Norse Mythology and Nazi
Propaganda
Home Norse Mythology and
Nazi Propaganda
September 6, 2017
By Aidan Neher
Carleton College
Introduction
November 1918, World War I ended. With the signing
of the Treaty of Versailles, the German Empire was replaced with the Weimar
Republic. Portions of Germany were gifted to its neighbors, heavy reparations
were imposed and democracy was forced.[1] Burdened
with war reparations, Germany’s economy worsened, unemployment grew and
starvation became common.[2] The
country’s people, searching for direction, turned to various forms of extreme
nationalism, and war veteran Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party rode the wave of
nationalistic fervor and took control. By eliminating all other political
parties, censoring the media and imprisoning political opponents, Hitler and
the Nazis quickly established a totalitarian regime known as the Third Reich
before instigating World War II with the invasion of Poland.[3] Throughout
the Third Reich, Hitler and the Nazis aimed to create a “neo-pagan ‘religion of
the blood’ with Adolf Hitler as the godlike figure at its heart” to unify
Germanic and “Aryan” peoples about a common past.[4] Heinrich
Himmler, head of the SS and the second most powerful person in Germany for much
of the war, was the main founder of this new German sect and chiefly
contributed to the misappropriation of certain Norse myths and symbols to Nazi
ideologies.[5] Evidenced
by the ban of Norse symbols, such as the swastika, sig-rune and wolfsangel, in
Germany, a stigma surrounds the study of Norse mythology.[6] Examining
World War II Nazi propaganda rooted in Scandinavian myths and symbols sheds
light on the tragedy that is the scholarly avoidance of Viking myths and
symbols.
This essay aims to briefly discuss the
misappropriation of Norse mythology by the Nazis, which is exemplified in eight
carefully composed posters. These cases have been categorized based on four
themes that have combined to socially stigmatize Norse mythology for years
after the war. The first two posters (artifacts 1 and 2) pair the Third Reich’s
specialized SS military personnel alongside noble-looking Vikings to portray
the SS as honorable and effective soldiers.[7] The
second two posters (artifacts 3 and 4) liken Nazi Germany’s expansion during
World War II to that of their Viking ancestors between 700 and 1000 AD via
popularized images of Viking ships in order to promote Nazi Germany’s expansion
as predestined.[8] Next,
to suggest a common past between Scandinavian countries and Germany, the third
pair (artifacts 5 and 6) directly associates Nazism with images of certain
Viking mythological tales.[9] The
final pair (artifacts 7 and 8) also provokes associations between Nazism and
aspects of Viking mythology but focuses specifically upon the winter leading up
to the Vikings’ judgment day, Ragnarok.[10] Of
course, Norse mythology does not objectively support Nazi ideologies. Viking
myths, sagas and symbols had extremely different meanings and connotations
before the Nazis rose to power. In this essay, comparisons given between Nazi
propaganda and Viking history are meant to distance Nazism from Viking
mythology and consequently encourage the study of Viking history.
The SS: Viking
reincarnates
The proceeding pair of images (artifacts 1 and 2)
shows the SS, Nazi Germany’s elite military branch, together with Norse
warriors and ships. Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS, was a devoted occultist
who, taken with Hinduism’s caste system and belief in reincarnation, carried a
copy of the Bhagavad-Gita with him on his
travels; he also led a search for the “Aryan Holy Grail.”[11] Working
together with Karl Maria Willigut, who thought himself descended from the Norse
god Thor and was known as “Himmler’s Rasputin,” Himmler seemingly aimed to
ignite Germany’s intense nationalism with a new “religion of blood.”[12] While
not entirely convinced by Himmler’s mixture of paganism and racialism,
propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels nonetheless valued the lore as a tool for
promoting the war effort.[13] The
propaganda posters in this essay’s proceeding discussion clearly demonstrate
Goebbels’ desire to base the Nazi war effort on a common, Norse foundation. The
Nazi propaganda addressing “Nordmenn” (artifact 1) is meant to recruit fresh
soldiers, asking Norwegian volunteers to “fight for Norway.”[14] It
depicts a soldier from the SS next to a ghost-like image of a Norse warrior.
