Black Sun (symbol)

The Black Sun () is a Nazi symbol, a type of sun wheel (German: ) employed in a post–Nazi Germany context by neo-Nazis and in some strains of Satanism. The symbol's design consists of twelve radial "sig" runes, similar to the symbols employed by the SS in their logo. It first appeared in Nazi Germany as a design element in a castle at Wewelsburg remodeled and expanded by "Reichsführer-SS" Heinrich Himmler which he intended to be a center for the SS.
Whether the design had a name or held any particular significance among the SS remains unknown. Its association with the occult originates with a 1991 German novel "Die Schwarze Sonne von Tashi Lhunpo" ("The Black Sun of Tashi Lhunpo") by the pseudonymous author Russell McCloud. The book links the Wewelsburg mosaic with the neo-Nazi concept of the "Black Sun", invented by former SS officer Wilhelm Landig as a substitute for the Nazi swastika.
Wewelsburg mosaic.
In 1933, "Reichsführer-SS" 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. 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 or 'General's Hall'.
The intended significance of the image remains unknown. Some scholars have suggested that the artist may have found inspiration from motifs found on decorative Merovingian disks ().
Neo-Nazism.
The Black Sun symbol is widely used by neo-fascist, neo-Nazi, the far-right and white nationalists. The symbol often appears on extremist flags, t-shirts, posters, websites and in extremist publications associated with such groups. Modern far-right groups often refer to the symbol as the "sun wheel" or .
The name "Black Sun" came into wider use after the publication of a 1991 occult thriller novel "Die Schwarze Sonne von Tashi Lhunpo" ("The Black Sun of Tashi Lhunpo") by the pseudonymous author Russell McCloud. The book links the Wewelsburg mosaic with the neo-Nazi concept of the "Black Sun", 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.
A number of far-right groups and individuals have utilised the symbol in their propaganda, including the Christchurch mosque shooter, Australian neo-Nazi group Antipodean Resistance, and Ukrainian far-right National Guard regiment Azov Battalion. The symbol was displayed by members of several extremist groups involved in the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Satanism.
Along with other symbols from the Nazi era such as the , the "Sig" Armanen rune, and the , the black sun is employed by some adherents of Satanism. Scholar Chris Mathews writes: