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SS runes (German:SS-Runen) is a generic name given to a collection ofpseudo-runes used by theSchutzstaffel (SS), from the 1920s to 1945, forNazi-occultism purposes. SS runes were featured on flags, uniforms and other items as symbols of various aspects ofNazi ideology andGermanic mysticism. They also represented virtues seen as desirable in SS members and were based onvölkisch mysticGuido von List's pseudo-runicArmanen runes, which he loosely based on the historicalrunic alphabets; however, the SS runes also included other esoteric symbols not borrowed from Armanen runes. Post–World War II, these insignia continue to be used byneo-Nazi individuals and groups.[1]
| Image | Name | Meaning | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Hakenkreuz | Nationalism | TheHakenkreuz ("hook-cross") orswastika symbolised nationality and was used by the SS as an extension of its state use. |
 | Sonnenrad | The Germanic Sun God | Main article:Black Sun (symbol) TheSonnenrad ("sunwheel") or Black Sun represented the Germanic pagan sun god. It consists of a swastika with its hooks swung inwards to make it round.[2]Its esoteric symbology remains unknown. |
 | Sig-Rune | Victory | TheSig-Rune ("Victory rune") orSiegrune symbolised victory (Sieg). The names of theSig-Rune (on which theSiegrune was based)[clarification needed] translate as "sun" (seeSowilo). However, von List reinterpreted it as a victory sign when he compiled his list ofArmanen runes.[3] TheSiegrune was adapted into the emblem of the SS in 1933 byWalter Heck, an SSSturmhauptführer who worked as a graphic designer for Ferdinand Hoffstatter, a producer of emblems and insignia inBonn.[3] Heck's device consisted of twosig runes drawn side by side like lightning bolts (ᛋᛋ; thus sometimes called "SS lightning-bolt runes" and thereof), and was soon adopted by all branches of the SS – though Heck himself received only a token payment of 2.5Reichsmarks for his work.[4] The device[clarification needed] had a double meaning: as well as standing for the initials of the SS, it could be read as a rallying cry of "Victory, Victory!"[3] The symbol became so ubiquitous that it was frequently typeset using runes rather than letters; during the Nazi period, an extra key was added to Germantypewriters to enable them to type the double-sig logo with a single keystroke.[5] |
 | Doppelte Sig-Rune | Schutzstaffel | |
 | Ger-Rune | Communal spirit | TheGer-Rune ("spear") was used to symbolise the communitarian ideal of the SS. The11th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division "Nordland", aWaffen-SS unit, adopted the rune as a variant of its divisional insignia.[4] |
.svg) | Wolfsangel | Liberty and independence | Main article:Wolfsangel TheWolfsangel ("wolf hook") was used as aheraldic symbol alluding to a wolf trap, and is still found on the municipal arms of a number of German towns and cities. It was adopted by a fifteenth-century peasants' uprising, thus acquiring an association with liberty and independence. The Nazi Party adopted the symbol during its early years and it was subsequently widely used by the SS, including by units such as the2nd SS Panzer Division ("Das Reich").A variant of theWolfsangel was used by theWeer Afdeelingen, the paramilitary wing of theNational Socialist Movement in the Netherlands and the34th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division ("Landstorm Nederland"), which was raised[clarification needed] from Dutch Nazis[6] and the4th SS Polizei Panzergrenadier Division. |
.svg) | Wolfsangel (squat)[2] | ||
 | Opfer-Rune | Sacrifice | TheOpfer-Rune ("sacrifice"), analogous to theEif-Rune, is a rotated version of the Eihwaz rune (ᛇ) – preceded the Nazis[clarification needed], as it was first adopted after 1918 byDer Stahlhelm war veterans' movement that eventually merged with theSturmabteilung (SA). The symbol was adopted by the Nazis after 1923 to commemorate the party members who died in Adolf Hitler's failedBeer Hall Putsch.[4] |
