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Asun cross,solar cross, orwheel cross is asolar symbol consisting of an equilateralcross inside acircle. The design is frequently found in the symbolism of prehistoric cultures, particularly during theNeolithic toBronze Age periods of European prehistory. The symbol's ubiquity and apparent importance inprehistoric religion have given rise to its interpretation as a solar symbol, whence the modern English term "sun cross" (acalque ofGerman:Sonnenkreuz). The symbol meansvillage in Ancient Egyptian (Gardiner symbol O49).
Prehistoric rock carvings at Madsebakke, onBornholm Island, Denmark, depict multiple sun crosses withcup marks. Thesepetroglyphs date to the Bronze Age (c. 1800–500 BCE) and are among the best-preserved in Scandinavia. The big wheel sun cross, carved directly into granite bedrock, is a circular motif with radial arms – often interpreted as a solar symbol representing the movement of the sun or the cycle of seasons. Around it are cup marks, small carved indentations believed to hold ritual significance, possibly linked to offerings or celestial events. Other locations with similar sun cross motifs and cup-marked stones include:
These carvings are part of a shared Nordic symbolic tradition, emphasizing sun worship, cycles of life, and ancestral rituals. The same symbol is in use as a modernastronomical symbol representing the Earth rather than the sun. Inpharmacy, the sun cross symbol representsvarious/miscellaneous drugs. AfterWorld War II, variants of the symbol became associated withneo-Nazi andwhite supremacist movements.[1][dubious –discuss]
The interpretation of the simple equilateral cross as a solar symbol in Bronze Age religion was widespread in 19th-century scholarship. The cross-in-a-circle was interpreted as a solar symbol derived from the interpretation of the disc of the sun as the wheel of thechariot of thesun god.[2] Wieseler (1881) postulated an (unattested)Gothic runehvel ("wheel") representing the solar deity by the "wheel" symbol of a cross-in-a-circle, reflected by theGothic letterhwair (𐍈).[3]
The English term "sun cross", on the other hand, is comparatively recent, apparently loaned from GermanSonnenkreuz and used in the 1955 translation ofRudolf Koch'sBook of Signs ("The Sun-Cross or Cross ofWotan", p. 94). The German termSonnenkreuz was used in 19th-century scholarly literature of any cross symbol interpreted as a solar symbol, an equilateral cross either with or without a circle, or an oblique cross (saltire).Sonnenkreuz was used of the flag design of thePaneuropean Union in the 1920s.[4] In the 1930s, a version of the symbol with broken arms (resembling a curvedswastika,illustrated below) was popular as a link between Christianity and Germanic paganism in thevölkischGerman Faith Movement.[5]
In theprehistoric religion ofBronze Age Europe, crosses in circles appear frequently on artifacts identified as cult items, for example the "miniature standard" with anamber inlay that shows a cross shape when held against the light, dating to theNordic Bronze Age, held at theNational Museum of Denmark,Copenhagen.[6] The Bronze Age symbol has also been connected with thefour-spokedchariotwheel, which is attested in Bronze Age Scandinavia, Central Europe and Greece (compare theLinear B ideogram 243 "wheel"𐃏). In the context of a culture that celebrated thesun chariot, it may thus have had a "solar" connotation (compare theTrundholm sun chariot).
The same symbol represents the Earth inastronomical symbols, while thesun is represented by a circle with a center point.
TheAtchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad emblem was a cross in a circle with the words "Santa Fe" across the horizontal bar. In this case, the lines making up the cross were much wider than the circle.
The Sacred Hoop akaMedicine Wheel is a similar symbol in widespread use byNative Americans includingPlains Indians and previously byHopewell cultures. Other indigenous peoples also use or used the solar cross on their symbolism and as decoration practices.[citation needed]
TheSassanian Empire inPersia used a similar solar cross on their banner, called theDerafsh Kaviani symbol. TheNorwegianfascist partyNasjonal Samling used a golden sun cross on a red background as an official symbol from 1933 to 1945. The cross with the circle was associated withOlaf II of Norway, patron saint of Norway, and the colors were thecoat of arms of Norway. ThePaneuropean Union, a European unification movement, uses this symbol as central element of its flag.[citation needed]
A square cross interlocking with or surrounded by a circle is one of the most popular symbols used by individuals and organisations to representwhite nationalism,white supremacy,Neo-Nazism, and white pride.[1] In itsCeltic cross form, it is used as the logo for white nationalist websiteStormfront.[1] This stems from the use of a circled cross by Norwegian Nazis during World War II.[citation needed] In New Zealand, the Odin's cross was one of the symbols used by on Brenton Tarrant in theChristchurch mosque shootings.[citation needed]
In Germany, a "stylized" circled cross was adopted by a prohibited political party (VSBD/PdA), leading to a ban of the symbol if used within a context of promoting racism (seeStrafgesetzbuch section 86a). Although there were doubts on the constitutionality of the ban, it was upheld in a decision of the supreme court.[8] In Italy, there is a similar ban based onLegge Mancino (the "Mancino Law", from the Minister of Interior who enacted the law),[9] although there are some examples of the use of the circled cross as a Roman Catholic symbol in Northern Italy.[citation needed]
A similar glyph is used in tool sets to denotePhillips-head screws and screwdrivers.
There is no formalcode point inUnicode for this symbol, though other symbols representing the sun are included. Symbols designed for other purposes, such asU+1F728 🜨ALCHEMICAL SYMBOL FOR VERDIGRIS,U+2295 ⊕CIRCLED PLUS andU+2A01 ⨁N-ARY CIRCLED PLUS OPERATOR, andU+2316 ⌖POSITION INDICATOR are similar.
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there is a wide-spread opinion that the equal-limbed cross is another symbol of the sun. It was, for example, a favorite theory of the lateProfessor Montelius, and has been embraced by many other archaeologists; its wide acceptance is due to an interest in finding a pre-Christian origin of the symbol of Christianity. The disc of the sun was regarded as a wheel; hence the myth that the sun-god drives in a chariot across the heavens.
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