The black sun (German: Schwarze Sonne) is a symbol, a type of sun wheel (German: Sonnenrad)[1][2] employed in a post-Nazi Germany context by neo-Nazis, other far-right groups, and some occult subcultures, such as Satanism.
Black Sun Empire are a Dutch drum and bass group that formed in Utrecht, Netherlands in 1997 by producers Rene Verdult and brothers Micha and Milan Heyboer.
The symbol first occurred during Nazi Germany as a design element in a castle remodeled and expanded by Heinrich Himmler which he intended to be a center for the SS. The symbol's design consists of twelve radial sig runes, similar to the symbols employed by the SS in their logo. Whether the symbol had a name or held any particular significance among the SS remains unknown. Its association with the occult concept of the 'black sun', and therefore also its name, developed from the influence of a 1991 German novel Die Schwarze Sonne von Tashi Lhunpo ('The Black Sun of Tashi Lhunpo') by the pseudonymous author Russell McCloud.[3][4]
Wewelsburg mosaic[edit]
In 1933, Heinrich Himmler acquired Wewelsburg, a castle near Paderborn, Germany. Himmler intended to make the structure into a center for the SS, and between 1936 and 1942, Himmler ordered the building expanded and rebuilt for ceremonial purposes.[5]
As a product of Himmler's remodeling, twelve dark-green radially overlaid sig runes, such as those employed in the logo of the SS, appear on the white marble floor of the structure's north tower, the Obergruppenführersaal or 'General's Hall'. The intended significance of the image remains unknown, but the artist may have found inspiration from decorative Merovingian disks (Zierscheibe). According to the historian Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke:
[I]t has been suggested that this twelve-spoke sun wheel derives from decorative disks from the Merovingians of the early medieval period and are supposed to represent the visible sun or its passage through the months of the year. These disks were discussed in scholarly publications during the Third Reich and may well have served the Wewelsburg designers as a model.[3]
The 1991 occult thriller novel Die Schwarze Sonne von Tashi Lhunpo ('The Black Sun of Tashi Lhunpo') by the pseudonymous author Russell McCloud first linked the Wewelsburg mosaic with the neo-Nazi concept of the 'Black Sun',[3][4] invented by former SS officer Wilhelm Landig as a substitute for the Nazi swastika and a symbol for a mystic energy source that was supposed to renew the Aryan race.[6]
Use in Satanism[edit]
Along with other symbols from the Nazi era such as the Wolfsangel, the sig rune, and the totenkopf, the black sun is used by Satanists. According to scholar Chris Mathews:
In defending their use, Satanists draw attention to their historical origins, as most have origins that precede their Nazi application, some stretching centuries back into the past. [Specifically], they adopt the primary iconography of the SS, the Nazi's own elite order. With these symbols, many of the pre-Nazism connections are questionable. Of the numerous permutations of the Wolfsangle, Satanists adopt the form used by the SS and numerous fascist organizations. Likewise, the Totenkopf used in the nineteenth century by the Prussian military was markedly more cartoonish than the SS's Death Head version, which is the version Church of Satan members use. The Black Sun motif is even less ambiguous. Though based on medieval German symbols, the Wewelsburg mosaic is a unique design commissioned specifically for Himmler, and its primary contemporary association is Nazi occultism, for which Nazi Satanic groups and esoteric neo-Nazis adopt it.[7]
According to Mathews, 'Despite the systematic exploitation of ambiguity, any denial that Nazi symbols are being used as Nazi symbols is both disingenuous and unconvincing.'[7]
Neo-Nazism, white nationalism, and the alt-right[edit]
The Black Sun symbol occurs frequently in print publications and on websites associated with Nazi occult circles[5] and other right-wing extremist groups,[8] in which context it is also called a sun wheel or Sonnenrad.[9][10][11]
The symbol has been used by neo-Nazi, neo-völkisch, alt-right, and white nationalist groups, such as Vanguard America-Texas during the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia,[12][13] the Australian neo-Nazi group Antipodean Resistance,[11] and the Azov Battalion, a Ukrainian movement, originally a military regiment,[14] widely associated with neo-fascism and neo-Nazism.[15]
The symbol was used on the cover of the Christchurch mosque shooter's manifesto, and was engraved on the guns used in the attack.[16]
In popular culture[edit]
In 2018, the symbol appeared on merchandise for Colombian pop singer Shakira's El Dorado World Tour.[17] According to Live Nation Entertainment, 'The necklace Live Nation designed for Shakira's 'El Dorado World Tour' was based on pre-Columbian imagery ... However, some fans have expressed concern that the design bears an unintentional resemblance to neo-Nazi imagery. We sincerely apologize for this inadvertent similarity and have permanently pulled the item from the tour collection'.[18]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Grumke, Thomas; Wagner, Bernd (2002). Handbuch Rechtsradikalismus: Personen — Organisationen — Netzwerke vom Neonazismus bis in die Mitte der Gesellschaft (in German). Opladen: Leske + Budrich. p. 207. ISBN978-3-81-003399-4.
