov Battalion]] has used the symbol as part of its logo..{{sfnp|O'Conner|2022}}


In may 2022, [[2022 Buffalo shooting|a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York occurred]]. The shooter, a white supremacist, wore the Black Sun symbol on his body armor and placed it on the front of his digital manifesto. Because the Azov Battalion also uses the symbol (the symbol is popular in white nationalist circles), pro-Kremlin Telegram channels and influencers subsequently spread misinformation linking the shooter with the Azov Batallion and the Ukrainian nation more broadly. However, the shooter makes no reference to the Azov Batallion in his manifesto, and Ukraine receives only a single mention in a section plagiarized from an earlier mass shooter's manifesto that predates the Russian invasion of Ukraine.{{sfnp|Lamoureux|2022}}
In may 2022, [[2022 Buffalo shooting|a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York occurred]]. The shooter, a white supremacist, wore the Black Sun symbol on his body armor and placed it on the front of his digital manifesto. Because the Azov Battalion also uses the symbol (the symbol is popular in white nationalist circles), pro-Kremlin Telegram channels and influencers subsequently spread misinformation linking the shooter with the Azov Batallion and the Ukrainian nation more broadly. However, the shooter makes no reference to the Azov Batallion in his manifesto, and Ukraine receives only a single mention in a section plagiarized from an earlier mass shooter's manifesto that predates the Russian invasion of Ukraine.{{sfnp|Lamoureux|2022}}
Line 41: Line 41:
* [[List of occult symbols]]
* [[List of occult symbols]]
* [[Nazi symbolism]]
* [[Nazi symbolism]]
* [[Rashism]]
* [[Sun cross]]
* [[Sun cross]]
* [[Thule-Seminar]]
* [[Thule-Seminar]]

Revision as of 20:09, 17 May 2022

This article is about the neo-Nazi symbol. For the alchemical symbol, see Sol niger.

The Black Sun symbol

The Black Sun (German: Schwarze Sonne) is a Nazi symbol, a type of sun wheel (German: Sonnenrad)[1][2] employed in Nazi Germany and later by neo-Nazis. The symbol's design consists of twelve radial sig runes, similar to the symbols employed by the SS in their logo.[note 1] 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.

Whether the design had a name or held any particular significance among the SS remains unknown. Its association with the occult originates with a 1991 German novel, Die Schwarze Sonne von Tashi Lhunpo ("The Black Sun of Tashi Lhunpo"), by the pseudonymous author Russell McCloud. The book links the Wewelsburg mosaic with the neo-Nazi concept of the "Black Sun", invented by former SS officer Wilhelm Landig as a substitute for the Nazi swastika.[3][4]

Wewelsburg mosaic

View of the mosaic's placement in Wewelsburg

In 1933, Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, acquired Wewelsburg, a castle near Paderborn, Germany. Himmler intended to make the structure into a center for the SS, and between 1936 and 1942, Himmler ordered the building expanded and rebuilt for ceremonial purposes.[5] As a product of Himmler's remodeling, twelve dark-green radially overlaid sig runes, such as those employed in the logo of the SS, appear on the white marble floor of the structure's north tower, the Obergruppenführersaal, or "General's Hall".[note 1]

The intended significance of the image remains unknown. Some scholars have suggested that the artist may have found inspiration from motifs found on decorative Merovingian disks (Zierscheiben).[note 2]

Neo-Nazism

A leather belt with the black sun symbol as belt buckle. The item is from the 2010s.

