Why dress code? Well, it must be said that in the Third Reich, a soldier had to be not only the most elegant representative of the nation, but also the ideal man. Accordingly, the form that was developed for this ideal man had to correspond to the hero of the nation. A lot of people worked on this and, probably, quite a lot of people now know that the famous couturier, whose fashion house still exists today, Hugo Boss, put his hand into the development and tailoring of the German form. Moreover, in 1931, Hugo Boss Sr. joined the National Socialist Party and began to design costumes for the SS, SA, Hitler Youth, the top German party leadership and, of course, for military units various types of troops.

The Germans began to pay special attention to camouflage fabrics, because the new war assumed new standards of warfare, greater secrecy. At first, this did not appear, and the first main association with the German army, which probably exists in most people to this day, is gray uniforms with four pockets, very elegant (we must give them their due), very comfortable to wear, Made from durable and quality fabrics.

If we recall the chronicle of the war, look at the photographs of the British, the French or us, then neither the English, nor the French, nor the Soviet form caused a feeling of a hidden threat. And the element of hidden threat was one of the main components of the warfare of the German army. In his book, German General Staff Officer Eike Middeldorf repeatedly addresses the issue of hidden threat. The hidden threat was always to be created. It is not necessary to completely surround the enemy - you need to create the appearance of an environment and move on; it is not necessary to take any drastic unmotivated actions - it is enough to hint that they will happen. And this idea permeated literally everything, including the development of uniforms for the German army.

Group photo of young men from the Hitler Youth, 1933. (pinterest.com)

The basis of the main, let’s say, German tunic, which was worn by both officers and soldiers, was taken from the model of the First World War, which was finalized: with its appearance, it gave greater status, greater smartness, at the same time it was extremely functional.

If you count how many varieties of uniforms German soldiers and officers had, you get about ten varieties: it was a dress uniform, output, report form, additional output uniform, everyday, patrol, field and work. Accordingly, the form was supposed to have all kinds of unloading, as it is now called. A knapsack was specially designed, in which everything and everything could be placed - this is for the infantry, for the soldiers. And numerous views German parades and marching columns really evoke a feeling of this anxiety and fatality, on which, apparently, not only Hugo Boss, but also ideologists and fashion designers did a good job.

It must be said that, naturally, all kinds of attributes were attached to the uniform: these are buttonholes, according to which belonging to one or another branch of the military was determined; these are edgings on caps, which also allowed this to be done; and, accordingly, all kinds of elements that distinguished those who achieved something.

If speak about German awards, then they all had their own slang names. And I must say that there was some kind of internal competition between the Wehrmacht, that is, the German army, and the NSDAP and the SS, respectively, since the SS was like a military application of the NSDAP, Hitler’s personal troops, party troops, because neither the Wehrmacht, nor the Luftwaffe, nor Kriegsmarine, no other troops in the German army were political. Not a single soldier and officer of the German army, in accordance with German law, could be a member of any party. As a matter of fact, the Wehrmacht never really liked the NSDAP and actively organized assassination attempts against Hitler, the last of which was almost effective.

No more than six awards could be worn on the German uniform. The Germans had laconic, non-colored awards, with the exception of the German star, which was called “fried eggs” in the army for the presence yellow color. Usually it was white or black metal. And, of course, the most prestigious awards were the Iron Cross and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, which went to very, very few.

Presentation of the Iron Cross to Hanna Reitsch, 1941. (pinterest.com)

As for the SS, Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler, who was very interested in the German epic, personally developed the style of the form and much more. And everything that had anything to do with this, he sought to bring into the development and creation of the form and symbols of the SS troops.

If we talk about the SS troops, then usually the associative series draws people in black uniforms. But in fact, not everyone had a black uniform for everyone, and the SS field units wore exactly the same gray uniform or camouflage as all the other military units in Germany.

Probably the standard stereotype of perception is the presence of a skull and crossbones on the uniform of the SS. In fact, the story of the skull and bones has nothing to do with intimidation and intimidation of the enemy. This is a very ancient German sign, which meant readiness for self-sacrifice, readiness to sacrifice oneself in the name of the Motherland. This symbol existed in the time of Frederick of Prussia, and when he was buried, the coffin was covered with a black cloth, at the corners of which a skull with two bones was embroidered, and the skull did not have a lower jaw. It was believed that this was the same skull that was on Golgotha, the skull of Adam, which lay at the base of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified.

This symbol was very common in Germany and during the First World War. Soldiers and officers ordered rings with the image of this skull. Naturally, when the struggle for political power began, everything that could work for this power was adapted by it, and Hitler and his entourage decided to use this symbol also in their favor. Himmler made some changes to the appearance of the skull with bones. Since he graduated from the agricultural educational institution, then noticed that the shape of the skull is not quite correct - there is no lower jaw, and ordered the symbol to be finalized in accordance with the anatomical parameters. It was this anatomically correct skull that appeared as a symbol of the SS troops and, first of all, the Totenkopf Division, which was very, very active on all fronts during the Second World War.

I must say that the beginning of hostilities on the Eastern Front introduced its own severe adjustments into the life of the German army. Naturally, German soldiers and officers had overcoats. However, the Germans were not initially going to fight in the winter, and their overcoat was rather demi-season and for cool weather, but not for the 30 and 40-degree frosts that they had to face during the fighting in the winter of 1941/42. Accordingly, this posed the challenge for the German form designers to make clothes warm. And this form appeared in 1942. It was a reversible jacket, white on one side, gray on the other, or in protective camouflage (it was either in the form of broken glass or in the form of stains on the water), which had pockets turned inside out, which was decently insulated and which could be put on over all. It was probably the first shapeless form that absolutely did not constrain movements and made it possible to work quite comfortably in all weather conditions, including even on snow.

Division "Totenkopf" moving forward, 1941. (pinterest.com)

A separate form development was carried out for Africa. One of the commanders in Rommel's Afrika Korps writes in his memoirs that the first impressions of the uniform they received for the desert war were quite stunning, because both the shorts and the jacket were thick. In the daytime, when the temperature reached forty or more degrees, it seemed ridiculous, it was very hot. But the temperature differences in the desert were so great that by night this form turned out to be the most suitable.

It turns out that the form not only determines the appearance, not only affects the psychology of the enemy and the psychology of those who wear this uniform, but also performs great amount functions.

A few words about the swastika as a symbol of the Third Reich. So, the swastika is a very ancient symbol. When Nazi symbols were being developed, the NSDAP somehow revolved around a cross of one form or another: after all, the cross was the standard German symbol for many centuries, starting with the same Teutonic knights.

In fact, the swastika is a Tibetan, Buddhist and Hindu symbol, which is many, many thousands of years old, which symbolized the movement of the sun. And if you visit India, you will see swastikas of all sorts and colors, painted on anything: on dwellings, on cars, on counters ...

Accordingly, the rigid form of the swastika, apparently, greatly impressed Hitler and Himmler. She was very concise. And if you remember that the banners of the Nazis were red with a white circle, where the swastika was placed in the middle, and the banners of the German communists were red with a white circle, where the black sickle and hammer were placed, then at a great distance all this was perceived uniformly, and at the beginning of the struggle for influence to society it all looked like variations on the same theme. One way or another, the swastika took root in Germany, but it was not a national symbol, but a political one. She was not a symbol of the Wehrmacht. And, moreover, if we recall the conflict between the commander of the Jagdgeschwader-77, Gordon Gollob, and Goering, who accused him of cowardice and insufficient effectiveness of actions, then Gollob simply ordered to paint over the swastika on the Messerschmitts of his division. So they flew through the whole war without a swastika on their tails. Well, in general, there were quite a few such precedents.

Erwin Rommel during the fighting in Africa. (pinterest.com)

A few words about what the German infantry looked like. As mentioned above, the privates and officers had about ten varieties of uniforms that they wore. Basically, this form was gray, as we say, mouse-colored. The question arises: why did the Germans choose gray? But in fact, in combat conditions, when dust, dirt, etc. rise, everything becomes gray. You can read Remarque or someone else who wrote about the war: dust, dust and dirt. Accordingly, the gray color is the most adaptive, the most invisible.

I must say that at the first stage of the war, the Germans painted aircraft according to the scheme: light green and dark green on top, pale blue on the bottom. But, starting in 1942, they began to paint planes and fighters in gray and dark gray colors, such gray-gray, the shade of the wings of a dove. Why? Because at a short distance this plane was already hiding, blurring. Gray is rather faceless, as the Strugatskys wrote, “the grays start and win.” And, indeed, as an element of camouflage, it was effective. Our aviation, too, since 1943, has adapted gray colors for greater secrecy.

Let's start by stating that National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) actually became the first political party that managed to most effectively use symbolic-ritual means in order to achieve the maximum possible propaganda effect and, thus, to win over all those vacillators who, for some reason, were unable (or did not feel the desire) delve into the ideological depths of the National Socialist doctrine. This was one of its undoubted advantages over all political competitors - complete artistry, its own, unique aesthetics, which no other political party had at all. "Weimar" Germany. Although the German (German) National People's Party (NNPP), the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), and the Communist Party of Germany (KPD), and their slogans, congresses, the words also had a purely artistic meaning and did not carried, in fact, no semantic load ...

What is the secret of the truly phenomenal success and attraction for the broad masses of precisely the National Socialist propaganda means? In various popular (and sometimes claiming to be scientific) publications it is persistently asserted (sometimes directly, but more often - subtly) that the slogans, vestments, symbols and rituals of the National Socialists (and especially the SS) allegedly carried a clear occult, satanic and and, most importantly, the anti-Christian burden. How was it in reality?

Long before the emergence of the National Socialist movement on the political arena, many (mainly left) political forces sought to derive practical benefit from symbols.

An interesting testimony in this regard was left by none other than Adolf Hitler himself in his programmatic and autobiographical work “My Struggle”, the title of which for some reason we prefer to give in the German version - “Mein Kampf”, - without translating it into Russian (perhaps because, in accordance with the stamps of the traditional "owl", and if we take it even wider - "revolutionary" thinking, word "wrestling" associated and associated predominantly with something "positive" i.e "progressive" - primarily with "fight for freedom" etc., and therefore "Worthless for a faithful Marxist-Leninist, the bearer and propagandist of the most advanced teaching and worldview in the world" apply this positive epithet to creation "possessed Fuhrer" enemy of progress and world revolutionary development!):

“Until now, we did not have our own party badge or banner. This began to harm the movement. Without these symbols, we could not do now, much less in the future. Party comrades needed a badge by which they could recognize each other by their appearance. Well, in the future, of course, it was impossible to do without a well-known symbol, which, moreover, we had to oppose to the symbols of the Red International.

I already knew from childhood what great psychological significance such symbols have and how they act, first of all, on feelings. After the end of the war, I once had to watch a mass Marxist demonstration ... A sea of ​​red banners, red armbands and red flowers - all this created an irresistible external impression. I personally was able ... to see how gigantic an impression such a magical spectacle makes on a simple person from the people.

As the young modern Russian historian Dmitry Zhukov quite rightly notes, it was the National Socialists (or, more broadly, "fascists" ), who fully assimilated this experience adopted from the radical left, managed to develop their own, completely unique style, which partly contributed to the broad mobilization of the masses, aimed at achieving the party goals of the NSDAP. By the way, in the ideological sphere, in the bowels of the National Socialist Party, there was such an incredible number of all kinds of factions, groups, opinions and competencies that sometimes it seems that the party held on, except for the iron will of the Fuhrer (no doubt, who had outstanding organizational skills), only on the commonality of style (including the commonality of symbols, emblems and rituals). No wonder the well-known sociologist of Swiss origin, Army Mohler, a well-known researcher of the phenomenon "conservative revolution" emphasized: “Fascists seem to easily come to terms with theoretical inconsistencies, because they achieve perception at the expense of the style itself ... Style dominates beliefs, form dominates the idea.” And in 1933, the German Expressionist poet Gottfried Benn, who was under the influence of the "National Socialist Revolution", solemnly proclaimed that "Style is higher than truth!" . To a certain (and not insignificant) extent, what has been said applies not only to the conservative-revolutionary, fascist National Socialist, but also to the left, and in particular to the radical left parties, movements and organizations - it is enough to look at least at our modern "liberal democrats" or "National Bolsheviks" who have "ninety-five percent - banter, and only five percent is ideology.”

