Sig Rune
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
The Sig Rune is an ancient symbol, appearing as a jagged lightning bolt which symbolizes the Goddess of Victory. This rune is one of the letters of the Futharc, or Nordic/Germanic alphabet, in use by these peoples in the late classical and early medieval eras. Also known as Siegel rune, the Sig Rune is most commonly known as the insignia of the Schutzstaffel (SS) of Nazi Germany.
The SS Sig Runes design was created in 1931 when Walter Heck, a Sturmfuhrer in the SS, drew two Sig Runes side by side and noticed the similarity to the initials of the SS. For 2.5 Reichsmarks, Heck sold the rights of the Sig Runes to the SS and the runes were quickly adopted as the insignia of the Schutzstaffel and became one of the most commonly used forms of SS unit insignia.
The Hitler Youth also used a single Sig Rune as the emblem of its organizaton. The similarity to the SS insignia was an indication that the Hitler Youth was considered by many to be a central recruiting area for membership in the SS.
The last two letters of the logo for the American rock band KISS resemble the Sig Runes. The band had no National Socialist or antisemitic leanings, made evident by the fact that bass player Gene Simmons is an Israeli-born Jew. The band uses a modified version of the logo in Germany.
