numbers in different languages symbols for tattoos

One of these is the Othala runic letter-its name means “inherited land”, and so it frequently appears in the emblems of white nationalist groups from Ukraine to the US. Far-right adherents also favor other characters from the Germanic runic writing system which communicate similar messages. These include numbers representing “Heil Hitler” (88-H is the eighth letter of the alphabet) or “Aryan Brotherhood” (12-letters one and two). Neo-Nazis-at least those not brazen enough to wear a swastika-tend to opt for less recognizable symbols. This misappropriation continued after the fall of the Third Reich, though in a more muted form.

Beloved of Himmler, the runic script inspired the insignia of the SS, while the swastika is another of those “ancient European symbols” that features in various forms on picture stones and runic inscriptions. There is, of course, a long history of the co-opting of Norse imagery by the far right. Often it contains a swastika or other hate symbol-but worn with nothing inside, it is very easy for other white supremacists to fill in the blank. This is a symbol listed by the Anti-Defamation League as “one of a number of ancient European symbols appropriated by the Nazis in their attempt to invent an idealized Aryan or Norse heritage”. A hint at where Angeli lies on this continuum is in a tattoo that is less visible on his left shoulder, but which several academics including archaeologist Kevin Philbrook Smith have pointed out seems to be a version of the Sonnenrad, or sun-wheel. But there is no doubt that these symbols have also been co-opted by a growing far-right movement. Many people have similar tattoos which express their neo-pagan belief, Scandinavian heritage, or interest in the myths.

Numbers in different languages symbols for tattoos