Nazi symbolism

From ArticleWorld

Nazi symbolism is a collection of stark, strong images designed to intimidate and convey a sense of superiority. Of the many symbols, some of the more representative are:

• The swastika is actually a holy symbol in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism and is used in India in religious and civil ceremonies. It also has a history of use in ancient Europe and was used all over the world by the early 20th century as a symbol of good luck. It became a symbol of Aryan, or Indo-European, peoples after it was found by Heinrich Schliemann, who had also seen similar shapes on ancient pots unearthed in Germany, in a site of ancient Troy. The symbol became indicative of a Nordic master

race and so was deemed worthy of adoption by the Nazis.

• The Runic alphabet is an ancient writing system used by the Germanic peoples in the 1st and 2nd centuries but they were also probably used in charms and divinations. That they became Nazi symbols is due to the author Guido von List who was an important figure in German mysticism and runic revivalism in the early 20th century.

• The iron cross is an old German symbol which became a military decoration only ever awarded during wartime. It was first awarded in 1813 but since May 1945 has never again been officially awarded.

• Fasces is the Latin root on which the word fascism is based. It is a bundle of birch roots tied around an axe with a red ribbon and was a symbol of power in ancient Rome.

• Hitler’s personal standard was a square of red material with an inner white circle which had in its centre a black swastika. Around the white circle was a garland of gold oak leaves.