Harry Potter and the Nazi Paramilitary group. : Litterature

Symbols have power.
The fact that you can see a single image and immediately comprehend the message associated with that symbol is incredible. This happens every day in our lives without us even thinking or realizing it’s happening. Company logos, warning labels and street signs are designed so when we see them, we know what they represent; a two-tailed mermaid or siren lures us to coffee shops, the image of a skeletal hand warns us not to touch, a red octagon stops drivers world over. Given humans’ dynamic nature, the interpretations of many symbols, prominent throughout history have changed. In some cases they’ve been reappropriated, others became something far from their original meaning. Regardless of how they evolved, their connotations are skewed irrevocably for the observer.

https://www.deviantart.com/el-grimlock/art/Zeus-MYL-482104397 — Zeus by el-grimlock

One such example is the lightning bolt. This powerful force of nature begged explanation since the dawn of humanity. Symbolically, a flash of inspiration or intuition is akin to a sudden flash of lightning, or it can represent “sudden knowledge or destruction of ignorance”. In many cultures it was seen as a message from, or a weapon of the gods. Most people will be familiar with the Nordic and Greek mythical figures of Thor and Zeus who were said to wield the power of lightning. Unsurprisingly in these cultures and others, the lightning bolt is also a sign of fertility and virility, for its phallic shape and thunderous counterpart. While science is now able to explain whence lightning comes, the symbolism is no less prevalent.

https://www.deviantart.com/cutabelle/art/Harry-Potter-and-the-Lightning-Bolt-Scar-630735043 — Harry Potter Lightning Bolt Scar by cutabelle

Many young adults now associate a crudely drawn lightning bolt symbol with the world famous Wizard, Harry Potter. Made popular by author J.K. Rowling, the series features a young wizard, attacked as an infant by the series’ villain, Voldemort. Ultimately, Voldemort was unsuccessful due to Potter’s parents’ intervention, but the boy was left with the infamous lightning bolt scar. In the series the lightning bolt scar serves as a connection to the antagonist that ultimately allows Potter to defeat him. But why a lightning bolt? According to the Harry Potter fandom wiki, Rowling mentioned in a web chat that “she felt it was cool”. And why wouldn’t it be? By choosing a sign that she considered “cool” she chose a symbol that for thousands of years has indicated power, enlightenment, and portents, things which embody the series well.

The Nazi Party was particularly fond of using runes and other known symbols in their organization. The swastika, being one of the most well-known examples, was an ancient symbol of good fortune and luck. The symbol was used in currency dating back to Mesopotamia, more than a thousand years earlier, before obtaining its current association with Nazism and white supremacy. Another symbol associated with lightning bolts, the doppelte Siegrune or double sig rune (), was adopted by the Schutzstaffel (SS), a Nazi Party paramilitary group governed by Heinrich Himmler. While the symbol appears to be two flat-ended lightning bolts, it is an appropriated sig rune taken from the Armanean Futhrak runic system. In addition to its original Futhrak symbolization of “Sun”, it was also given the interpretation “Victory” by Guido Von List when he created the Armanean derivation of the runic alphabet. In 1933, the graphic designer Walter Heck used the rune and created the logo for the Schutzstaffel with a dual meaning of S.S. and Victory! Victory!. This sign became prominent, appearing on flags and paraphernalia en masse. It is still recognized as a sign of white supremacy supporters today. While the flat-ended symbols are the accurate representation of the rune, true lightning bolts are often substituted in their place, leading to confusion of the symbolism. If we interpret them as lightning bolts, as far as our understanding is concerned, they are lightning bolts and carry the same connotations.

A logo, trademark, or popular association can alter the perception or significance of a symbol. Both of the above examples have a tie to the ancient and powerful depiction of god-like power. Whether through popular use or misappropriation, this association, while not explicitly expressed, is implied on a subtler level, imbuing a sense of power and force that come with our innate impression of the lightning bolt. When you see a familiar symbol, think of what it truly stands for and why you have that impression of it. Is that its original or intended meaning or has it become something entirely else through its use?

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