Different blood, different law.
Who will reconcile me, Aryan,
With an alien from other sides?
Who will wash away the name: bloodsucker?

Fedor Sologub

Large plus sign with curved ends. So in his travel notes he called the ancient swastika (one of the variants of which became the will of fate "hooked cross" German National Socialists) modern Russian poet, writer and historian Alexei Shiropaev. Aptly said, and noticed correctly - it’s only a pity that the author bonmota did not pay attention to the fact that, having added only one single letter to the word "plus" - "about", - we get the word "pole", but the swastika in the historical and esoteric tradition (for example, in the same Rene Guenon) has always been considered precisely "sign of the Pole". Coincidence? Unlikely! Personally, we are rather inclined to see a certain pattern in this. Be that as it may, it should be noted that many unscrupulous authors, in pursuit of cheap popularity (and possibly pursuing some other, more far-reaching goals), strive to mythologize and even falsify the history of the choice of the ancient sacred place by the German National Socialists symbol - swastikas (kolovrat, filfota or gammadion ) as a party symbol. Let's try to approach the consideration of the true circumstances of this choice without prejudice, without anger and predilection. At present, it is almost no secret to anyone that hakenkreutz (kolovrat or swastika) belongs to the original (primordial) archetypal symbols of humanity. Kolovrat ("gammed", "gammatic" or "martyr"

cross) was widely used in Christian symbolism (especially in the late antique and early medieval period of the development of Christianity) - as, indeed, "Cross of Saint Nicholas" (referred to in heraldry and ecclesiastical art as "cross between brackets" ), which was especially often depicted by icon painters on the robes of Christian saints Nicholas of Myra, John Chrysostom and Dionysius the Areopagite and later became an identification mark on German military equipment. Occultists and theosophists also attached considerable importance to this sacred sign. It was this circumstance that subsequently gave rise to all sorts of speculations about the supposedly “occult” roots of National Socialism. According to Theosophists, "the swastika ... is a symbol of energy and movement that creates the world, breaking holes in space ... creating vortices, which are atoms that serve to create worlds."

Kolovrat (along with the six-pointed the star of Solomon », Egyptian cross eternal life» ("anhom"), a snake biting its own tail Ouroboros and Buddhist-Hindu sign of Creation "Om", or "Aum" ) was included as an element in the emblem of the Theosophical Society, as well as in the personal emblem of the founder of Theosophy E.P. Blavatsky and adorned almost all theosophical publications. So, for example, the sign of the Kolovrat was present on the title page of the magazine of German theosophists "Lotus Flowers", published in the "Prussian-German" Second Reich of the Hohenzollerns in 1892-1900.

The Kolovrat swastika, in some cases used as an emblem in the aviation of Kaiser Germany, was used as an identification mark on the aircraft of a number of countries of the world (Finland, Norway and Latvia) between the two world wars, sleeve patches of the Red Army units (which fought in 1918 on Eastern Front against the troops of the Supreme Ruler of Russia, Admiral Kolchak), headdresses of the Kalmyk cavalry units of the Red Army (and even in the coat of arms of the Soviet Kalmyk Republic!).

No less popular was the Kolovrat (found, by the way, on ancient German weapons, cult and household items, in Old Nordic runic inscriptions, on the tombstones of the ancient Germans and, in particular, Vikings ) also among German "populists" ("fölkishe", from the word "folk" - "people") And Ariosophists - such as the notorious "G(v)ido" von List (author of many scientific works, founder of a society of his own name and secret High Order of Armans ) and truly become "parable of the town" founder Order of the New Temple (or Order of the New Templars ) Baron Jörg Lanz von Liebenfels, as well as secret lodges of the paramasonic sense - German Order (German Order ),

Society Thule and others, about which sensational enthusiasts are conspiracy theorists of the past and our days, a great many more or less scientific thrillers have been written - perhaps no less than about the "Jewish Freemasons" and about the "holy devil" Grigory Rasputin, who is also credited with some kind of conspiratorial "occult connections" with some mysterious " The Green Society. So about Hitler, one Frenchman published the book "Hitler - the Chosen of the Dragon", the other - even more terrible "horror novel" called "Nazism - a secret society", but all were surpassed by the patriarchs "black legend about Nazism" - the notorious masters Louis Povel and Jacques Bergier with their mystical fantasy "Morning of Magicians"! It was with their light hand that they went for a walk through the pages of the popular "conspiracy" literature, designed to reveal the "satanic roots of Nazism", devoid of any historical basis, idle speculation that Hitler was allegedly connected with the underground kingdom of Aggarti (Aggarti or Agartha), the "King of Horror ”, the descendants of the Atlanteans who survived the global flood, that he made human sacrifices, listened to the teachings of the inventor for hours "theories of world ice" Hans Görbiger (and even allowed himself to be rudely reprimanded for his incomprehension in the presence of third parties!), sold his soul to the devil for exactly 12 years, that in May forty-fifth the Berlin Reichstag and the Reich Chancellery were supposedly defended by the “last battalion” of the SS, which consisted entirely of Tibetan lamas, who unanimously committed collective ritual suicide after the Fuhrer’s death (probably imagining themselves for a moment not as Tibetan lamas, but as Japanese samurai!), and all thanks to the fact that Hitler turned the “blessed right-handed” Buddhist-Hindu swastika in the other direction, as is customary among adherents of the sinister ancient Tibetan "black faith" bon-po…

In reality, Adolf Hitler, whose membership in any such "secret societies" (the composition of which was limited to such a narrow circle of "initiates" that one would like to say about them in the words of V.I. Lenin from the article "In Memory of Herzen": "Narrow is the circle of these (conservative. - V.A.) revolutionaries, they are terribly far from the people!” ) there is absolutely no reliable information, neither in Agharti, nor in Shambhala, nor in the Atlanteans who survived the flood, I never met Hans Görbiger in my life, and the Reichstag and the Reich Chancellery in May forty-fifth, except for the Germans, who just did not defend - French SS from the division Charlemagne (Charlemagne) Belgian SS men from the division wallonia, Spaniards from the former blue division , Russian volunteers from ROA General Vlasov - but that's just not among them, as a sin, not a single Tibetan! Choosing Kolovrat as a party symbol, Hitler probably did not look back at the theosophical, populist or occult interpretations of this ancient sacred symbol. Not least for the simple reason that, according to the unanimous testimony of eyewitnesses who knew him closely at the beginning of his political career - the Bechsteins, Hanfstaengls and many others - who left their memoirs about the early, Munich period of the history of the NSDAP and its future leader - Hitler in the described period was completely uncouth, or (in modern parlance) "unscratched" a provincial who did not even know how a hot and cold water, - what can we say about the presence of some kind of "secret knowledge", and in addition, "deeply secret plans" to replace Christianity in Germany with some kind of "occult neo-paganism", "Aryan-racist religious teaching", and even more - the establishment in the Third Reich of the "black satanic cult"! In addition, Hitler (completely unreasonably presented by modern unfortunate historians and "conspiracy theorists" as a "black magician", "occult messiah", "adept of dark forces", "enemy of Orthodoxy", "hater of Christianity", "demonic medium", "notorious Satanist”, “Forerunner of the Antichrist”, “Dragon’s Chosen One”, “Messenger of the Green Society”, “Esoteric Hermetist” and even “the incarnation of Landulf of Capuan”!) Throughout his life, he was very critical of all "Populist bearded men", "John the Baptist" And "Agasferah" - "initiates", "occultists, esotericists and other rubbish" (as Victoria Vanyushkina aptly put it), who claimed to possess "secret knowledge" and to create a "new dogma for the German people", and indeed about everything "völkisch" ("populist") mysticism (in many ways reminiscent of the fruitless attempts of our current domestic primordial bearded "neopagans" who are trying in vain to "revive the ancient faith" of their "Slavic-Aryan great-grandfathers"!). The extremely hostile attitude of the Fuhrer of the NSDAP and the Chancellor of the Third Reich towards such “keepers of the family memory” of all stripes is evidenced, by the way, by the following lines from “My Struggle” (we quote them in our own translation from the German original):

“It is characteristic of these natures that they admire ancient German heroism, hoary antiquity, stone axes, spear and shield, but in reality they are the greatest cowards. For the same people who brandish in the air ancient Germanic, carefully stylized antique tin swords, in dissected bear skins and with bull horns on a bearded forehead V.A.), preach for the current day the fight with the so-called "spiritual weapons" and hurriedly run away at the sight of a rubber club of any communist . Future generations will not be able to perpetuate the images of these people in the new German epic.

I have studied these people too well to feel anything other than a feeling of contempt for their trickery ... Moreover, the claims of these gentlemen are completely excessive. They consider themselves smarter than everyone, despite the fact that their entire past eloquently refutes such a claim. The influx of such people becomes a real punishment of God for honest, straightforward fighters who do not like to talk about the heroism of past centuries, but want in our sinful age to show in practice at least a little of their own practical heroism.

It can be quite difficult to figure out which of these gentlemen acts like this only out of stupidity and inability, and which of them pursues certain goals. As regards the so-called religious reformers of the ancient German type, then these personalities have always inspired me with suspicion that they were sent by circles that do not want the revival of our people. After all, it is a fact that all the activities of such personalities actually distract our people from the common struggle against the common enemy - the Jew - and dissipates our forces in the internal religious strife ... They are not only cowards, but always turn out to be loafers and clumsies.

It is said, in our opinion, very clearly, so there is nothing for our "conspiracy theorists" to philosophize in vain, "smearing white porridge on a clean table" (as they say in Odessa) ... It is no coincidence that Hitler, after coming to power, immediately suppressed all attempts to plant in Germany some new "Nordic folk religion" by neo-pagan "German German Faith Society" ("Deutsche Glaubensgemeinschaft"), performing under the emblem of the golden "solar wheel" in the blue field.

According to the most authoritative modern Russian researcher of the swastika, Roman Bagdasarov, Hitler’s National Socialist Party “needed an emblem, on the one hand, known to everyone, on the other, “not occupied” by competitors, on the third, causing an unambiguously positive reaction and capable of mobilizing the people ... The swastika perfectly matched the above requirements! It was quite traditional for Christian Europe, but had (as all authoritative scientists of the described era claimed) Aryan (Indo-Germanic, Indo-European, Indo-Celtic) origin, and this, as emphasized by Roman Bagdasarov, "of course, has become an additional plus in arousing the racial instinct among the Germans."

Contrary to obvious facts, quite a few science fiction mystics, diligently dressed up in the clothes of "popularizers of history", are trying to prove the unprovable, arguing that Hitler allegedly "borrowed the idea of ​​using this symbol from people close to him from the occult environment." According to their unsubstantiated opinion, Adolf Hitler allegedly believed that behind the Kolovrat lies a certain "dark secret" that allows him to "manage history." Those who claim this emphasize that the Fuhrer allegedly “with unusual attention” related to the very direction of rotation of the swastika: “He even decided to replace the left-handed swastika of the Thule society, which he adopted as a model, with the right-handed one found in ancient Indian texts.”

In principle, the Swastika is a symbol of Christ, since it contains the same esoteric idea, only somewhat less connected with the historical details of the Incarnation of the Word.

A.G. Dugin. Crusade sun

First, it should be noted that in Christian symbolism and Christian art (and even later - say, in vignettes to the Psalter of St.

that Queen-Martyr Alexandra Feodorovna) both right-handed and left-handed swastikas were equally used. Both of them from the very first centuries of Christianity were considered connected with the third hypostasis of the Most Holy Life-Giving Trinity, namely, with the Holy Spirit. Right handed "martyr's cross" serves as a symbol of "gathering (concentration) of the Holy Spirit", the left-hand side - a symbol of its "scattering (spreading)".

