In the previous lesson we saw how the swastika was hijacked. But the Nazi regime went further: Heinrich Himmler built a complete symbolic system for the SS, based on Germanic runes. Every rune was deliberately chosen โ and deliberately distorted. The consequences are still felt today: millions of sincere rune practitioners are confronted with the question of whether their sacred symbols are still usable.
แ SS Symbolism โ Deliberate Symbol Selection
Karl Maria Wiligut โ Himmler's "Rasputin", the SS occult advisor โ was the architect of SS symbolism. Wiligut had extensive knowledge of Germanic rune mythology. The choice of each SS rune was deliberate and based on its original meaning โ which was then perversely inverted or misused.
| SS Symbol | Original Rune | True Meaning | Nazi Misuse |
|---|---|---|---|
| แแ (double lightning bolt) | Sowilo (แ) โ Sun | Solar power, victory, life energy, the Self | Elite troops symbol; racial superiority |
| Totenkopf (death's head) | Not a rune but a hussar symbol (18th century) | Memento Mori โ "remember that you are mortal"; philosophical contemplation | Symbol of merciless hard core; death as power |
| แ (star rune) | Algiz / Elhaz โ Protection | Protection, vigilance, life force | Lebensrune = symbol for birth; on SS gravestones |
| แ (downward arrow) | Tiwaz inverted = Todesrune | Tiwaz = justice, sacrifice; inverted has no traditional meaning | Todesrune = death; on SS gravestones alongside Lebensrune |
| Circle with cross | Not a traditional rune | Ancient sun wheel/Celtic cross = cycles, solar symbolism | Wewelsburg SS symbol; neo-fascist adoption |
๐ค Modern Rune Practitioners and the Problem of Symbol Contamination
Millions of people worldwide practise รsatrรบ (the heathen Norse religion) and work with runes as a spiritual system โ entirely separate from any right-wing extremism. They are confronted with a painful problem: their sacred symbols have been stolen and contaminated.
The Sowilo rune (แ), the Othala rune (แ), the Tiwaz rune (แ), the valknut symbol โ all these signs have been adopted by far-right and neo-Nazi movements. A rune tattoo can unintentionally identify someone as a right-wing extremist. Some รsatrรบ organisations insist on a list of "compromised" symbols that they avoid, while others advocate for reappropriation.
Who owns a symbol? The original culture that created it? The majority that currently uses it? Or everyone who carries it with intention and awareness? There is no simple answer โ but the question itself is the lesson. Context, intention and community determine the meaning of a symbol at least as much as its historical origin.
If you wanted a Sowilo rune tattoo โ as a spiritual symbol of inner strength โ would you do it? What weighs more heavily: the original meaning of thousands of years, or the association of eighty years?