- ^Goodrick-Clarke, Nicholas (2002). Black Sun: Aryan Cults, Esoteric Nazism, and the Politics of Identity. New York University Press. p. 125. ISBN0-81-473124-4.
- ^ abcGoodrick-Clarke (2002), p. 148.
- ^ abStrube, Julian (2015). 'Nazism and the Occult'. In Partridge, Christopher (ed.). The Occult World. Abingdon, UK: Routledge. p. 339. ISBN978-0-41-569596-1.
- ^ abGoodrick-Clarke (2002), pp. 148–150.
- ^Goodrick-Clarke (2002), p. 3.
- ^ abMathews, Chris (2009). Modern Satanism: Anatomy of a Radical Subculture. Westport, Conn.: Praeger. p. 153. ISBN978-0-313-36639-0.
- ^Grumke & Wagner (2002), p. 219.
- ^'Sonnenrad'. Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
- ^'Deconstructing the symbols and slogans spotted in Charlottesville'. The Washington Post. 18 August 2017.
- ^ abNathan, Julie (20 April 2018). 'Antipodean Resistance: The Rise and Goals of Australia's New Nazis'. ABC Religion & Ethics. Australian Beroadcasting Corporation.
- ^Porter, Tom (13 August 2017). 'Who are the White Nationalist Groups that Demonstrated in Charlottesville?'. Newsweek.
- ^'Flags and Other Symbols Used By Far-Right Groups in Charlottesville'. Hatewatch. Southern Poverty Law Center. 12 August 2017.
- ^Colborne, Michael (10 April 2019). 'The Christchurch shooting, Eastern Europe's far-right and a 'cherry-picked reading of history''. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
- ^Luhn, Alec (30 August 2014). 'Preparing for War With Ukraine's Fascist Defenders of Freedom'. Foreign Policy.
- ^Dearden, Lizzie (16 March 2019). 'New Zealand attack: How nonsensical white genocide conspiracy theory cited by gunman is spreading poison around the world'. The Independent. Archived from the original on 16 March 2019.
- ^Schumacher, Elizabeth (19 June 2018). 'Shakira selling Nazi-like trinket for El Dorado tour'. Deutsche Welle.
- ^Park, Andrea (22 June 2018). 'Live Nation apologizes after Shakira's merchandise features Nazi imagery'. CBS News.
External links[edit]
- Media related to Black Sun (occult symbol) at Wikimedia Commons
Film Trailer: Batman (1989)
Jack Nicholson as The Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman.Source:Supplied
JACK Nicholson’s portrayal of the Joker in Batman was universally praised by critics with The Hollywood Reporter writing at the time, “It is difficult to imagine any other actor performing this character as well”.
But Nicholson wasn’t director Tim Burton’s first preference to play the villain in the 1989 movie, according to John Lithgow.
The 3rd Rock from the Sun star told Vulture that he was originally offered the role but turned it down, a career move he thoroughly regrets.
“I have never told anyone this story, but I tried to persuade him [Tim Burton] I was not right for the part, and I succeeded,” Lithgow said.
“I didn’t realise it was such a big deal. About a week later I heard they were going after Robin Williams and Jack Nicholson.”
John Lithgow at the 2017 Tony Awards.Source:AFP
And Lithgow is spot on. The producers did indeed chat to Robin Williams about playing the Joker but they had an ulterior motive for doing so.
As Comic Book Legends Revealed wrote in 2014, they approached Williams “only to compel Jack Nicholson into taking the role ... It worked, as Nicholson quickly signed on after they started talks with Williams”.
Williams was a huge Batman fan and he was understandably angry about being used as a pawn in negotiations.
Speaking to Empire in 2010, Williams said: “The Batman films have screwed me twice before. Years ago they offered me the Joker and then gave it to Jack Nicholson, then they offered me the Riddler and gave it to Jim Carrey.”
Both Lithgow and Williams missed out on a huge payday. Jack Nicholson was paid $6 million for playing the Joker but also negotiated a percentage of the film’s profits and merchandise sales.
Jack Nicholson Movie List
According to Entertainment Weekly, Nicholson eventually walked away with more than $50 million.
Jack Nicholson News
Jack Nicholson as the Joker and Michael Keaton as Batman.Source:News Corp Australia