The two similarly don determined facial expressions as they stare into the
distance to create the façade that both warriors have similar, predestined and
noble goals. Visually pairing the SS soldier with the Norse warrior was meant
to define Himmler’s SS soldiers as the time period’s elite warriors. Next, the
“SS-Dagen 1943” poster (artifact 2) from Oslo displays a member of the SS
holding a sword and shield above a Viking ship manned with a full crew.[15] Meant
to promote celebration of SS day, the imagery of this poster also holds up SS
members as mythical beings, seemingly prepared to carry out a fate-driven plan.
(Artifacts 1 and 2)
One aspect neglected thus far is the prominence of
two symbols used in the Viking Age that have since been strongly associated
with Nazi ideologies. The first, the swastika, is emblazoned on the front of
the Norse shield in Artifact 2. This specific image of a swastika has curved
ends instead of the more familiar right-angled ones. This could be classified
more specifically as the sonnenrad, or sunwheel swastika, which was the Old
Norse representation of the sun that was donned much later on the uniforms of
Waffen-SS Scandinavian divisions ‘Wiking’ and ‘Nordland.’[16] Popular
amongst Germanic, Norse and Anglo-Saxon people and others throughout the globe,
the swastika is much older than the Nazi party.[17] Scholars
believe that the symbol had several meanings between early societies, but none
promoted the radical ideological values the Nazis attributed to it.
Specifically within Norse society, the well-known version of the swastika is
believed to have signified Thor’s spinning hammer and the sound of thunder
while the sonnenrad, sunwheel swastika, symbolized the sun.[18] Found
on weapons and scabbards, temples and burial sites, the swastika acted as a
multicultural, ritualistic source of power and inspiration.[19] In
contrast, Hitler explained the swastika in Mein Kampf as a
symbol for the mission of “the struggle for the victory of Aryan mankind.”[20] His
and the rest of the Nazi party’s use of the swastika as a symbol for their
violent movement based on the interests of one ethnic group ignores the
symbol’s multicultural and wholesome origins. The unbreakable bond the Nazis
drew between them and the swastika instigated its ban in many institutions
today.[21] The
second commonly recognized symbol prominent in these posters is the Norse sig
rune, which was used as the letter “S” in many runic inscriptions.[22] Instead,
in 1931, graphic designer and SS-Sturmführer Walter Heck, while employed by a
badge-manufacturing firm, drew two sig-runes side by side.[23] The
SS then paid him 2.50 Reichsmarks for the rights to his design and renamed the
Norse sig rune siegrune (victory rune).[24] Wherefrom
the symbol has, similar to the swastika, become synonymous with Nazi
ideologies.
This misappropriation has led to the symbols being
banned in Germany, as well as some scholars and schools avoiding research of
the symbols’ histories for fear of stigma.[25] Such
stigma contributes to false but popular myths about the Vikings. The fact that
myths such as the Vikings preceding the Romans and the Vikings wearing horns on
their helmets are generally accepted testifies to the mass ignorance of the
Vikings’ character and lore.[26] Thus,
conscious efforts must be made to segregate Norse history and mythology from
Nazi ideologies to encourage study of the influential culture.
Germanic history and
fate
This section’s posters (artifacts 3 and 4) both
emphasize images of the prototypical Viking ship.[27] The
“Nordmannafolket” poster (artifact 3) shows the bow of a ship alongside a
compass and a map. While the imagery of Artifact 3 does not directly reference
the Nazis, it performs work similar to other, more obvious examples of Nazi
propaganda in Scandinavia during World War II. Artifact 3 was an advertisement
for an exhibition in Oslo meant to remind Scandinavians of their naval
pioneering during the Viking Age.[28] Meanwhile,
Artifact 4 shows a member of the SS accepting a recruit in front of another
Viking ship.[29] This
image of the SS accepting recruits for its voyage was meant to recruit
Norwegian volunteers for the Waffen-SS (a special SS regiment composed of
German and foreign volunteers) and the Norwegian legion to travel east, like
their Viking forefathers, to fight Bolshevism.[30] The
aim of artifacts 3 and 4 draw parallels to the manner with which United States’
officials purported the concept of Manifest Destiny to encourage expansion
westward to the Pacific Ocean.
Members within the Nazi hierarchy intended to
instill belief in its citizens that their war for expansion was predestined.
(Artifacts 3 and 4)
Additionally, the Nazis attempted to convey the
Norse people as a united people who worked together to conquer and settle.