As our Russian "conspiracy theorist" Alexander Gelievich Dugin:

“The cross is the four orientations of space, the four elements, the four rivers of paradise, and so on. At the intersection of these components there is a unique point - the point of Eternity, where everything comes from and where everything returns. This is the pole, the center, the earthly paradise, the Divine ruler of reality, the King of the world. In a special way, this “fifth”, integral element, the Divine presence, the “higher Self”, is manifested in the symbol of the “revolving cross”, i.e. Swastika, which emphasizes the immobility of the Center, the Pole and the dynamic nature of the peripheral, manifested elements. The swastika, as well as the Crucifixion, was one of the preferred symbols of the Christian tradition, and it is especially characteristic of the "Hellenic", Aryan, manifestationist line ... The fifth element here is Christ himself, God the Word, the Immanent hypostasis of the Deity, Immanuel, "GOD WITH US ". In principle, the Swastika is a symbol of Christ ... "

In this case, Alexander Dugin is absolutely right. In the "Orthodox Interlocutor" for July-August 1869, the researcher Brednikov wrote the following about the swastika:

“As for the monuments (Catacomb Christians in the first centuries of Christianity. - V.A.), belonging to the 2nd, 3rd and early 4th centuries, with a few exceptions, they use only veiled images of the Sign of the Cross, somehow ... especially a figure representing a four-pointed cross with curved ends (Italics hereinafter are ours. — V.A.)».

The author of this book himself happened, when visiting "tourist reserve" Suzdal (which it still remained, at least in 1983), to see in one of the churches there (which was then a museum) a perfectly preserved sakkos of an Orthodox bishop, decorated with gold, on a red background, swastikas, put on public display, and it was in the "Nazi "version - left-handed," lunar ", and even rotating! We are not talking about the walls of the Kiev Hagia Sophia, decorated alternately with right- and left-handed kolovrats, and other similar patterns and images on countless objects of Christian worship - from bells to the salaries of Holy Images! However, we refer everyone who wants to study in depth the place and role of the Kolovrat in Christian and, in particular, Orthodox church symbols, to Roman Bagdasarov's book "Swastika: a sacred symbol."

Secondly, the “populists” themselves, the Ariosophists, who were - supposedly! - predecessors, secret patrons, inspirers and "backstage puppeteers" of Hitler, - calmly used both right-hand and left-hand "hooked cross" and sometimes both of its variants at the same time (as, for example, G(v)ido von List in his famous magic formula "AREGISOSUR" ).

Thirdly, as Count Julius Evola, the most authoritative researcher and critic of fascism and National Socialism “on the right”, noted with good reason: “There is a strong doubt that the National Socialists, starting with Hitler himself, were truly aware of the meaning of the main party symbol - the swastika. According to Hitler, it symbolized "the mission of the struggle for the victory of the Aryan man, for the triumph of the idea of ​​creative work, which has always been and will be anti-Semitic" ... "A truly primitive and" profane "interpretation!" Count Julius Evola exclaims about this. It is completely incomprehensible how the ancient Aryans could tie together the swastika, "creative work" (!) And Jewry, not to mention the fact that this symbol (Kolovrat. - V.A.) is found not only in Aryan culture. They did not give "a clear explanation for the left-sided (opposite to the generally accepted when it is used in the meaning of the solar and" polar "sign) rotation of the National Socialist swastika." It is unlikely that the Nazis at the same time knew that "the reverse (left-sided," lunar ". - V.A.) the rotation of the sign symbolizes power, while the usual (right-handed, masculine, "solar" - V.A.) is knowledge. When the swastika became the emblem of the party, Hitler and his entourage completely lacked knowledge of this kind. On illustrations for ancient Indian, Jain and Buddhist manuscripts (as well as on sculptural and architectural monuments in the vast - from Tibet, China and Japan to Malaya and Indonesia - the zone of distribution of ancient Indian culture and art), both "lunar" and " solar" swastikas. And depicted against the background of the rising sun, framed by oak branches and in combination with a short sword (or dagger), point down, the swastika on the emblem of the Society Thule although it was left-handed, it had a completely different shape than Hitler's, and arcuately curved ends (the so-called "sun wheel" ).

In his study, Count Evola persistently emphasizes the following idea: “One can consider as pure fantasy any “demonic” interpretation of Hitlerism, characteristic of many researchers of National Socialism, who believe that the reverse movement of the swastika is an unintentional, but a clear sign of a demonic character. All allusions to an "occult", initiatory or counter-initiatic background (we assert this with knowledge of the matter) are the same fiction. In 1918 a small group arose Thule Bund, choosing as its symbol the swastika and the radiant solar disk; however, with the exception of Germanism, her general spiritual level was no higher than that of the Anglo-Saxon Theosophists. There were also other groups and authors, such as, for example, Guido von List and Lanz von Liebenfels (who also created their own "Order") ... and used the swastika; but all these currents were superficial and had no connection with the true tradition, confusion of concepts and various personal errors reigned in them.

Thus, the use of the Kolovrat swastika by the German National Socialists was due solely to propaganda and aesthetic motives, so that the search in this area for some insidious "secret intentions" seems to us completely meaningless. And in this sense, the “interpretation” of the swastika by the neo-Freudian Wilhelm Reich (Reich) sounds absolutely ridiculous, who claimed that this symbol supposedly “acts on the subconscious as a designation of two human bodies during sexual intercourse.” The followers of the Reich (who, by the way, was tried in the United States for quackery and insulting the authorities, sentenced to prison) agreed to explain the success of the NSDAP by the fact that the National Socialists, as a party greeting, threw up their right hand with their palm forward and up (which allegedly symbolized an erection and, thereby, the powerful potency inherent in their movement!), And their main political opponents, the Social Democrats, used as an emblem of the association they created "Iron Front" three white arrows without plumage inscribed in a red circle, directed diagonally with their points down, which supposedly symbolized the impotence and, accordingly, the political impotence of the SPD and its allies!

As prosaically as the use of the Kolovrat by the German National Socialists, by the way, their choice of brown for their party uniform is also explained. Just to the Nazis (yes, by the way, and not only to them, but also to members of the right-wing radical organization of Gerhard Rossbach, and also - which looks like just a curiosity - "Revisionist Zionists" Vladimir (Zeev) Zhabotinsky!) at one time managed to buy at an inexpensive price a large batch of "junk goods" - shirts of light brown (or rather, light tobacco) protective "tropical" color, intended for uniforms of German "security (colonial) troops" in the African and Asian colonies of the Second Reich, which turned out to be unclaimed after Germany lost its overseas possessions as a result of losing the First World War. Only later, in hindsight, did party ideologists come up with an explanation (quite successful, by the way) of the brown color of the Nazi uniform as symbolizing soil (as we remember, the slogan of fidelity "blood and soil" - "bluethund boden" received wide distribution in the NSDAP with the light hand of the "Imperial Peasant Leader" Richard Walter Darre). This is probably why Hitler does not write anything at all in Mein Kampf about the party's "brown" shirt, although he devotes a lot of space to the topic of choosing the party banner and party emblem.

For the first time, the swastika appeared on the party banner of the National Socialists (which were still a small regional party limited to Bavaria during the described period) in the summer of 1920 in the capital of Bavaria, Munich. The final proportions and shape of the National Socialist swastika were determined by Adolf Hitler himself. At the same time, it should be noted that neither Hitler, nor any of the representatives of the NSDAP or other similar or ideologically similar German or Austrian parties and organizations that used the ancient symbol, ever called it "swastika" preferring to use the German term borrowed from medieval heraldry Therefore, in what follows, we will denote "swastikas" use similar German "Hackenkreutsu" Slavic-Russian term "kolovrat" .

Tighter ranks! Let's raise the banner!
Our firm step is measured and heavy.
Invisibly here, closing in ranks with us,
Those who have gone into battle before are marching.

In addition to the final approval of the proportions and shape of the Nazi Kolovrat, Adolf Hitler also owned the main merit in the development of a version of the Nazi banner, which later became the prototype and model for all subsequent party flags of the NSDAP. The Fuhrer believed that the new flag should be as effective and attractive as a political poster.

Based on this, the colors for the party flag of the National Socialists were also chosen. According to "national drummer" NSDAP (as Hitler liked to call himself at the time described), the white color was not able to “captivate the masses” and was most suitable for virtuous old maids and for all kinds of sobriety societies (however, in the future, the same Hitler justified the presence of a white circle on red banners, standards, badges and armbands of his party in that white symbolizes "nationalism"). In the same way, the Fuhrer rejected the black color, because it was no less than white was far from attracting attention to itself. The combination of black and white was also considered unacceptable - by the way, it was used at the time being described by a very popular right-wing organization. Young Teutonic (Young German) Order (in German: Jungdeutscher Order, abbreviated: Jungdo) , competed with the National Socialists and banned by them shortly after Hitler came to power (Supreme Master Young Teutonic Order Arthur Maraun was even imprisoned in concentration camp). In addition, the flag of Prussia was black and white, and to the Prussians, the Bavarians, who suffered from them, as allies of the Austrian Empire, were defeated in the so-called "Austro-Prussian" (the Germans themselves call it more correctly - "German-German" or "inner German" , for this war for the right to unify Germany was waged not only between the then two largest German states - Prussia and Austria, but also between the North German and South German states adjoining them) the war of 1866, still experienced persistent antipathy. On the other hand, the combination of cyan (blue) and white flowers(in itself, according to Hitler, "very good from an aesthetic point of view") was also considered unsuitable for the NSDAP, since white and blue (white and blue) were traditionally the official colors of Bavaria and were used by numerous organizations of Bavarian particularists and separatists (many of which, in the period described, even demanded the separation of Bavaria from the rest of Germany, “hopelessly infected with the bacilli of Marxism”), while the NSDAP, on the contrary, laid claim to the role of an all-German party and sought to overcome federalism and separatism. The use of the black-red-gold banner by the National Socialists was also out of the question, since since 1919 it became the official flag of the Weimar Republic, to which Hitler from the very beginning declared a war to the death (counting "Weimar government of the red November criminals" even a greater enemy than the French, who occupied the Ruhr area - the industrial heart of Germany). Meanwhile, at one time it was the black-red-gold flag that was the symbol of the struggle of German patriots for the unification of Germany. To make the reader understand the paradox of the situation, we will make a brief historical digression.

From darkness to light - through blood!

Interpretation of symbolism
tricolor black-red-gold
the national flag of united Germany

The future German state was born in the 9th century A.D. in the bowels of the empire of the Frankish king Charlemagne (included in the French heroic epic under the name "Charlemagne" ), crowned in 800 by the pope Roman "Emperor of the West". Part empires (Reich, or, in Russian, Powers ) Charlemagne (742-814), whose capital was considered "the eternal City" Rome - "Head of the Universe" (although the residence of Charles himself was in the city of Aachen), included vast territories of Southern, Central and Western Europe. Like the ancient Roman emperors, Charlemagne used a purple (red or scarlet) banner. By the way, the red color of the banner originally symbolized the right emperor (this ancient Roman, purely military, title, which only later became to denote the monarch-autocrat, initially, in the republican period of Roman history, was given by the army to the victorious commander-triumphant and had nothing to do with the claim to sole power) to execute (shed blood) the guilty without trial and consequences, in accordance with the laws of war. By the way, this is precisely why red flags and banners have long been used by pirates, rebels and revolutionaries - by raising the red banner, they seemed to openly demonstrate their encroachment on the prerogative of monarchs and other "God-given" authorities "execute and pardon", "make judgment and reprisal." In addition, Charlemagne used golden single-headed ancient Roman eagles as a banner.

Under the descendants of Charles (the Carolingians), his "Western Roman Empire" broke up into three parts. The grandson of Charles, Louis (Ludwig) the German (804-876), under the Verdun Treaty of 843, received imperial possessions west of the Rhine - the so-called East Frankish kingdom (future Germany).

