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Some of the best known uses of pagan symbolism are those used by the Nazi Party and its Schutzstaffel, or ‘guard echelon’, the SS. With a strong desire to instil a national feeling of destiny and virtue, the Third Reich used a variety of ancient symbolism in its banners and insignia. The swastika, emblazoned on the flag of the Nazi party, was previously known as a symbol of good luck by a variety of religions and cultures. It appears in Roman mosaic designs and has been found in Chinese, Indian, Japanese and Native American art. [top] More sinister is the use of the runic ‘SS’ symbols by the Schutzstaffel. The SS leader, Heinrich Himmler, co-opted many aspects of ancient religion to give his powerful ‘police of the party’ an image that was secretive, insular and binding to its members. In an unending quest to realise an Aryan/Norse-based ‘pure’ society, Himmler created the Ahnenerbe, a special investigative team designed to research the ancestral heritage of Germany. Their mission was to try to establish links between modern ‘pure-bred Aryans’ and ancient Germanic tribes, through archaeological and ‘supernatural’ research. [top] Himmler also created the Society for the Promotion and Preservation of German Cultural Monuments, which concentrated on preserving sites such as Sachsenhain bei Verden, where a famous Saxon massacre occurred. In his book, The Order of the Death's Head, Heinz Höhne suggests that this work fitted with the SS’s anti-Christian and anti-Slavic symbolism. He quotes Himmler as saying: ‘These things interest us because they are of the highest importance in the ideological and political struggle.’ [top] More obscure is Himmler’s Valhalla, founded at Wewelsburg castle, Westphalia. Here he created his own version of an Arthurian round table for his top commanders. In the crypt of the castle was a circular mortuary chamber with a stone vessel in the centre. If one of the commanders died, his arms were to be burnt in the vessel and his ashes placed on one of the pedestals round the edge of the chamber. In the base of the largest tower at Wewelsburg, a second Valhalla chamber existed, where four shafts of light entering the chamber from high windows intersected above a small stone altar. According to SS mythology, this was the centre of the world. A corrupt combination of Arthurian, Norse and Eastern beliefs. |
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