Nazi symbolism

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The swastika was the main symbol of Nazism and remains strongly associated with it in the Western world

The twentieth century German Nazi Party was notable for its extensive use of graphic symbolism, most notably the Hakenkreuz (swastika), which it used as its principal symbol,^[1] and, in the form of the swastika flag, became the state flag of Nazi Germany.^[2]

Other Nazi symbols included:

the eagle atop swastika, the formal symbol of the Nazi party
the SS bolts, the symbol of the SS ^[3]^[4]
various runes or rune-like symbols, such as the odal rune^[5]^[6] and the Wolfsangel^[7]
the black SS uniform
the brown shirts of the Sturmabteilung
the death's head insignia of the SS-Totenkopfverbände and concentration camp units^[8]
Adolf Hitler's personal standard

[edit] Runic letters

From 1933, the Nazi SS badge displayed two "Sig runes".

The letters of the runic alphabet have been used by Nazism and neo-Nazi groups that associate themselves with Germanic traditions, mainly the Sigel, Eihwaz, Tyr [7] (c.f. Odal [8] ^[9] (see Odalism) and Algiz ^[10] runes.

The fascination that runes seem to have exerted on the Nazis can be traced to the occult and völkisch author Guido von List, one of the important figures in Germanic mysticism and runic revivalism in the late 19th and early 20th century. In 1908, List published in Das Geheimnis der Runen ("The Secret of the Runes") a set of 18 so-called "Armanen Runes", based on the Younger Futhark, which were allegedly revealed to him in a state of temporary blindness after a cataract operation on both eyes in 1902.

In Nazi contexts, the s-rune is referred to as "Sig" (after List, probably from Anglo-Saxon Sigel). The "Wolfsangel", while not a rune historically, has the shape of List's "Gibor" rune.

[edit] Use of Nazi symbolism by neo-Nazi groups

Many Nazi symbols have been appropriated by neo-Nazi groups, including a number of runes, together with a variety of pseudo-swastika symbols such as the sun wheel, which suggest Nazi symbols without directly using them. Neo-Nazis also employ various number symbols such as:

18, code for Adolf Hitler. The number comes from the position of the letters in the alphabet: A = 1, H = 8. ^[11]
88, code for Heil Hitler. Again the number comes from the position of the letter H in the Latin alphabet. ^[12]
14, from the Fourteen Words coined by David Lane: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for White children. ^[13]

14 and 88 are sometimes combined with each other (ie. 14/88, 8814, 1488). ^[14]

[edit] Gallery

The swastika flag was composed by Adolf Hitler and was the national flag of Germany 1933-1945	The Parteiadler representing the Nazi party	SS death's head insignia[1]	Horizontally aligned Wolfsangel[2]
Odal rune[3][4]	Algiz rune	The sun cross is used as a pseudo-swastika by various neo-Nazi groups	A variation of the Celtic cross is used in a similar fashion as the sun cross[5][6]