In 962, the German king Otto I the Great (912-973) from the Saxon (Salic) dynasty, the winner of the Hungarian nomads, led a strong army "armed pilgrimage" to Rome, forcing the pope to crown him Roman emperor, as once Charlemagne. Founded by Otto I "Holy Roman Empire" (or first reich, according to the terminology of the later German nationalists, adopted from the latter by the National Socialists of Hitler), the name of which by the end of the Middle Ages acquired a somewhat more “national” character - "Holy Roman Empire of the German (German) Nation", - and representing (despite the vigorous attempts of some gifted Emperors (Kaiser ) - for example, Frederick I Barbarossa or his great-nephew Frederick II from the house of Hohenstaufen - to turn their possessions into a strong state) a very loose conglomerate of separate feudal estates, lasted about a thousand years. "Roman-Germanic" Emperors - as a rule, were first crowned in octagonal Church of the Octagon in Aachen German Royal crown, and then, having previously ascended the throne of Charlemagne, they marched to Italy, where the popes more or less voluntarily placed the crown on them Roman Emperors! - used standards in the form of gilded single-headed Roman eagles and various banners (for example, a banner with the image of the Archangel Michael, who was considered the patron saint of all warriors in general, and Christian chivalry in particular). Over time, as the battle banner of the lords of the "Holy Roman Empire" established red banner with a straight white cross. This banner was also used by vassals directly subordinate to the Emperor - for example, the Swiss cantons (which overthrew the yoke of the Austrian dukes, but until 1638 formally continued to be considered part of the Empire) or Danish kings (the Danes called this banner "Dannebrog" ). By the way, the echo of the former vassalage of Denmark from First Reich preserved in the self-name of this country - "Dan Mark", i.e. Danish brand"; "stamps" called the border areas of the Empire, which were under the control of appointed Kaiser officials - Mark counts or Mark izov - for example, the Meissen mark, the Brandenburg mark, the East mark (Ost Mark ) - future Austria (Ostarrichi= Oesterreich= Eastern Reich= Eastern Empire) etc.

On August 6, 1806, the last "Roman-German" Emperor Franz II of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty was forced by the victorious "Emperor of the French" Napoleon I Bonaparte to renounce the crown of the "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation" and be content with the more modest title of "Emperor of Austria". The Roman-German "Thousand-Year Reich" crumbled into many independent kingdoms, principalities, Grand Duchies, duchies and free cities. Each of them had their own flag (black-white-black for Prussia, blue-white for Bavaria, white-green for Saxony, red-white-red for Austria, red-white-blue for Luxembourg, red-blue - at Liechtenstein, etc.).

The "black-red-gold" (black-red-yellow) German national colors date back to the Wars of Independence against Napoleonic tyranny. After the defeat of the Great Army of Napoleon I in Russia, a popular anti-Napoleonic movement began to spread throughout Germany. In 1813, a volunteer corps was formed (freykor) under the command of Baron Adolf von Lützow. Von Lützow, a former officer in the regiment of the rebel leader Ferdinand von Schill, led his volunteers (including the partisan poet Theodor Kerner, nicknamed the "German Denis Davydov") into battle not for the dynastic interests of individual German monarchs, but for a single, independent Germany. They were called "black rangers" because they wore black form with red finishing and golden (brass) buttons, which in combination gave "German national colors" (in any case, this was the opinion of romantically minded German students and poets who were looking for medieval era origins "gloomy German genius", who dreamed of reviving for the sake of restoring "the former splendor of the Reich" ). In fact, as we already know, neither the power of Charlemagne nor the medieval "Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation" (First Reich) did not have black-red-gold "national flag". Representation of German Nationalist Romantics early XIX century about its existence in medieval Germany was based on the following misunderstanding. In one of the German monasteries, a scroll was found with records of the texts of medieval minnesingers (minstrels) - the so-called "Manessian Songbook" , on one of the illustrations to which the coat of arms of the German kings was depicted - a black single-headed eagle on a golden field (the coat of arms of the same German kings, but already in their second capacity - as "Roman emperors" from the beginning of the XIV century was also considered an eagle, but already two-headed) . By some incomprehensible whim of the illustrator, the beak and paws "Manesian" black eagles were depicted not as black, as usual, but red. From this accidental circumstance, the German romantics of the early 19th century drew the unsubstantiated but far-reaching conclusion that in "Manessian Songbook" the supposedly official “state emblem of the German Reich” was depicted and that, according to the rules of heraldry, the same black-red-gold color scheme should have been present on the “state banner of the German state”.

In 1817 several thousand German students gathered for a holiday in Wartburg Castle (Thuringia) in connection with the 300th anniversary of the anti-Catholic Reformation (it was in Wartburg that the "father of the Reformation" Martin Luther at the beginning of the 16th century translated the Holy Scriptures from Latin into German, which was regarded by German romantic nationalists as "the beginning of the struggle of the German spirit and the German people against the universalist, anti-German, Romanesque rule of the popes") and the four-year anniversary "battle of the nations" near Leipzig, which finally "break the back" of Napoleon Bonaparte's dominion over Germany. Climax "Wartburg Feast" became, among other things, public burning at the stake "writings hostile to the German spirit" (repeated in 1933, after Hitler came to power). Those who came to "Wartburg Holiday" of all the German "feudal principalities", the students who advocated the unification of Germany for the first time raised the "national black-red-gold flag of Germany" at this meeting. It must be said that the three-color "black-red-gold German flag" of the sample of 1817 in its appearance was significantly different from the later three-striped one. "Wartburg Flag" was sewn from two dark red stripes and one black between them. A golden oak branch was embroidered in the center of the flag. Be that as it may, the black-red-gold color scheme has become a universally recognized symbol of the desire of young Germans for freedom and unity. The flag of a very loose quasi-state formation - the German Confederation (under the auspices of the Austrian emperor, as the most powerful German sovereign of the era described) was black-red-gold, with a double-headed Austrian imperial eagle in a golden roof. Under the black-red-gold banner (but already without the roof with an eagle), the first all-German federal parliament-Bundestag met in 1848 in Frankfurt am Main. Under this banner, the nationalist revolutionaries of Saxony, Prussia and Baden, who dreamed of German unity, fought against the troops of the German dynasts (primarily the King of Prussia and the Emperor of Austria). Black-red-gold "tricolor" a very poetic interpretation was even given: "From darkness to light - through blood" .

In 1867, however, not the black-red-gold, but the black-white-red flag of the North German Confederation, the predecessor of the flag that arose four years later, became the official state flag. German Empire(Second Reich) - unification of 18 North German "patchwork" kingdoms and principalities. When the issue of a flag for this union was discussed, Otto von Bismarck - the future first Reich Chancellor (Imperial Chancellor) of a united Germany - proposed black-white-red. The fact is that black and white were the colors of the flag of Prussia (which played a leading role in the North German Confederation), and red and white (silver) colors prevailed on the coats of arms and flags of the North German trading cities of Hamburg, Bremen and Lübeck - which financed the creation of a new union. In addition, the Prussians had a strong antipathy to the black-red-gold flag, under which the German nationalist revolutionaries opposed the Prussian troops in 1848 with weapons in their hands (the latter offered the crown of the emperor of united Germany successively to the Austrian emperor, and then to the Prussian king, but both monarch refused to accept it, striving for the unification of Germany "from above", or "iron and blood" according to the well-known expression of Bismarck). So the black-white-red flag first became the flag of the North German Confederation, and then the German Empire ( Second Reich in the terminology of the German nationalists, and later the National Socialists), which was not a unitary state, but a federation of four kingdoms (Prussia, Saxony, Bavaria and Württemberg), a number of Grand Duchies, duchies, principalities, etc., some of which (for example, Saxony or Bavaria) even retained their own mail, army, flags, coats of arms and other attributes state power, headed by the German Emperor (but not the Emperor of Germany!) from the Hohenzollern dynasty, who at the same time continued to remain the king of Prussia - the largest "subject of the Federation".

It remained so until 1919, when, after the overthrow of the monarchy and the defeat of Germany in World War I, a republic was proclaimed there (although the country was still officially called the "German Reich" and Article 1 of the Weimar constitution stated: "The German Reich is a republic") . Since the black-white-red flag was strongly associated in the public mind with the monarchical regime, the new German state abandoned it, replacing it with a black-red-gold flag, which was considered a symbol of the "democratic traditions of the German people." The German Social Democrats (who preferred to use “general Marxist” red flags and bows before the November Revolution of 1918), having come to power and handing over the red flag “at the mercy” of the Communists, even formed their own paramilitary detachments called "Reichsbanner Schwarz-Roth-Gold" ("Black-red-gold imperial banner"), abbreviated "Reichsbanner" ("Imperial banner"). The rulers of the Weimar Republic retained the colors black, white and red on the military and commercial flag of Germany: both of these flags remained black-white-red, but with a black-red-gold roof. Needless to say, all opponents of the Weimar regime tirelessly emphasized their adherence to the black-white-red and their disgust for the black-red-gold flag, stubbornly calling the latter "black-red-yellow", "black-red-mustard", otherwise and cleaner. Among them was widely used, for example, the following verse:

Die deutsche Fahn' war schwarzweissrot -
Wir war'n ihr treu bis in den Tod.
Man hat genommen uns das Weisse -
Nun hab'n wir Gelb, und Gelb ist Scheisse!

(or in a somewhat loose translation into Russian:

The German flag was
black-white-red -
We were faithful to him to death.
White color was taken from us -
Now we have yellow, and this is -
shit color!).

This was the case in the "Second" (German) Reich. But in Austria, as a result of its defeat in the war with Prussia in 1866, expelled from the German Union, a completely different situation developed. The Germans there suddenly turned out to be a national minority, because much more than half of the population of the Austrian (and then the Austro-Hungarian) empire excluded from the number of German states were Hungarians (Magyars), various Slavic nationalities (Czechs, Slovaks, Croats, Slovenes, Ukrainians-Rusyns, Serbs, Bosnians), Italians, etc. The Austrian emperors from the Habsburg dynasty (who were also the kings of Hungary) were forced to constantly maneuver between the various nationalities that inhabited their “Dual” (or “Danubian”) monarchy, making constant concessions to non-German peoples, as a result of which the Austrian Germans felt themselves increasingly disadvantaged in their rights. A number of German nationalist unions, parties and organizations arose in Austria, many of which (for example, "pan-Germanists" Georg Ritter von Schönerer) openly advocated secession "German Austria" (in territorial terms roughly corresponding to the modern Republic of Austria, with the exception of South Tyrol, which seceded to Italy under the Treaty of Versailles) from the Habsburg monarchy and its annexation to the German Empire of the Hohenzollerns (Second Reich). Such sentiments were widespread among the Austrian Germans, but they could not demonstrate them openly, under a black-white-red flag (for any performance of the Austro-German subjects of the Habsburg monarchy under the flag of a foreign power, which, from the point of view of international law, was the Hohenzollern " Prussian" German Empire, would be equated with act of high treason ). And here the almost forgotten black-red-gold "national flag of all Germans" came to the aid of the Austro-German "Pan-Germans". They began to widely use in their propaganda "German national" black-red-gold flags, ribbons and rosettes. When the "Pan-German" schoolboy Adolf Hitler was ordered to remove the black-red-gold socket, he found a way out by laying out three pencils in front of him on the desk in a row - black, red and yellow, to which the teacher - a staunch supporter of the Habsburgs - no longer could complain. In a word, as Hitler wrote much later in his book "My Struggle":

“Only ... in German Austria the bourgeoisie had something like its own banner. Part of the German-Austrian nationalist burghers appropriated the banner of 1848. This black-red-gold flag became the official symbol of part of the Austrian Germans. Behind this flag ... there was no particular worldview. But from the state point of view, this symbol, nevertheless, represented something revolutionary. The most implacable enemies of this red-black-gold flag were then - let's not forget this - the Social Democrats, the Christian Social Party and clerics of all kinds. Then these parties mocked the black-red-gold flag, threw mud at it, swore at it in exactly the same way as they did in 1918 with the black-white-red banner. The black-red-gold colors used by the German parties of old Austria (Habsburg monarchies. — V.A.), were at one time the colors of 1848 ... In Austria, a part of honest German patriots followed these banners. But behind the scenes of this movement, the Jews were already cautiously hiding. But after the most vile betrayal of the Fatherland was committed, after the most shameless betrayal of the German people, the Marxists and the Center Party (the Catholic bourgeois party of the period of the Weimar Republic in Germany. — V.A.) black-red-gold banners have suddenly become so expensive that they now consider them as their shrine.