The Black Sun symbol is widely used by neo-fascist, neo-Nazi,[6] the far-right and white nationalists. The symbol often appears on extremist flags, t-shirts, posters, websites and in extremist publications associated with such groups. Modern far-right groups often refer to the symbol as the sun wheel or Sonnenrad.[5][7][8]

The name "Black Sun" came into wider use after the publication of a 1991 occult thriller novel, Die Schwarze Sonne von Tashi Lhunpo (The Black Sun of Tashi Lhunpo), by the pseudonymous author Russell McCloud. The book links the Wewelsburg mosaic with the neo-Nazi concept of the "Black Sun", invented by former SS officer Wilhelm Landig as a substitute for the Nazi swastika and a symbol for a mystic energy source that was supposed to renew the Aryan race.[3][4][9]

A number of far-right groups and individuals have utilised the symbol in their propaganda, including the Christchurch mosque shooter Brenton Tarrant and Australian neo-Nazi group Antipodean Resistance, and the symbol was displayed by members of several extremist groups involved in the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.[10]

Along with other symbols from the Nazi era such as the Wolfsangel, the Sig Armanen rune, and the Totenkopf, the black sun is employed by some neo-Nazi adherents of Satanism.[11] Scholar Chris Mathews writes:

The Black Sun motif is even less ambiguous. Though based on medieval German symbols, the Wewelsburg mosaic is a unique design commissioned specifically for Himmler, and its primary contemporary association is Nazi occultism, for which Nazi Satanic groups and esoteric neo-Nazis adopt it.[11]

The Ukrainian Azov Battalion, founded in 2014, has used the symbol as part of its logo.[12][13] During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, NATO tweeted a photo of a female Ukrainian soldier for International Women's Day. The soldier wore a symbol on her uniform that "appears to be the black sun symbol". After receiving complaints from social media users, NATO removed the tweet and stated "The post was removed when we realised it contained a symbol that we could not verify as official," choosing to feign ignorance and hope the public forgets about the Tweet. The Ukrainian Azov Battalion has used the symbol as part of its logo..[14]

In may 2022, a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York occurred. The shooter, a white supremacist, wore the Black Sun symbol on his body armor and placed it on the front of his digital manifesto. Because the Azov Battalion also uses the symbol (the symbol is popular in white nationalist circles), pro-Kremlin Telegram channels and influencers subsequently spread misinformation linking the shooter with the Azov Batallion and the Ukrainian nation more broadly. However, the shooter makes no reference to the Azov Batallion in his manifesto, and Ukraine receives only a single mention in a section plagiarized from an earlier mass shooter's manifesto that predates the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[15]

See also

References

Informational notes

  1. ^ a b Scholar Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke describes this "unique SS sun wheel design" as "a black disk surrounded by twelve radial sig-runes".[3]
  2. ^ According to Goodrick-Clarke, "[i]t has been suggested that this twelve-spoke sun wheel derives from decorative disks from the Merovingians of the early medieval period and are supposed to represent the visible sun or its passage through the months of the year. These disks were discussed in scholarly publications during the Third Reich and may well have served the Wewelsburg designers as a model."[3]

Citations

  1. ^ Grumke & Wagner (2002), p. 207.
  2. ^ Goodrick-Clarke (2002), p. 125.
  3. ^ a b c d Goodrick-Clarke (2002), p. 148.
  4. ^ a b Strube (2015), p. 339.
  5. ^ a b Goodrick-Clarke (2002), pp. 148–150.
  6. ^ Luhn, Alec (30 August 2014). "Preparing for War With Ukraine's Fascist Defenders of Freedom". Foreign Policy.
  7. ^ Grumke & Wagner (2002), p. 219.
  8. ^ Sources:
  9. ^ Goodrick-Clarke (2002), p. 3.
  10. ^ Sources:
  11. ^ a b Mathews (2009), p. 153.
  12. ^ Is the Azov Battalion a terrorist organization as 40 US House Democrats claim? Quote: "The Azov Battalion included the Black Sun in its emblem in 2014-2015, however, removed it later."
  13. ^ "Guerre en Ukraine : quatre questions sur le régiment Azov, ce bataillon ukrainien accusé de compter des néonazis dans ses rangs". Franceinfo (in French). 15 March 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022. These are old emblems of the paramilitary group, still used by some soldiers, says [INALCO researcher] Adrien Nonjon
  14. ^ O'Conner (2022).
  15. ^ Lamoureux (2022).

Bibliography

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black_Sun_(symbol)&oldid=1088400998"