Their version of Norse history, however, neglects the heterogeneous climate of
Europe during the years of Viking expansion. Diverse environments segregated
peoples geographically, preventing the establishment of expansive nations.[31] Early,
local chieftains independently ruled small Viking communities. While rulers of
more organized kingdoms arose eventually in Denmark, Norway and Sweden,
nationalist sentiments remained low.[32] Regional
differences and needs frequently caused conflict amongst Scandinavians despite
the fact that they shared similar language and religious beliefs. Furthermore,
Viking colonies abroad (e.g. Iceland) generally did not report to a king back
home as most colonies arose from people seeking freedom from political and
religious oppression at home.[33] Note
that the peoples who lived within the borders of 20th century Germany during
the Viking Age have not been mentioned yet. Infertile soils of southern Jutland
acted as a natural buffer zone between the German peoples to the south and the
Scandinavians to the north.[34] While
there is evidence of similar religious and language origins, the mostly
land-locked Germanic tribes did not partake in the naval expansion along with
the Vikings of Scandinavia. Germans, thus, do not fit quite as nicely into the
Viking motif. Most of the popularized raiders and settlers instead came from
lands that are now Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Flaws thus exist in the
Nazis’ use of Norse ships as symbols for predestined fate and unified past and
ignore the fact that the Germans were not directly involved in the rapid Viking
expansion.
Viking myths and
symbols
Since the middle ages, the Vikings have been
regularly portrayed as cruel, cunning and of “super-human stature.”[35] One
myth that has consistently provoked debate amongst scholars is the level of violence
used by Vikings, particularly against the Church.[36] The
biases of the literate monks writing these sources must be taken into account
and compared to archaeological finds. Another factor limiting general knowledge
of the Vikings is the stigma of the field that has been created by Nazi
propaganda. The bond forged between Norse mythology and Nazism by Nazi
propaganda is demonstrated in the proceeding two posters (artifacts 5 and 6).[37] Artifact
5 includes a Norse sword and shield combatting a red wolf to warn the public of
impending danger. The red wolf is meant to symbolize the menacing Soviets to
the East but could also be an allusion to the wolf Fenrir, son of Loki, who is
a key character in two Norse stories. In the first, Fenrir was brought up in
the home of the gods, Asgard, but he grew so large and fierce that only the god
Tyr dared to feed him. Fenrir became so fearsome that dwarfs, guided by Odin’s
wisdom, forged a chain to restrain him. The wolf believed the chain not a
threat; nonetheless, he did not allow the gods to place it on him until someone
placed his hand between his jaws. Brave Tyr did so, losing his hand but
restraining the wolf.[38] The
actions and consequences of the binding of the wolf provide more credence to
the allusion to Fenrir in Artifact 5. The Nazis wanted their citizens to
believe the Soviets were a grave threat that would bite if not put down
properly. The second Norse story in which Fenrir plays a key role is that of
Ragnarok. Ragnarok, preceded by a period of bitter winter and great wars, is
the Norse faith’s judgment day. In it, Fenrir advances with “his great gaping
jaws filling the gap between earth and sky” along with the mischievous Loki,
the great serpent and the giants to do battle with the gods and men.[39] Death
consumes the world as the wolf devours Odin before the wolf is slain by the
young god Vidar. The sea finally engulfs the world before Odin’s son Balder
rises again to lead the worlds into a new age.[40] Again,
Fenrir’s role in Norse mythology parallels the aims of Nazi propaganda in
Scandinavia. The Nazis professed that if the Soviets were not sufficiently
repressed, they would rise like Fenrir to kill. This allusion by the Nazis to
Norse mythology in their propaganda has regrettably fostered greater
association between Nazism and Viking lore.