Hitler treated the black-white-red colors of the “Prussian-German” flag of the Second Reich with great reverence, as the colors of the “imperial flag born on the battlefields” of the so-called “Franco-Prussian” victorious for German weapons (or to be more precise - Franco-German) war of 1870-1871, the main result of which, along with the "return to the bosom of the Reich" of Alsace-Lorraine, was the proclamation of the German Empire (Second Reich) in the "Hall of Mirrors" of the Palace of Versailles. Nevertheless, the use by the National Socialists in their symbols and emblems of black, white and red in their former, "Kaiser", The combination seemed inappropriate to Hitler, since in his eyes they symbolized “the old (monarchist. — V.A.) a regime that perished as a result of its own weaknesses and mistakes." In addition, the black-white-red flag in his "old-fashioned" or "Kaiser", the variant was already used as an emblem by numerous right-wing nationalist parties and organizations of the Weimar Republic - for example, the German (German) National People's Party (NNPP), which was adjacent to this party, the nationalist union "Steel helmet" (Stalhelm) etc. However, in itself, the black-white-red color scheme seemed to Hitler extremely attractive (although he did not fail, as we will see below, to interpret it in a new, National Socialist spirit). He wrote literally the following about her: “This combination of colors, generally speaking, is certainly better than all the others” and is “the most powerful chord of colors” that you can imagine.

In the end, the final draft of the party banner was drawn up: on a red background - a white circle, and in the center of this circle - a black one. "Hackenkreutz" (Kolovrat). Interestingly, in the first edition of My Struggle, Hitler himself designated the swastika with a term not borrowed from medieval heraldry. "Hackenkreutz" (hook-shaped cross, from the German word "hacken" - hook ), but "Hackenkreutz" (literally: hoe-like cross, from the word "gakke" - hoe). But in subsequent editions of the book, in the lexicon of the National Socialist movement and Hitler's Third Reich, only the term was used "Hackenkreutz" (hook-shaped cross).

The armbands "combat bands" ("kampfbinden") of the National Socialists actually copied (in miniature) the party banner of the NSDAP. After the creation of the assault detachments of the party (SA), on the red armbands of their "fuhrers" (commanders), horizontal silver (white) stripes were added to the black kolovrat in the white circle for some time, the number of which varied depending on the rank of one or another Fuhrer. However, these white stripes were abolished no later than 1932 (in photographs depicting the top leadership of the NSDAP - in particular, Hermann Göring - on "Congress of the National Opposition" in Bad Harzburg, where an ephemeral anti-Weimar "Hartsburg Front" these stripes on the bandages are still clearly visible). At the highest party functionaries, the armbands were decorated with gold trim - up to gilded quadrangular stars - "head over heels" in the center of the kolovrat.

According to Hitler, the new party symbol of the NSDAP was a combination of “all the colors that we loved so much in our time”, as well as “a vivid embodiment of the ideals and aspirations of our new movement”, in which the red color personified the “social ideas” embedded in this movement. , white color - the idea of ​​nationalism (later, especially after the end of World War II, neo-Nazis and other followers of Hitler even more "successfully" reinterpreted the white color as the idea of ​​fighting for white supremacy ), "a hoe-shaped cross - the mission of the struggle for the victory of the Aryans and at the same time for the victory of creative labor, which from time immemorial has been anti-Semitic and anti-Semitic will remain."

To be continued...

In his autobiographical and ideological book Mein Kampf, Hitler stated that it was he who had the brilliant idea to make the swastika a symbol of the National Socialist movement. Probably, for the first time, little Adolf saw a swastika on the wall of a Catholic monastery near the town of Lambach.

The sign of the swastika - a cross with curved ends - has been popular since ancient times. It has been present on coins, household items and coats of arms since the 8th millennium BC. The swastika personified life, the sun, prosperity. Hitler could see this archaic solar symbol in Vienna on the emblems of Austrian anti-Semitic organizations.

Having dubbed him a Hakenkreuz (Hakenkreuz is translated from German as a hook cross), Hitler appropriated the glory of the discoverer, although the swastika as a political symbol in Germany appeared even before him. In 1920, Hitler, who was an unprofessional and mediocre, but still an artist, allegedly independently designed the design of the party logo, which is a red flag with a white circle in the middle, in the center of which was a black swastika with predatory hooks.

The red color, according to the leader of the National Socialists, was chosen in imitation of the Marxists. Seeing the one hundred and twenty thousandth demonstration of the left forces under the scarlet banners, Hitler noted the active influence of the bloody color on the common man. In Mein Kampf, the Fuhrer mentioned the "great psychological significance" of symbols and their ability to powerfully influence a person. But it was precisely by controlling the emotions of the crowd that Hitler managed to introduce the ideology of his party to the masses in an unprecedented way.

By adding a swastika to the red color, Adolf gave a diametrically opposite meaning to the favorite color scheme of the socialists. Attracting the attention of the workers with the familiar color of the posters, Hitler seemed to "recruit" them.

The red color in the interpretation of Hitler personified the idea of ​​movement, white - the sky and nationalism, the hoe-shaped swastika - labor and the anti-Semitic struggle of the Aryans. Creative work was mysteriously interpreted as a sign of anti-Semitism.

In general, it is impossible to call Hitler the author of National Socialist symbols, contrary to his statements. He borrowed the color from the Marxists, the swastika and even the name of the party (slightly rearranging the letters) from the Viennese nationalists. The idea of ​​using symbols is also plagiarism. It belongs to the oldest member of the party - a dentist named Friedrich Krohn, who submitted a memorandum back in 1919 to the party leadership. However, in the bible of National Socialism, the book Mein Kampf, the name of the quick-witted dentist is not mentioned.

However, Kron put a different meaning into these symbols. The red color of the banner is love for the motherland, the white circle is innocence for unleashing the First World War, the black color of the cross is grief over losing the war.

In the decoding of Hitler, the swastika became a sign of the Aryan struggle against "subhumans". The claws of the cross seem to be aimed at Jews, Slavs, representatives of other peoples who do not belong to the race of "blond beasts".

Unfortunately, the ancient positive sign was discredited by the National Socialists. The Nuremberg Tribunal in 1946 banned Nazi ideology and symbols. The swastika was also banned. Recently, she has been somewhat rehabilitated. Roskomnadzor, for example, admitted in April 2015 that displaying this sign outside of a propaganda context is not an act of extremism. Although the “reprehensible past” cannot be crossed out, even today the swastika is used by some racist organizations.

The eagle is one of the most common figures depicted on coats of arms. This proud and strong king bird symbolizes not only power and dominance, but also courage, bravery and insight. In the 20th century, Nazi Germany adopted the eagle as its emblem. Read more about the imperial eagle of the 3rd Reich below in the article.

Eagle in heraldry

For symbols in heraldry, there is a certain, historically established classification. All symbols are divided into heraldic and non-heraldic figures. If the former rather show how different color areas divide the very field of the coat of arms and have an abstract meaning (cross, border or belt), then the latter depict images of objects or creatures, fictional or quite real. The eagle belongs to the natural non-heraldic figures, it is believed that it is the second most common in this category after the lion.

As a symbol of supreme power, the eagle has been known since antiquity. The ancient Greeks and Romans identified him with the supreme gods - Zeus and Jupiter. This is the personification of active solar energy, power and inviolability. Often he became the personification of the heavenly god: if the celestial was reincarnated as a bird, then only as majestic as an eagle. The eagle also symbolizes the victory of the spirit over earthly nature: soaring to heaven is nothing but constant development and ascension over one's own weaknesses.

Eagle in the symbolism of Germany

For historical Germany, the king of birds served as a heraldic symbol for a long time. The eagle of the 3rd Reich is just one of its incarnations. The beginning of this story can be considered the foundation of the Holy Roman Empire in 962. The double-headed eagle became the coat of arms of this state in the 15th century, and previously belonged to one of its rulers - Emperor Henry IV. From that moment on, the eagle has always been present on the coat of arms of Germany.

During the period of the monarchy, a crown was placed above the eagle as a symbol of imperial power, during the period of the republic it disappeared. The prototype of the modern one is the heraldic eagle of the Weimar Republic, adopted as a state symbol in 1926, and then restored in the post-war period - in 1950. At the time of the Nazis coming to power, a new image of an eagle was created.

Eagle 3 Reich

After coming to power, the Nazis used the coat of arms of the Weimar Republic until 1935. In 1935, Adolf Hitler himself established a new coat of arms in the form of a black eagle with outstretched wings. This eagle holds a wreath of oak branches in its paws. A swastika, a symbol borrowed by the Nazis from Eastern culture, is inscribed in the center of the wreath. The eagle, looking to the right, was used as a state symbol and was called the state or imperial - Reichsadler. The eagle, looking to the left, remained as a symbol of the party called Partayadler - the party eagle.

Distinctive features Nazi symbols - clarity, straight lines, sharp corners, which gives the symbols a formidable, even sinister look. This uncompromising sharpness of angles was reflected in any creation of the culture of the Third Reich. A similar gloomy majesty was present in monumental architectural structures, and even in musical works.

Symbolism of the swastika

More than 75 years have passed since the defeat of Nazi Germany, and its main symbol - the swastika - still causes a lot of criticism in society. But the swastika is a much more ancient symbol, only borrowed by the Nazis. It is found in the symbolism of many ancient cultures and symbolizes the solstice - the course of the luminary across the sky. The word "swastika" itself has an Indian origin: in Sanskrit it means "well-being". In Western culture, this symbol was known under other names - gammadion, tetraskelion, filfot. The Nazis themselves called this symbol "Hackenkreuz" - a cross with hooks.

According to Hitler, the swastika was chosen as a symbol of the continuous struggle of the Aryan race for dominance. The sign was rotated 45 degrees and placed in a white circle against a red background - this is what the flag of Nazi Germany looked like. The choice of the swastika was a very successful strategic decision. This symbol is very effective and memorable, and the one who first gets acquainted with it unusual shape, unconsciously tempted to try to draw this sign.

Since then, for the ancient sign of the swastika, the time has come for oblivion. If earlier the whole world did not hesitate to use a rectangular spiral as a symbol of well-being - from Coca-Cola advertising to greeting cards, then in the second half of the 20th century the swastika was banished from Western culture for a long time. And only now, with the development of intercultural communication, true value swastikas are starting to revive.

Symbolism of the oak wreath

In addition to the swastika, there was another symbol on the coat of arms of the Wehrmacht. The eagle of the 3rd Reich holds in its paws. This image means much more to the German people than the swastika. Oak has long been considered an important tree for the Germans: like the laurel wreath in Rome, oak branches have become a sign of power and victory.

The image of oak branches was intended to endow the owner of the coat of arms with the power and stamina of this royal tree. For the Third Reich, it became one of the symbols of loyalty and national unity. The symbolism of the leaves was used in the details of uniforms and orders.

Nazi eagle tattoo

Representatives of radical minorities tend to push the degree of their loyalty to the group to the limit. Nazi symbols often become a detail of tattoos, including the eagle of the 3rd Reich. The designation of the tattoo lies on the surface. In order to decide to perpetuate the fascist eagle on your body, you must absolutely share and agree with the views of the National Socialists. Most often, the eagle is applied on the back, then the contours of the wings lie clearly on the shoulders. There are also similar tattoos on other parts of the body, for example, on the biceps or even on the heart.

After the war: the defeated eagle

In several museums around the world, the defeated bronze eagle of the 3rd Reich is displayed as a military trophy. During the capture of Berlin, the Allied forces actively destroyed all kinds of Nazi symbols. Sculptural images of an eagle, swastika and other significant images were knocked down from buildings without much ceremony. In Moscow, a similar eagle is displayed in (the former name is the Central Museum of the Red Army) and in the Museum of the Border Service of the FSB. The photo below shows a similar bronze eagle on display at the Imperial War Museum in London.

Eagle of the Wehrmacht without a swastika

Today, the Wehrmacht eagle is still associated with Nazi symbols. The characteristic silhouette and contour make it possible to identify in any seemingly neutral image of a bird an eagle of the Third Reich and without a swastika. For example, in the city of Orel in December 2016, a scandal erupted due to the fact that a Nazi symbol was seen in the decor of new benches. However, the local press notes that such discussions regarding similarity / dissimilarity and associations with the Nazis arise around almost every new image of an eagle, not only in the city of the same name, but in general throughout the country. Remember, for example, the symbol of Special Communications - an eagle with outstretched wings was approved back in 1999. When comparing it with the subject of our article, you can see that the logo really resembles the eagle of the 3rd Reich in the photo.

In addition to that part of the population that perceives any hint of fascist symbols in the logo as a personal insult, there is also a category of people who treat this with humor. A frequent pastime for designers is to cut out the swastika from the image of the coat of arms with an eagle so that anything can be inserted there. Moreover, there are even cartoons where instead of an eagle there can be any other character with wings. For the same reason, the eagle of the 3rd Reich without a background, drawn in vector format, is popular. In this case, it is much easier to "pull" it from the original document and add it to any other image.

