Wolfsangel

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The Wolfsangel (German for "wolf's hook") is a symbol originating in Germany. It is also known as the Wolf's Hook or Doppelhaken. The upright variant is also known as "thunderbolt" (Donnerkeil) and the horizontal variant as "werewolf".

Historically, the symbol originated as a mason's mark and was once used as a heraldic symbol in coats of arms. Today, the symbol appears in numerous city coats of arms. It was adopted by several military units of Nazi Germany. Due to this, along with continuing use by Neo-Nazi organisations, the symbol is now sometimes associated with Nazism.

Contents 1 Origins 1.1 Heraldry And Mason's Marks 1.2 Wolf Trap 1.3 Alleged Runic Origins 2 Literature 2.1 Fiction 3 Modern Use 3.1 Third Reich Use 3.2 Neo-Nazi Use 3.3 Music 4 See also 5 External links

[edit] Origins

While the actual origins of the symbol appear to have been lost in obscurity, various theoretical explainations, historical traces and folk legends exist.

[edit] Heraldry And Mason's Marks

The symbol was in the coat of arms of Bornheim (now part of Frankfurt). In this function, it may be traced back to 1621, on a seal labeled "S(IGILLM) SCHULTHEIS V(ND) SCHEFFEN Z(V) BORNHEIM". The sign originated as a mason's mark and may be seen out in 13th to 16th century stonework.

The name Wolfsangel first appears in a 1714 heraldic handbook, Wapenkunst, associated with a different symbol:

Wolffs-Angel, frantz. hamecon, lat. uncus quo lupi capiuntur, ist die Form eines halben Mondes und hat inwendig in der Mitte einen Ring.

"Wolffs-Angel, French hamecon, Latin uncus quo lupi capiuntur ("hook with which wolves are caught"), is the shape of a crescent moon with a ring inside, at mid-height"

Below is a selection of German civic coats of arms that bear the Wolfsangel as a charge. The last one, used by the community of Breidenbach in Hesse, has a rather different charge from the rest. Nonetheless, the blazon – which can be seen at the German article about this municipality – clearly describes it as a Wolfsangel.

Mannheim

Linkenbach

Hadmersleben

Halberstadt

Wächtersbach

Ihmert

Wolfschlugen

Breidenbach

Topfstedt

[edit] Wolf Trap

In accordance with the symbol's name, there is an oft-repeated folk legend pointing to the symbol's origins in an iron trap that was used to capture wolves.[1]

[edit] Alleged Runic Origins

While the symbol itself bears a parallel to the Eihwaz rune, the modern symbol now called the Wolfsangel is not historically part of any runic alphabet.

The earliest documented claim that the shape is runic in origin can be traced to Guido von List's alleged mental vision of 18 "Armanen runes" in 1902, that is to say it is without historical basis. The figure he calls the "Gibor rune" has the same shape, and he attributes to it a g sound. According to List, it is the 18th and final member of the alleged original rune row (the Younger Futhark has 16 runes). Due to this, the Wolfsangel sometimes appears listed as the 34th rune in Armanen row-influenced esoteric contexts (e.g. [2]), but the Futhorc actually only has 33 runes.

[edit] Literature

[edit] Fiction

In 1910, Hermann Löns published a classic fictional book entitled Der Wehrwolf (later published as Harm Wulf, a peasant chronicle and The Warwolf in English) set in a 17th Century German farming community during the Thirty Years' War. The main character of the book, Harm Wolf, adopts the wolfsangel as a badge against the occupying forces of the ruling princes. Some printings of this book, such as the 1940 edition, showcase a very visible wolfsangel on the book cover.

[edit] Modern Use

[edit] Third Reich Use

In Nazi Germany, the Wolfsangel was used by:

• the 2nd SS Panzer Division "Das Reich"
• the 4th SS-Polizei mechanized infantry division
• the 8th Panzer Regiment
• the 34th SS Dutch grenadier division "Landstorm Nederland"
• the Hitlerjugend
• the NS-Volkswohlfahrt

[edit] Neo-Nazi Use

After World War II, the symbol was used by the following Neo-Nazi organizations:

• the "Aktion Nationale Sozialisten / Nationale Aktivisten" (ANS/NA)
• the "Junge Front" (JF) section of the "Volkssozialistische Bewegung Deutschlands" (VSBD)
• the "Wiking-Jugend"
• the Swedish Vitt Ariskt Motstånd (White Aryan Resistance), which refers to the symbol as werewolf
• the WolfsEngels ("wolfsangels")

Public exhibition of the symbol is illegal in Germany if a connection with one of these groups is apparent.

[edit] Music

The wolfsangel is sometimes used by artists working in various forms of media, most notably musical. Various neofolk & martial musicians, related artists and fans have used the symbol for aesthetical approach. The symbol was once used extensively by Boyd Rice and Death In June. The wolfsangel has also appeared in use by Ulver and Neurosis.

[edit] See also

• Fascist symbolism
• Guido von List
• SS unit insignia

[edit] External links

• List of symbols outlawed in Germany
• Neonazi (Sweden) flags
• "Werewolf" on symbols.com
• "Thunderbolt" on symbols.com