(Artifacts 5 and 6)
Artifact 6 contains another intriguing appropriation
of Norse mythology.[41] The
poster displays a god-like Norwegian figure fighting against “our country’s
enemies”: murder, sabotage, terror and the red front. One striking
characteristic of the figure presented is his lack of protection in the heat of
battle. The Norse berserks who in a god-fueled frenzy did not feel the bite of
steel possibly inspired the imagery used in Artifact 6.[42] The
character, similar to Norse berserks, seems to be protected by the gods’
blessings instead of physical armor to purport Norwegian involvement with the
Nazis as righteous.[43] Representations
of Norse mythology in Nazi propaganda further tabooed the study of Norse
mythology, contributing to the public’s illiteracy in Norse stories and
religion.[44]
Men of the north
The last two images (artifacts 7 and 8) demonstrate
themes mentioned earlier in this essay while also introducing another motif
meant to further the association between the Nazis with the Norse.[45] Artifact
7 on the left displays a soldier from the SS in front of a background of cold,
icy mountains. Similar to Artifacts 1 and 2, the soldier is gazing into the
distance, possibly focused on the future. In addition, the soldier has a
swastika and a sig rune emblazoned on his uniform. As mentioned previously, the
use of these symbols served to unite the Germans and Scandinavians under one,
nearly religious cause. The major feature lacking from the previous six posters
but present in these two is the mountains in the background. Ice and snow atop
the peaks serve to remind the citizens of Nazi occupied Scandinavia of their
similar climates and environments. Appropriation of such mountains to Nazi
propaganda helps promote unity amongst men of the north because climate and
available natural resources greatly impact historical cultural values.
(Artifacts 7 and 8)
Similar to Artifact 7, Artifact 8 presents cold
mountains.[46] Artifact
8 does so more mystically, however, with a starry sky to represent the heavens.
The poster depicts three large, icy peaks dominating the background with three
swords held upright in the foreground, displaying insignias from each of the
three “Nordic” nations: Norway, Nazi Germany, and Finland. As with Artifact 7,
the cold mountain imagery could remind northern countries of their common
environments. Perhaps the mountains in this poster, in conjunction with the
stars and swords, are intended to join three nations around a supposedly common
Norse heritage in the fight “for frihet” (for freedom). Artifact 8’s combined
imagery prompts association with themes key to the Norse myth Ragnarok and the
long and bitter winter that precedes it.[47] Thus,
tall, icy peaks could symbolize the looming judgment day on which Norway, Nazi
Germany, and Finland must unite as the gods did at Ragnarok to combat evil
forces. Similar to the red wolf and the shirtless warrior in Artifacts 5 and 6,
the icy images in Artifact 7 and 8 provoke associations between Nazi Germany
with Norse mythology.
Conclusion
Economic instability within Germany post-World War
I created a void within the country’s power structures that the Nazis filled.
During their reign, they attempted and succeeded in part to establish the
dominance of a Nordic “Aryan” race via the cruel purge of unwanted peoples, and
in doing so the Nazis misappropriated several Norse myths and symbols. The
eight examples of Nazi propaganda presented in this essay reveal the bending of
Norse mythology for the party’s own needs via clear themes. These themes, common
to other Scandinavian Nazi propaganda, include: determination of Nazi Germany’s
elite SS branch as a mystical reincarnation of the Vikings of old; associations
between Nazi expansion and the Vikings’ expansionary period; and, finally, the
visual comparisons between Nazi ideologies and Viking mythology. These have, in
some instances, antagonistically combined to discourage the study of certain
aspects of Viking mythology by students and scholars. Therefore, while
difficult, Norse mythology and images must be judged independent of the version
venerated by the Nazis to combat the popular ignorance that surrounds Norse
history.
Acknowledgements
First, I would like to recognize Dr. Janis Granger
at DIS Study Abroad in Scandinavia for sparking a strong interest in incredible
Norse myths and sagas and providing critiques to this essay. I would also like
to acknowledge Carleton College for the opportunity to study the Vikings in
Sweden and Denmark during the fall of 2016. Finally, I would like to thank Mats
and Elisabeth Kamryd for generously hosting me and immersing me within
Scandinavian culture.
Bibliography
Coupland, Simon. “The Vikings on the Continent in
Myth and History.” History 88, no.
290 (2003): 186-203.
Davidson, H.R. Ellis. Gods and Myths of Northern
Europe. London: Penguin Books, 1990. Print.
Duke, Selwyn. “Hitler and Christianity: Nazism Was
Not One of the Fruits of Christianity, but of Its Rejection. Adolf Hitler and
His Minions Sought Not to Serve Christ, but to Replace Christ.” The New
American, June 9, 2008. Accessed December 28, 2016. ProQuest.