Symbols of the Third Reich

While reading this part, the reader will plunge into the world of symbols. In order to correctly navigate in it, it is necessary to know the basic laws by which consciousness operates, believing in the special reality of the sign.

Translated from ancient Greek, the word "symbolism" means "connection, connection." Thus, the main task of the symbol is to link together the bodily and the spiritual, the heavenly and the earthly, the familiar and the supernatural.

In a sign, two natures, or sides, are merged, as it were. This allows a person to find a correspondence between phenomena and their meaning and come to an understanding of the whole set of changes taking place around.

In this case, the sign acts directly, bypassing the logical apparatus of consciousness. The logician tries to build a system of correspondences between phenomena, introducing causal relationships between them. He explains the event "A" on the basis of the event "B" that happened shortly before him, not taking into account the reference to the world of the Other.

From the point of view of the symbolist, such thinking is fundamentally wrong. From one, the other can follow only on the basis of a universal law that operates both in the earthly and in the heavenly world. And the task of knowledge lies precisely in finding such universal connections.

Symbolism is inherent in the magical perception of reality. The National Socialist movement was distinguished by just such a view of the world. Therefore, the role of symbols in the teachings of the Third Reich is much higher than, for example, in communist ideology.

In addition, if science involves proof and scientists, then symbolism is insight and interpreters, relying on the strength of their authority. Therefore, it was more suitable for Hitler than other methods of influencing the masses. A well-designed symbolic series, in his opinion, could do more to raise the people's spirit than hundreds of incomprehensible speeches of intellectuals.

Now the advantages that the active use of symbols gives are quite clear. But, in addition to all of the above, one more question remains: do the signs really have a mystical meaning and is it possible to control human energy on their basis?

Not a single person lives outside the sign space of a particular culture. And symbols not only replace some existing qualities (for example, courage or strength), but are also a kind of magnifier that allows, in the absence of a designated object, to show it and even enhance its impact.

A good example of the operation of a sign can be given by referring to the life of primitive societies. When someone from a wild African tribe finds out that he was cursed by a famous sorcerer and performed such and such a ritual for this, he will not feel healthy until he asks another shaman to remove the spell. If resistance is not made, he can easily die.

The Vikings also used the same terrifying signs. The noses of their warships - drakkars - were decorated with figures of dragon heads, and they applied runic spells to their weapons. Centuries later, SS men wore a death's head ring on their finger, perhaps precisely to make themselves implacable and instill fear in their enemies.

It should not be thought that the world of symbols has gone forever into the past. From time to time it comes to the surface again, and then the one who is better able to use the ancient signs and use them to turn the opinion of the majority of people unaware of their action turns out to be stronger.

Swastika

Few would disagree today that the swastika is the most famous symbol of the fascist empire. In her ceremonies he occupied a central place, all the most significant was marked by his presence.

Probably, this is precisely why in the countries that fought against the Third Reich, it is often given a negative meaning, the symbol of fascism is considered a synonym for destruction, death and dark forces.

But the swastika has a much more ancient and mysterious history. They began to use it in mystical teachings long before the time when the nationalists of Germany paid attention to it, and they received it already containing a rich layer of meanings, which we will try to understand.

The oldest drawing containing the image of a swastika was discovered on the territory of modern Transylvania. Scientists date it to the end of the Neolithic era. During the excavations of ancient Troy, Heinrich Schliemann found numerous stone slabs on which this sign was also carved.

Interestingly, in the area inhabited by Semitic tribes, in the upper Mesopotamia and Phenicia, the swastika is almost never found. Such observations gave the archaeologist Ernst Kraus back in 1891 to put forward the thesis that this symbol is inherent only to the peoples of the Indo-European root.

Following him, the famous mystic and occultist Guido von List, in works devoted to the deciphering of runic texts, in which, by the way, these images are also often found, supports this thesis. For Liszt, the swastika was a symbol of the fiery energy of the pure Aryan race. She also denoted the secret Nordic science and magical knowledge.

Traces of swastikas of various shapes are indeed found on the territory of the settlement of tribes that, according to the theory of anthropologists of that time, had Aryan origin. Even in the VI millennium BC. e. she was known to the inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula. From there, it came to almost all corners of Eurasia.

In ancient Chinese manuscripts, in which the hieroglyphic system has not yet fully developed, the image of the swastika denotes the concept of “region, country”. It was probably implied that it resembles a circle, gradually converging towards the center, as the entire territory of the country closes on the capital and the emperor.

This symbol became widespread in India, and it was precisely after the more ancient Harrap civilization was literally swept away by the Aryan tribes. There, he denoted the sacred sacrificial fire, which the gods used during the creation of the world, and people - during the funeral rite and cremation.

The word "swastika" itself is of ancient Indian origin. Translated from Sanskrit, it sounds like "associated with the good." In Vedic culture, the swastika was used to denote the world cycle of all things. It's like two converged geometric figures- square and circle. The first symbolizes the material world, its edges correspond to the four elements and the four cardinal points. But the image of the cosmos in this figure appears quite complete and does not contain a hint of any change.

The circle, on the contrary, is a sign of the sun or the vault of heaven. It implies cyclical change, restoration of vitality. Among the nomadic peoples of the Mongolian steppes, the circle serves as a sign that one must begin to move to a new place.

In alchemy, a circle with a dot in the middle meant gold - the most perfect of all metals. The Rosicrucians continue this interpretation and use the circle as a symbol of imperial power. The center gave meaning to the circle, just as a king brought closer or punished his subjects.

Thus, the swastika embodies both the stability of the material world and the changing cyclic force of nature. That is why in Indian mysticism it was interpreted as perfection.

On the imprint of the Buddha's foot, in addition to the world wheel - the mandala - one can see numerous images of a cross with crossbars bent in a clockwise direction, which corresponds to the movement of the Sun. Often the cross is also depicted together with a lotus flower - a symbol of enlightenment.

It is no coincidence that with the spread of Buddhism, which made the swastika one of its symbols, it came with an updated meaning to the territory of China and Japan. In this religion, the swastika serves as a symbol of the sacred law of Prince Gotama.

Traces of this symbol were found even among the indigenous inhabitants. Latin America. He penetrated religions as dissimilar and distant from each other as Shinto and early Christianity. In the Baltic States and the Caucasus, it was used as a protective amulet until the middle of the 20th century.

riddle mystical meaning both medieval alchemists and modern esotericists and scientists tried to resolve swastikas. One of the most famous occultists of our time, René Guenon, wrote the work "The Symbolism of the Cross". In it, he considers various ways of drawing this figure central to European culture, including the one that Hitler and his associates liked.

According to Guenon, the swastika is one of the varieties of the horizontal cross, which serves as a symbol of the original principle that centers and arranges the Universe. Its bent ends serve as an example of the earthly material world, which is set in motion with the help of magical energy.

Although Guenon did not attach importance to the direction of rotation, it is known that Hitler treated this moment with unusual attention. He even decided to replace the left-sided swastika of the Thule society, which he adopted as a model, with the right-sided one found in ancient Indian texts.

What prompted him to take this step? The apparent direction of rotation will change if you look at the figure from above or below, while the symbol itself remains the same. Perhaps he wanted in this way to show the position of the Aryan man, standing above the earthly principle of development.

To Hermann Rauschning, whom the Fuhrer valued as a good interlocutor and often had long conversations with him about politics and ideology, Hitler said these words: “The swastika is the struggle for the victory of the Aryan movement and at the same time the swastika symbolizes creativity.” Above, on the pages of the book, we already talked about the solar Nordic race, in which this solar sign played an important role.

The well-known psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich, who studied fascism and its influence on the consciousness of the masses, also did not ignore the attractiveness of the swastika for the people of Germany. But unlike Guenon, he used a sexual interpretation close to him and often used in psychology.

In his opinion, the symbol is not analyzed by the observer, but acts directly on his subconscious emotions. Thus, the swastika evokes in the subconscious the image of the bodies of two people, wrapped one around the other. The horizontal and vertical lines correspond to the two directions of sexual intercourse.

The less this or that representative of society is sexually satisfied, the more he seeks to release the accumulated energy. So, the swastika not only excites him powerful emotions, but also directs them in the right direction, that is, for the benefit of the Third Reich and those who govern it.

In addition, an additional shade of purity and honor, which was communicated to the sign, is important. Since many feel embarrassed when trying to fulfill their secret desires, it is very important to give them external sanction. Moreover, if this is done by the leader, which Hitler was considered to be, not without reason, such people will be infinitely grateful to him for their “liberation”.

Aleister Crowley, whom many of his contemporaries considered a Satanist, also considered himself involved in the appearance of the swastika on the flag of Nazi Germany. In the margins of his notes, he mentions the fact that he offered this symbol to the German mystic Ludendorff between 1925 and 1926.

When the last, ardent supporter of the restoration of Aryan culture, a member of the Thule Society and the New Templars, asked Crowley for advice on the formation of the Nordic religion, he suggested that he use the swastika. In ancient Germanic manuscripts, it is often called "Thor's hammer", which, as you know, always returned to the owner after a throw, like an Australian boomerang.

The weapon of the god of war bore the name Mjolnir, which even sounds like Russian word"lightning". Thus, the symbol of a cross with bent ends carries an additional shade of swift and destructive light power. Crowley certainly took this aspect into account when he proposed to place the swastika at the center of the entire Aryan cult.

However, it is more likely that Hitler borrowed the idea of ​​using this symbol from people close to him from the occult environment. The famous mystic Karl Haushofer, who will be discussed in more detail below, argued that among the ancient Germanic magicians and priests - the Druids - the swastika was a symbol of fire and fertility. Therefore, along with runes, it was part of both combat and peaceful spells.

We already wrote that the main sign of fascism came to the flag of the NSDAP from the coat of arms of the Thule society. However, many other occult societies also gave him great attention. During the First World War, when many members of the secret order of the New Templars went to the front, they put on amulets with a swastika as amulets.

One could talk about the properties of this sign for a very long time. But the main mystical meaning has already begun to emerge. Let us once again point out its three components: activity, development and solarity. It was they who allowed him to take center stage on the flag of the Third Reich.

Reich flag - the power and purity of the race

It is fair to say that the flag of the state embodies the spirit of society. They go on the attack behind him, since he is considered almost the embodiment of the motherland: the soldiers swear allegiance to him, and the loss of the flag is a shame for any army.

But, in addition, the flag provides a link between the people, the land and the ruler. Indeed, in ancient times, a prince stood under him on the battlefield, it was he who was guided during the battle. And in peacetime, he stood near the throne, carefully guarded until new battles.

Everyone probably remembers the footage of the 1945 Victory Parade: bowed fascist banners are carried across Red Square and thrown to the walls of the Kremlin under drum roll. This scene fully reflects the fact that the symbolic value of the flag has not diminished over the years.

This whole scene is permeated with deep meaning. Although the fighting took place not only near Moscow, in a magical aspect, the war took place here - at the last frontier, near the walls of the sacred center, which was at the same time the center of power (the Kremlin). The divisional flags denote the defeated enemy soldiers, and not the personal standard of Adolf Hitler, the fallen leader of the invaders, who accidentally fell into the foreground of the cameras.

Let's leave aside the complex symbolic world of the military parade for now and pay attention to another feature of the flag. On its cloth in a compressed form contains information about the type of country and the traditions of the people. Stars on the banner of the United States or the European Union, the number of stripes and their direction, colors - in a word, everything has its own special meaning, which is now understandable only to specialists in vexillography.

Since the very times when flags appeared, they have, first of all, carried the meaning of amulets - things that protect their owner. Only in this case it was about the whole people. On the banners of the ancient Russian princes, mythical birds, seraphim or the face of the Savior, designed to protect the army in battle, flaunted. And on the flags of Great Britain and Switzerland, crosses are still depicted - signs of the patron saints of these countries.

This means that the standard of the state not only symbolizes the state itself, but also performs purely magical functions. In the Third Reich, where so much attention was paid to the mystical aspects of everyday life, all these moments could not be left without attention.