 | Eif-Rune | Zeal/enthusiasm | TheEif-Rune ("zeal/enthusiasm"), analoguous to theOpfer-Rune, is a rotated and reflected version of theEihwaz rune (ᛇ). During the early years of the SS it was used byAdolf Hitler's personal adjutants, such asRudolf Hess.[4] |
 | Leben-Rune | Life | Main article:Lebensrune TheLeben-Rune ("life rune"), also known as theLebensrune, was based on the uprightAlgiz runeᛉ and was used by theLebensborn, the SS body responsible for theLebensborn programme which supported the "racially, biologically, and hereditarily valuable families" of SS members and other "Aryans".[4][7] This interpretation of the "man" rune is not based on List,[clarification needed] but it occurs as early as the 1920s in the literature of Germanic mysticism,[8] and it came to be widely used within the Nazi Party and Nazi Germany, e.g. in official prescriptions for the various uniforms of theSturmabteilung.[9] TheYr rune[clarification needed] came to be seen as the "life rune" inverted and interpreted as "death rune" (Todesrune).[clarification needed] During the World War II era, these two runes (ᛉ for "born",ᛦ for "died") came to be used in obituaries and on tombstones as marking birth and death dates, replacing asterisk and cross symbols (* for "born",† for "died") conventionally used in this context in Germany. |
 | Toten-Rune | Death | Main article:Todesrune TheToten-Rune ("death rune") orTodesrune (also justTot) is the inverted version of theLebensrune ("life rune"). It was based on the downturnedAlgiz rune (ᛣ), which existed inElder Futhark as a stylistic choice, later becoming the Norse standard, being renamed inYounger Futhark asÝr, meaning "yew".[10] It was used by the SS to represent death on documents and grave markers in place of the more conventional cross (†) symbol used for such purposes.[4] |
 | Tyr-Rune | Leadership in battle | TheTyr-Rune followed the design of theTiwaz rune (ᛏ) which was named afterTýr, agod inGermanic paganism sometimes associated with war. Based on the link between the historical rune and battle, the SS developed the idea of the insignia as the "Kampf" or battle rune, symbolising military leadership. The SS commonly used it in place of theChristian cross on the grave markers of its members. It was also used by graduates of the SAReichsführerschule, which trained SS officers until 1934; they wore it on their upper-left arms. It was adopted as an emblem by the32nd SS Volunteer Grenadier Division "30 Januar", which was assembled from the members of SS schools in January 1945, as well as by the SS Recruitment and Training Department.[6] |
 | Heilszeichen | Prosperity | TheHeilszeichen ("whole symbol") appeared on the SS death's-head ring and were used to symbolise good fortune and success.[6] |
 | Hagall-Rune | Faith in Nazism | Main article:Hagal (Armanen rune) TheHagall-Rune (borrowed from theArmanen runes) was widely used in the SS for its symbolic representation of "unshakeable faith" in Nazi philosophy, as Himmler put it.[11] It was used in SS weddings as well as on theSS-Ehrenring (death's head ring) worn by members of the SS. The rune was also used as division insignia of the6th SS Mountain Division Nord.It is roughly similar to theHaglaz rune (ᚼ) of the Younger Futhark, which stood for "hail", but it was modified by von List for his Armanen runes. List considered it to be the "mother rune" of his runic alphabet and envisaged it as a representation of a hexagonal crystal.[12] |
 | Odal-Rune | Kinship, family, and blood unity | Main article:Odal (SS rune) TheOdal-Rune was used by the SS to symbolise several values of central importance to Nazi ideology. It was based on theElder Futharkothala rune (ᛟ), with further addition of "feet" or "serifs". During the World War II it was used by the7th SS Volunteer Mountain DivisionPrinz Eugen and the23rd SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Division "Nederland", as well as theSS Race and Settlement Main Office, which was responsible for maintaining the racial purity of the SS.[6] |