However, in its original form, it’s still viewed as an important Norse symbol. However, because of the tainting it suffered at the hands of the Nazis and other extremist groups that use it as a hate symbol, the Odal rune symbol has acquired controversy. Wrapping UpĪs an ancient Norse symbol, the Odal rune still carries weight and symbolism when used. Still, using the Odal rune should be done with caution, especially if it has the signature “feet” or “wings” beneath it. The term Odal has also been used as a title of multiple songs such as a song in Agalloch’s second album The Mantle, a track in Wardruna’s album Runaljod – Ragnarok, and others. For example, it was depicted as a protection rune in the Shadowhunters books and film series of Cassandra Clarke, as an “inheritance” symbol in the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series by Rick Riordan, as an emblem in the Sleepy Hollow TV show, as an emblem of the Othala villain in the Worm web serial, and others. This means that the original Odal rune which lacks these additions can still be viewed as more than just a hate symbol.Īnd, indeed, the Odal rune has been used in a lot of modern literary works. What remedies the Odal rune’s fall from grace is the fact that all these Nazi, Neo-Nazi, and Neo-Fascist uses of the rune depict it with the “feet” or “wings” below it. It’s featured in the Strafgesetzbuch section 86a of the German criminal code as an outlawed symbol along with the Swastika and many others. It was also later used by the Neo-Nazi Wiking-Jugend in Germany, the Anglo-Afrikaner Bond, the Boeremag, the Blanke Bevrydingsbeweging in South Africa, the National Vanguard in the Neo-Fascist group in Italy, and others.īecause of such unfortunate uses, the Odal rune is now often considered a hate symbol. The Nazi-sponsored Independent State of Croatia.The 23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland, which added an arrowhead at the “feet” of the rune.The 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen.What’s distinct about these uses is that they often depicted the Odal rune with additional feet or wings below it. Because of the symbol’s meaning of “nobility”, “superior race”, and “aristocracy”, it was used as the emblem of ethnic German military and Nazi organizations. Unfortunately, the Odal rune was one of the many symbols co-opted by the Nazi party of WWII Germany. As we journey from the Elder Futhark to the Younger Futhark, around the 8th century, we see a reduction in the number of runes. Its name, derived from the Old Norse word ‘mar’, translates to ‘man’. Both as a rune and as the representation of the sound “ O”, the Odal rune has been seen in historic artifacts dating as far back as 3 rd century AD. The Mannaz rune, nestled between Ehwaz, the horse rune, and Laguz, the rune of water, holds a special place in this ancient alphabet.
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