Let's take another look at the banner of Nazi Germany. On a red background in the center is a white circle in which a black swastika is placed - the main symbol of the Aryan revival. Let us analyze successively all the semantic layers that we have only briefly covered before.

The flag of the Third Reich was in fact thoroughly copied from the banners under which supporters of the Nazi party, the NSDAP, went to rallies. And as you know, the occult society "Thule" played an important role in the creation of the National Socialist organization.

Thus, the roots of this symbol directly indicate that its creators put a special meaning into it. The Thule Society consulted with many mystically oriented heraldists who looked for allusions to the ancient Aryan past of Germany in the arms and banners of the ancient aristocratic families of Europe. Therefore, the colors and their arrangement for it were chosen with special meaning.

If you look closely, the flags can be divided into two groups: those with a pronounced center and those whose colors are evenly distributed. If the latter are more characteristic of states with a democratic way of society, then the former are more characteristic of monarchies and empires. These include the banner of Great Britain, as well as pre-war Japan, on which a solar circle flaunted in the center with rays diverging in all directions. There are exceptions - remember our Russian tricolor.

This difference is understandable: in countries with rigid authoritarian power, the role of the center is emphasized in every possible way, and the figure of the monarch is given paramount importance. When the rule in Germany passed into the hands of Hitler, he immediately changed the model of the flag to one that was more suitable for his totalitarian way of ruling the country.

The Nazi symbolism of flowers also has a magical meaning. There are only three colors on the banner of the Reich, but what are red, black and white! Let's try to describe the picture that can be painted with their help.

First of all, red, which is chosen as the background on the flag. The symbolism of the red color is in general terms understandable - it is blood and flame. It is no coincidence that remarks were heard about the revolutionary banner of the Soviet Republic that those who raised it wanted to drown Russia in blood.

It must be remembered that the theme of blood in fascist Germany initially had a constructive rather than a destructive meaning. Through its purification, it was supposed to give life to a new society, the members of which would be better than the former ones. But by the actions by which this was achieved, the red color, no doubt, was given a gloomy bloody tint.

In addition, one should not forget that the National Socialist Party initially acted as a revolutionary one. It arose on a wave of dissatisfaction with the order prevailing at that time and appealed mainly to the fact that another government should come to replace it.

Above, we talked about the concept of "blood and soil", with the help of which the consciousness of the Germans was literally remade in accordance with new principles. The red background could be misread (for example, as an indication of communist ideas) or not accepted at all if it were not based on such a holistic theory. And vice versa, its existence only strengthened the effect of the flag, creating a single symbolic environment.

White color has many meanings: sunlight, purity, and, in addition, chosenness and holiness. All of them somehow got into the image, which added a white circle to the banner. The figure itself was also not chosen by chance: it is a direct indication of the circle of initiates and mystical protection.

Hitler said this about the banner of the Reich: “As National Socialists, we see our program in our flag. The red field symbolizes the social idea of ​​the movement, the white - the nationalist idea. These words accurately reflect how such a combination of colors was understood by most of his contemporaries.

The swastika has become black not only because it looks very contrasting against a white background. Although this factor should not be discounted. The central symbol was supposed to denote the creative principle that distinguished, separated one from the other in the process of creating the world.

Separation is a function of death, but in this context it does not appear to us in a negative light. It reflects the understanding that without death there would be no life, that is, the idea of ​​predestination, providence.

The idea that everything that happens is in the hands of Fate was close and understandable to both Hitler and himself. ordinary soldier. Through various prophecies and pseudoscientific theories, the occult leaders of Nazi Germany sought to substantiate and strengthen it in the minds of everyone.

The Fuhrer of the Third Reich was not the inventor of the swastika, but he developed the concept of the Nazi banner almost independently. It can be assumed that he devoted a lot of time and effort to this issue, since he was absolutely sure of the indestructible magical power of the banner.

The following is known: wherever Hitler appeared, on the battlefields or on the streets of peaceful cities, he was accompanied everywhere by his own standard. The project was created under the personal supervision of Hitler, and when the banner was ready, it was checked by people from the Ahnenerbe organization for the presence of harmful or life-threatening energies.

After that, the standard was secretly taken to the place where Kaiserling was buried, the incarnation of which the Fuhrer considered himself to be, and consecrated according to the Teutonic custom. The invulnerability of this man entered the legends, as well as his connection with the dark forces. In this way, Hitler wanted to protect himself from an attack by the enemy, as well as from an unexpected conspiracy.

So, the symbolism of the fascist flag fit perfectly into the minds of people. Let's not forget that the banner plays a more significant role in wartime than in peacetime. Initially, it is designed to gather warriors and lead them into battle.

In the standard of the National Socialists, a person who understands occult symbolism could read in advance both future destructive wars and numerous human sacrifices in the name of the ideal of racial purity. It is not surprising that many, on a subconscious level, anticipating evil, even before the formation of the Third Reich, began to think about emigration.

Those who had a hand in its creation could not help but guess about its meaning. But for them, he, perhaps, was only a cunning magical device capable of collecting, like a lens, the energy of people who had risen under the banner of the fascist empire. And then they planned to use (and used) for their own, only they understood purposes.

Sacred bird of Wotan

The coat of arms of modern Germany depicts a black eagle with widely spread wings. And this is by no means a relic of the dark fascist past. This symbol has accompanied the formation of this country since much more ancient times.

If the raven personified the magical side of the main German god Wotan, then the eagle is his warrior spirit. And the bird of prey had such significance not only in Germany.

The researcher of the heritage of the northern tribes, Guido von List, suggested that the eagle was a symbol of solar energy among the ancient Armanist and Aryan peoples.

The closest of them - the ancient Greeks - this bird was well known and revered as the king of the heavenly world. She was considered the embodiment of the will of Zeus, because the eagles flew only on his orders. Therefore, there was a fortune-telling according to their flight, while the decisive choice was from which side and how many birds would fly past a person.

The eagle became a full-fledged imperial symbol in Rome. The standards of the pillars of power of the holy city - the legions - were crowned with eagle wings. Losing him in battle was considered not only a sign of cowardice, but also a manifestation of disrespect for the god Jupiter (the Roman counterpart of Zeus).

Therefore, when the soldiers retreated without a command, the standard-bearer (which in the Roman infantry was called signifer, from the name of the banner - signum) threw it at the enemy. Then the whole legion turned around and fought until they won their mark or died. Deprived of eagle wings, he accelerated, but before that, death awaited every tenth private. This cruel military rite was called decination.

Even in the Andes far from Europe, the eagle was revered as a sacred bird of the sun. Many tribes distant from each other perceived it as a symbol of the cosmic order, the embodiment of the bright heavenly forces.

The Aztecs, who worshiped the sun, had a ritual of sacrificing captives to the eagle. They cut out their hearts with a wide flint knife and stretched them upwards, as if attracting the attention of birds. Acceptance of a gift by a royal bird was considered a good sign, when a predator flew from heaven to feast on fresh meat.

The ritual is very reminiscent of the legend of Prometheus, known from Greek mythology. His liver, by order of Zeus, was pecked every day by a mighty eagle. Thus, the bird of prey could play an important role in male cults and initiations, when the boys were symbolically reborn as full members of the community.

The warriors of the Indians of North America also called themselves eagles. The connection with the spirit of an aggressive bird was symbolized by tail feathers, which could only be worn by those who performed a military feat. They believed that after death, the souls of warriors who died in battle became demigods and flew to heaven in the form of an eagle.

This predator is also known to Indian shamans. When they want to make rain, they turn to the eagle totem. His appearance takes on a thundercloud in order to move faster across the sky and strike the earth with lightning.

In Indian myths, the keeper of the universe, Vishnu, has the sacred bird Garuda. She has the head and wings of an eagle, so she flies at the speed of light and carries the god on her during his wanderings around the world.

According to legend, when she was born, she shone so brightly that the gods at first mistook her for the fire god Agni. The wings of Garuda are so strong that the wind they raise can slow down the rotation of the world. It is on it that Vishnu goes into battle against the evil demons - asuras.

We can stop a little and make a few generalizations. Firstly, in all the above myths and legends, the eagle is a regal bird. If he is not directly connected with the supreme god, then he is easy to find among the devoted magical assistants.

The next common point is its solar nature. Indeed, the eagle flies higher than most birds, almost touching the sun (or so it might have seemed to our ancestors). Therefore, sometimes, for example, in Iranian myths, the luminary is represented in the form of this bird.

Another feature that adds a lot of interest to the magical image of an eagle is the extraordinary vigilance of a winged predator. She easily turned into insight, and then turned into wisdom.

But the latter, in contrast to the calm, thoughtful experience, had the character of an instantaneous intuition, more necessary in battle than in peacetime. Although Faust, in order to survey the diversity of the world from a bird's eye view, took advantage of his wings.

This makes the eagle a military bird, introducing into its image an additional meaning of power and swiftness. It corresponds to the destructive, bloodthirsty spirit of battle. It is no coincidence that this predator often appears over the battlefields during the battle, while after it is over, only corpse-eaters - vultures and crows - dominate them.

In one of the propaganda posters from the time of Nazi Germany, an eagle takes off from a cliff, breaking the chains that chained him to the stones. This picture, according to the creators, was supposed to symbolize the awakening Aryan spirit of the German people. In this case, chains meant either the intrigues of a world conspiracy, or their own ignorance.

However, in most of the images, including the coat of arms, this bird had a different pose: wings spread out to the sides with sword-like feathers, claws wide apart, and an open beak. With all her appearance, she expressed increased aggressiveness, readiness to attack or defend herself.

Such an image is very characteristic of an empire striving for territorial acquisitions. Even if she does not actually encroach on foreign lands, her position in the region will certainly be dominant. Instead of taking over, you can always limit yourself to spreading your influence.

When Hitler came to power, he changed the flag, but the coat of arms and the main symbol of the country did not change. Apparently, they perfectly corresponded to his plans and did not interfere with other signs at all. The most famous combination of an eagle and a swastika appeared in the badge of the Wehrmacht - the German army: a bird spreading its wings holds in its claws a wreath of oak leaves, which encloses a cross with curved ends.

It is necessary to say a few words about another important symbol of Germany - the oak. The leaves of this tree are part of the unofficial symbols of the country, and are also represented on the coats of arms of many aristocratic families.

As a symbol of statehood, oak has long been known. Due to its size, it easily stood out from other trees, and its longevity (over 300 years) has made it synonymous with stability and strength.

Since ancient times, its wood has been an excellent material for shields and other items that must be durable and not let the owner down. Its bark contains tannins, which make it possible to dress the skin. Its decoction is also used in folk medicine.

But this is not the most important thing. For the esoteric circles of Germany, it was much more important that the ancestors of the Germans had long attributed magical powers to oaks.

Many researchers of the past paid attention to the fact that the Gallic tribes had no other sanctuaries, except for the forbidden forests and groves that were considered inviolable. There the Druid priests offered sacrifices at the roots of the most spreading tree. The very word "druid", by the way, is translated from Old Norse as "oak".

It was considered a symbol of Odin, and captives dedicated to this god were hung from its branches. According to the beliefs of the Gauls and Germans, in him, as in the "first among the aces", military strength, a strong spirit and magical energy converged.

The oak staff served the druids as both a magic wand and a rather dangerous weapon. Later, a similar object would also appear in the rite of the New Templars. However, among the mystics of Germany of the 20th century, this tree was most revered by Guido von List.

His "Armanenshaft", which will be described in more detail below, was, according to the creator, the restoration of secret knowledge that the German priest-kings once possessed. Their magic was based on the unknown properties of plants and natural elements. Oak played in the rituals the role of the beginning of collecting and harmonizing all others.

The wreath of oak leaves, according to Liszt, was the oldest symbol of power in Germany. Christianity has forgotten the meaning of this tree, but it has come down to our days in folk tales and on the emblems of ancient families, which List considered the descendants of those forced to hide and resort to the secret symbols of the Druid priests.

In the alchemical tradition, the oak corresponds to the earth element. This emphasizes its fundamental importance in the transformations of matter, and gives occultists another reason to assert that alchemists partially borrowed their knowledge from magicians who had long disappeared from Europe.

Both the eagle and the oak wreath were not, unlike the swastika or the Nazi flag, innovations of the ideologues of the Third Reich.

