O shello Negro It is a symbol of Germanic and Slavic origin that was appropriated by the Nazis, becoming one of the symbols used by the SS, a paramilitary group that became one of Nazism's elite troops. Historians are unsure of the meaning of this symbol for the Nazis, but it is believed that it was used as a manifestation of their supremacist beliefs.
This symbol was found in Germanic tribes, such as the Alemanni, in Antiquity. Currently, it is one of the symbols most used by neo-Nazis as a way of promoting support for neo-Nazism. The symbol is also related to neopagan, occult and Satanist cults.
Read too: Swastika — origin of another Nazi symbol
Topics in this article
- 1 - Summary about the Black Sun
- 2 - What does the Black Sun symbol mean?
- 3 - What is the origin of the Black Sun symbol?
- 4 - Use of the Black Sun today
- 5 - Nazi symbols
Black Sun Summary
The Black Sun is a symbol used by the Nazi SS.
It was found in a castle used by the SS.
Historians are unsure of the meaning of this symbol for the Nazis, but they believe it was related to Nazi supremacism.
Currently, the symbol continues to be used by neo-Nazis as a form of support for their ideology.
It can also be found in neopagan, occult and Satanist cults.
What does the Black Sun symbol mean?
The Black Sun is a symbol that was widely used by the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s. The symbol was initially used by the Schutzstaffel (SS), a paramilitary group that became one of Nazism's elite troops.
It was first used as part of the decoration of a castle in Wewelsburg. This castle began to be used by the SS in 1934 by order of Heinrich Himmler, becoming a major ceremonial center of the SS. The building was decorated with a Black Sun mosaic, but Historians still today cannot say what the real meaning of this symbol was. for the SS and the Nazis.
The Black Sun (in German, Schwarze Sonne) consists of a solar wheel made up of 12 Sowilo, a symbol that is part of the Germanic runes. Commonly known as Siegrune, the Black Sun is very similar to the SS symbol. Although there is no certainty about its meaning, some historians suggest that its use was related to the belief in Aryan superiority among the Nazis.
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What is the origin of the Black Sun symbol?
Researchers point out that the Black Sun is a symbol that was widely used by people of Germanic and Slavic origin. There are some theories that suggest that it was inspired by a symbol that was very popular in Central Europe during the Iron Age, called Zierscheiben. This symbol corresponded to decorative discs found mainly in tombs.
O Black Sun It was frequently found in Alamanni objects, Germanic people conquered by the Franks at the end of the 5th century. Later, it was also found among the Merovingians, the Franks of the period of the Merovingian Dynasty, which existed until the 8th century. Its popularization, however, even included its use among Nazis.
Read too: Solution Ffinal — the Nazi plan to exterminate the Jews
Use of the Black Sun today
Currently, there are two common ways of using Black Sun, and the symbol is linked to neo-Nazi movements and/or movements that practice religious occultism. The Black Sun is common in neo-Nazi movements and supremacists, being used as a manifestation of hate speech.
The Black Sun can be mixed with other symbols used by neo-Nazis, such as swastikas. It can appear on tattoos, flags, t-shirts, internet posts, among others. Researchers point out that the popularization of this symbol is related to a 1991 book that relates it to the Nazi esotericism, which referred him to a mystical energy that supposedly reinforces the superiority of the race ariana.
Many members of neo-Nazi groups use the symbol as a covert apology for their ideology. Recently, the symbol has been found on terrorists who commit mass shootings., such as an attack on a mosque in New Zealand in 2019.
O symbol has also been found on Ukrainian soldiers who have been fighting, since 2022, against the Russians in the War in Ukraine. Many international observers have pointed to links to neo-Nazism on the part of many of the Ukrainian soldiers.
Finally, O shello Negro is also associated with many groups that practice modern paganism and who are followers of esoteric rituals or satanic cults. Some of these cults use it as a reference to their Germanic and Slavic cultural origins; however, there are also neo-Nazi groups that use it as a manifestation of their supremacist ideology and also as an esoteric and occult element.
Nazi symbols
Neo-Nazi groups use symbols other than the shello Negro. These symbols can be classified as those that were rescued from the Nazi period and those that were recently established by neo-Nazi groups. Among them are:
Totenkopf or Death’s Head
Totenkopf is a skull used by neo-Nazis and which refers to its past use by SS, especially during World War II. This symbol was directly associated with the group of SS soldiers responsible for guarding the concentration camps Nazis.
88
The number 88 is a numerical symbol used by neo-Nazis and which serves as a salutation to Adolf Hitler, leader of Nazism. This is because the letter H is the eighth letter of the alphabet, so 88 corresponds to HH, an acronym for “Heil Hitler”, which means “Hail Hitler”.
War Flag of the German Empire
The War Flag of the German Empire, founded in 1871 after German Unification, is a symbol rescued by neo-Nazi groups in different parts of the planet. As the swastika was banned from many places, this flag was transformed into an alternative for the propagation of neo-Nazi ideology. The flag itself did not have a racist connotation in the 19th century, but it was appropriated by neo-Nazis.
iron Cross
The Iron Cross was a military symbol of Germany used in military decorations in the 19th and 20th centuries. It was widely used as a Nazi symbol, and after the war its use in Germany was banned. Neo-Nazi groups, however, use it as a form of apology for Nazi ideology.
There are a multitude of other Nazi symbols, in addition, of course, to the most common ones, such as the swastika and the Nazi eagle.
Sources
HOBSBAWM, Eric. Age of extremes: the brief 20th century 1914-1991. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 1995.
ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE. Hate on Display: hate symbols database. Available in: https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/ADL%20Hate%20on%20Display%20Printable_0.pdf.
BBC BRAZIL. Black sun: what is the symbol associated with Nazism used by a Ukrainian soldier in a viral photo from the war. Available in: https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-60646562.
ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE. Sonnenrad. Available in: https://www.adl.org/resources/hate-symbol/sonnenrad
BERGER, Helen A. Sonnenrad, symbol used in shooter's manifesto, explained. Available in: https://www.brandeis.edu/now/2022/may/berger-sonnenrad-explained.html.
Image credits:
[1] Wikimedia Commons
[2] Wikimedia Commons
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SILVA, Daniel Neves. "Black Sun"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiag/sol-negro.htm. Accessed on November 23, 2023.