Haywood, John. The Penguin Historical Atlas of
the Vikings. London: Penguin Books, 1995. Print.
Hitler, Adolf. Mein Kampf. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 1971: 928. Print.
Jones, Gwyn. A History of the Vikings. 2nd
edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 1984. Print.
Lumsden, Robin. Himmler’s SS: Loyal to the
Death’s Head. Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press, 2009. 2013.
Accessed January 11, 2017.
“Norway WW2 Propaganda Collection –
DigitalPosterCollection.” DigitalPosterCollection. N.p., 30 Mar. 2016. Web. 27
Sept. 2016.
Pauley, Bruce F. Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini:
totalitarianism in the twentieth century. 4th ed. Wheeling, IL:
Harlan Davidson, 2015: 48-49.
Schreiber, Mordecai, and Mordecai Paldiel. Explaining the Holocaust: how and why it happened.
Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2015.
“Section 86a: Use of Symbols of Unconstitutional
Organizations”. Criminal Code (Strafgesetzbuch, StGB). German Law Archive, as
promulgated November 13, 1998.
Endnotes
[1] Schreiber, Mordecai, and
Mordecai Paldiel. Explaining the Holocaust: how and why it
happened. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2015: 23.
[2] Ibid. 23.
[3] Pauley, Bruce F. Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini: totalitarianism in the twentieth
century. 4th ed. Wheeling, IL: Harlan Davidson, 2015: 48-49.
[4] Duke, Selwyn. “Hitler and
Christianity: Nazism Was Not One of the Fruits of Christianity, but of Its
Rejection. Adolf Hitler and His Minions Sought Not to Serve Christ, but to
Replace Christ.” The New American, June 9, 2008. Accessed December 28, 2016.
ProQuest.
[5] Ibid.
[6] “Section 86a: Use of
Symbols of Unconstitutional Organizations”. Criminal Code (Strafgesetzbuch,
StGB). German Law Archive, as promulgated November 13, 1998.
[7] “Norway WW2 Propaganda
Collection – DigitalPosterCollection.” DigitalPosterCollection. N.p., 30 Mar.
2016. Web. 27 Sept. 2016.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Duke. “Hitler and
Christianity.”
[12] Ibid.
[13] Ibid.
[14] “Norway WW2 Propaganda
Collection.”
[15] “Norway WW2 Propaganda
Collection.”
[16] Lumsden, Robin. Himmler’s SS: Loyal to the Death’s Head.
Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press, 2009. 2013. Accessed January 11, 2017.
[17] Davidson, H.R.
Ellis. Gods and Myths of Northern Europe. London: Penguin
Books, 1990: 82. Print.
[18] Ibid. 83.
[19] Ibid. 83.
[20] Hitler, Adolf. Hitler, A. Mein Kampf. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin, 1971: 928. Print.
[21] “Section 86a: Use of
symbols.”
[22] Jones, Gwyn. A History of the Vikings. 2nd edition. New York:
Oxford University Press, 1984. Print.
[23] Lumsden, Robin. Himmler’s SS.
[24] Lumsden, Robin. Himmler’s SS.
[25] “Section 86a: Use of
symbols.”
[26] Coupland, Simon. “The
Vikings on the Continent in Myth and History.” History 88,
no. 290 (2003): 186-203.
[27] “Norway WW2 Propaganda
Collection.”
[28] “Norway WW2 Propaganda
Collection.”
[29] Ibid.
[30] Lumsden, Robin. Himmler’s SS.
[31] Jones. A History of the Vikings.
[32] Ibid. 75.
[33] Ibid. 285.
[34] Haywood, John. The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings. London:
Penguin Books, 1995: 16. Print.
[35] Coupland. “The Vikings on
the Continent.”
[36] Ibid.
[37] “Norway WW2 Propaganda
Collection.”
[38] Davidson. Gods and Myths.
[39] Ibid. 37.
[40] Ibid. 38.
[41] “Norway WW2 Propaganda
Collection.”
[42] Davidson. Gods and Myths.
[43] Ibid.
[44] Coupland. “The Vikings on
the Continent.”
[45] “Norway WW2 Propaganda
Collection.”
[46] “Norway WW2 Propaganda
Collection.”
[47] Davidson. Gods and Myths.
Aidan NeherNazi GermanyVikingsWWII
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