But it should be noted that they very accurately fit into the realities of that time and interacted favorably with other signs. This really makes us think about the dormant forces for the time being, which are embodied in a symbolic series and only occasionally, in special eras, come to the surface.

Rune use

Ancient signs at all times aroused great interest. According to many people who are searching for lost knowledge, it is through studying them that one can gain a wealth of hidden mystical meaning.

During the Renaissance, the language and writing of antiquity were rediscovered. Later, with the advent of the culture of romanticism, Europeans aroused interest in their original texts and forgotten traditions and legends of their ancestors.

Behind the runes (this is how the letters of the Scandinavian alphabet were called), in addition to fixing information, three more important functions have traditionally been assigned. These were divination, cryptography and, of course, magic. Although these signs have not been used for everyday writing since the early Middle Ages, in the three areas listed above, they have retained their original meaning.

The oldest meaning of the word "rune" is "mystery". This fact alone shows that symbols were used primarily for mystical purposes, and only secondarily as elements of writing. Subsequently, the researchers called the earliest alphabet the elder runes.

It originated among the Germanic and Norwegian tribes and consisted of 24 characters. Like the Greek word "alphabet", formed from the names of the first letters of the series, the sequence of older runes is called Futhark.

All runes are traditionally divided into three groups, called attas (translated from the Old Norse "att" - "genus"). Each of them is dedicated to a specific deity. The first att bears the name of the gods - the patrons of the hearth of Freyr and Freya. the second is the guardian of the gods Heimdal, and the third is the god of war Thor.

Within the Futhark, each rune was defined by its own meaning, more or less stable. But in mythological terms, it corresponded to a special patron or sacred object. In addition, she was responsible for one or another trait of a human character, color, gem and a natural phenomenon, which could be called with its help.

Another layer of its meaning could be discovered from the adjacent signs. Various combinations carried either a favorable or, on the contrary, harmful character for a person practicing witchcraft. The ability to use all sorts of options for compiling runes in spells was considered a very valuable art among the Germans and Scandinavians.

We will only give a brief description of the Futhark elements. It will also be necessary to mention divination methods, since they were actually used during the Second World War to reveal the plans of the Allies. And finally, the runes were included as an integral element in the symbols of the Third Reich and were chosen for this purpose not at all by chance.

"Feu" is the first rune, the magical meaning of which is mainly associated with material values. She can help overcome need, but she will not do it like a magic wand. A bag of money, of course, will not fall from heaven at the feet of the afflicted, but the chance of finding a job with the help of this rune increases.

Wise older women advise young women to use this sign to harmonize relations with the opposite sex. Since the patroness of this rune is the Scandinavian goddess of love Freya, she helps to bewitch the chosen one. But one should not hope that "feu" is able to improve the emotional sphere of a person: the connection with the material world is decisive for her.

In addition, it is associated with the management of internal energy - vril - and attracts various sorcerers and especially witches, because this rune is female. As part of a spell, it is able to enhance the effect of the entire combination, therefore it is repeated in many rituals even several times.

The next rune of the big Futhark is "Urus". In mythology, it corresponds to the sacred spring Urd, which gives wisdom and strength. In addition, prophetic powers are not alien to her, since three elder norns live at the roots of the source, who, like the parks in Greek mythology, determine people's fate. This is what determines its magical meaning, makes it a sign of invincible vitality.

The rune "Urus" also personifies the original unity of the male and female principles. In Chinese mysticism, the yin and yang symbols play a similar role. In spells, this rune acts as an energy generator, and during healing it is able to transfer fresh strength to a weakened patient.

By its nature, "urus" is a good tool for resolving difficult situations. This rune both calms and gives stability to what is happening. And in case difficult situation too long, helps to find the right and energetic course of action.

"Turisa" is a rune that was used in many cases, although it was believed that it introduces an evil inclination into the spell. She helped when a person needed to find peace or bring the world order elements.

Its name is translated from Old Norse as "giant, jotun", but also as "magician", "demiurge". After all, according to legends, it was the giants who were the first creators of the world. On the one hand, the rune is associated with Thor, a good giant serving the aces, and is his magic hammer Mjolnir, and on the other, it personifies the evil ice giants of grimturs.

Such duality predetermines the transitional meaning of this rune. According to Guido von List, in Armanist rituals, it meant initiation, a mystical test, after which the warrior realized his destiny.

The fourth rune of the Futhark - "as" - is one of the most important in the entire series. After all, it represents the name of a god and is directly related to the god Odin - the first among the aces. In addition, she embodies precisely Hroft the shaman, that is, the magical aspect of his power.

In the mythical tradition, this rune is associated with Gulvi, the legendary brave warrior. It is to him that the “Speech of the High One” (that is, Wotan) is addressed. He has achieved power, but to become truly great, he will have to learn magical secret writing.

Therefore, the meaning of this symbol can be defined as initiative. But unlike the previous "as" means spiritual initiation. This rune means the inspired speech of the skald, coming from above, as well as intuition, which was also considered a gift from the gods.

If you look closely, the rune resembles a man who stretched out his arms in a downward direction towards the crowd, to which he addresses from a dais. When creating magic, it was used as a speech enhancer, giving it firmness and persuasiveness. It is possible that it was also used by Hitler in his public speaking as one of the passes.

"Raido" according to ancient German beliefs was considered the rune of the path. Amulets with her image were considered the best way to protect the wanderer from trouble on the road.

In addition, it corresponds to the cosmic chariot (the Sun), moving in a circle and ordering the primordial chaos. Modern esotericism calls such cycles the breath of the Universe, which adds an energy aspect to the sign. It was also used as an auxiliary in rituals, since the main task of the latter was to restore cosmic integrity.

Psychologically, "raido" means constant change. As the line of the horizon constantly eludes the person approaching it, so the road runs forward, never ending. Therefore, the one to whom it falls during fortune-telling needs to be patient.

The next rune - "kena" - corresponds to inspiration. But unlike "as", it does not mean lightning-fast insight, but creative energy. Therefore, "kena" was considered especially favorable for craftsmen and artists.

In any craft, from the point of view of the ancients, there was something of magic. Under the auspices of the rune "kena" are all mystics and occultists. Since its name is translated as "torch", it symbolizes knowledge leading out of the darkness of ignorance.

IN German from this root comes the verb kennen, meaning "to know, to be able." And in English, it is close in sound to a word with a similar meaning, but with an additional sense of power.

In mythology, it corresponds to Muspelheim - the habitat of fiery giants. Its particle is also in the fire, but the evil shade of "ken" acquires in combination with strong runes, just as, turning into a forest fire, the fire brings destruction. It is no coincidence that in the Tarot cards this sign in an inverted position corresponds to the fifteenth lasso - the Devil.

The rune "gebo" is absent in the younger Futhark. In writing, it is similar to the Latin letter "x", but in writing it denoted the sound "g". Its meaning corresponds to the content of the word "gift". It should be remembered that the gift had a more serious meaning in ancient times. In one of his speeches, Odin advises people to give each other more different things, which is a great reason for friendship.

In addition to generosity, she also personifies the connection, the connection of two principles. Rune researcher Harold Blum considered it a symbol of marriage, including in the sense of "alchemical marriage" - the merging of entities to obtain a new substance. Therefore, in magic spells, it is responsible for the formation of the unity of opposites.

On the other hand, the act of giving is associated with a duty: to receive a guest and give him a gift was considered a sacred duty of the host, and avoiding this ceremony often led to bloody battles. Like prizes, getting valuable items is associated with fame and fortune in a duel.

From the point of view of magical thinking, the item bears a particle of the power that belonged to its former owner. That's why primitive was afraid to pick up an unfamiliar thing - what if it used to belong to a sorcerer and is capable of harming the new owner? On the contrary, when dividing the spoils of war, the leader, giving each his share, also shared part of his heroic strength.

The last rune of the first atta is "wunjo". It symbolizes the final (but not final, since the symbolic series is not finished yet) and victory. It is traditionally associated with a holiday, joy, positive energy.

Medieval knights, when mentioning this rune, referred to the Holy Grail to explain its meaning. This allows us to conclude that the meaning of "wunjo" also includes elements of a blessing from above.

If this rune falls out during divination, a person will have great luck. All his thoughts will come true easily, it would seem, by themselves. Sorrows will dissipate, and the problems that tormented the soul will recede before the good power of this rune.

In shape, it resembled a weather vane, so it was also associated with change. Naturally, since the sign is generally positive, these were changes for the better. In addition, this symbol, standing last in the earthly atta, marked the end of earthly affairs and easy death in old age.

The next row opens the hagal rune. It is interpreted very ambiguously by various Futhark experts. After the completion of the first atta, destruction occurs, and the cosmic forces of primordial chaos come into play.

In mythology, this sign corresponds to Ragnarok - the end of the world, predicted in the Divination of the Velva. It combines the destructive energy of fire (the "sol" rune) and the cold of ice (the "isa" rune). But, on the other hand, "hagal" personifies more ancient images of the world.

One of the meanings of the word "hagal" is an egg. Researchers see this as a hint at the original state of the cosmos, which is similarly described by the early Christian Gnostics. Hans Herbiger believed that it was in this rune that the knowledge of the ancient Atlanteans about the history of the world was hidden. A multi-layered ice egg (a giant planet) collided with fire (the Sun), resulting in an explosion, which, however, led to the birth of life on Earth. Therefore, "hagal", despite the negative aspect, contains the seeds of the future life. A skilled mage can use this moment to his advantage by using the symbol against the chain of events he wants to break.

The name of the rune "naud" seems to be one of the most cheerful. Not a description in the text of the Elder Edda is accompanied by these words:

Know the runes of beer

to deceive you

wasn't scary!

Put them on the horn

draw on your hand

rune "naud" - on the nail.

The signs of this group are primarily protective functions. They protect their owner from deceit and betrayal.

In addition, they do not allow a person to get drunk too quickly after drinking alcohol or, even worse, drink low-quality or poisoned beer.

However, from the Old Norse language, its name is translated as "need, necessity." It should be understood in two ways. First, it is material need, poverty. But to a knowledgeable person, she brings deliverance from suffering, as the text of the ancient Saxon rune poem tells about this:

A tight bandage will tighten the need for the chest,

but she is able to turn around and help,

if you turn your eyes to her in time.

Another meaning is associated with need as a need for something that does not yet exist. Here we are talking about destructive desires, the culprit of which is the person himself. However, as in the first case, the meaning of the rune can be both destructive and creative. The person meditating on it was asked to direct his thoughts in the right direction and not waste energy in vain.

The next rune - "isa" - from a magical point of view, is one of the most powerful in all of Futhark.

In the mythology of the Celts and Germans, the rune had its own correspondence: the original cold matter, from which later life arose with the help of fire.

Traditionally, in symbolism, fire is seen as a masculine active force, while water is feminine and passive. The first streams of water that emerged from the union of ice and fire - Eligavar, gave birth to the first life - giants-jotuns. From the body of one of them, Odin (himself, by the way, being a giant by origin) creates the world around him.

According to its meaning, "isa" can stop processes, which is why it is considered one of the runes of procrastination. But at the same time, it is not without an element of destruction, because the cooled liquid expands and can split the vessel in which it is enclosed from the inside. Also, one should not forget about the enormous power of the avalanche rushing from the mountains.

In the mystical tradition, ice is a symbol of wisdom coming from the depths of centuries. Alchemists showed a special interest in him: this element was considered a "transitional bridge" between the liquid and solid state of matter.

The rune "dzhera" completes a series of symbols, with a touch of negative. Already by the similarity of its name with the English word "jear" one can guess its main meaning - the year, to which is added the additional meaning of the completed cycle and harvest.

For the inhabitants of the harsh North, the fruit-picking season played very great importance. How well the bread was born depended on how the family would survive the winter. Since the year could also be unlucky, the character of the "jer" is changeable: the rune either brings life or takes it away from people.

But they are all links in the same chain. Without failure there is no happiness, and without death there is no life. The main lesson that the symbol of the year teaches is that changes are part of the cosmic cycle, and no one can avoid them. The sign also serves to indicate the result, because in the fall the farmer collects what he sowed in the spring. How much strength and patience he put into his work during the summer, so much will be rewarded to him during the harvest. Therefore, the rune is considered the embodiment of harsh northern justice.

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