Sonnenrad/Black Sun

 The sonnenrad, or Black Sun is a symbol indicating the infinite power and energy of our sun.

 Through the history the symbol in its numerous ways of depictions found its place on the items of clothes, jewelry, utensils, weapons, and coins attributive to the representatives of Indo-European culture. It has been found scattered all across the world in all kinds of variations from the Celtic cross to the swastikas used in the far east and Norse paganism. From the ancient times associated with the natural phenomena of sun’s absence on the sky during nighttime and eclipse. With the course of time, Black Sun became notorious for its use in alchemy and occultism later on acquiring strong connection to National Socialist ideology. Another name of the Black Sun most closely describes associations arousing when seeing this symbol is Sonnenrad (or sun wheel). We are used to see this sign in a form of two circles: a smaller central circle drawing its twelve spokes in the form of sig runes to the bigger one embracing and protecting the image. If we look closely we will notice that it looks a lot like three overlapped swastikas. No wonder, for Black Sun has always been closely connected with the ancient symbol of fylfot (meaning ‘four foot’, another name of swastika) as the latter being one of Schwarze Sonne earlier variations. Swastika has been found on the pieces belonging to Indo-European and adjacent cultures: from drawings on the walls of caves in France to Buddhist and Tibetan relics and manuscripts, Japanese temples, to Viking weapon and jewelry, to Native Americans garment, Finnish Air Forces, Greek priests’ clothes. The symbol was considered sacred and implied the power and protection coming from cosmos in a form of this infinitely swirling in four directions sign. For some people it was important how to represent the symbol: clockwise or anticlockwise and depending on the culture, it either denoted positive meaning such as luck and success or negative appealing to the dark forces. In the Norse culture, swastika was linked to the god of thunder and lightning Thor, god of sun Freyr, and Odin Allfather for symbolizing strength, fire, and the cyclic nature of life and death. Vikings wore jewelry decorated with fylfots and runes for protection such as pendants, necklaces, and rings. Thor Hammer (Mjölnir) amulets also were popular to have an image of a few swastikas on it. You may remember the image of Thor riding his chariot across the heavens while wearing his belt which is decorated with multiple swastikas. It's a popular image which can be found with an easy web search and in about every European pagan focused group. This is a classic example of what is described in the previous paragraph. Along with the Norse and Germanic people, Slavs had the symbol similar to swastika. Kolovrat (spinning wheel) was a Slavic symbol for sun, brining the same meaning of strength, fire, and rebirth. It was carved on wood, embroidered on clothes and painted on houses to protect from evil spirits. Kolovrat was also carved on gravestones to give peace to the dead and grant opportunity for reincarnation. All of the theories around the symbol of Black Sun confirm the idea based on something new coming (from simple understanding of dawn to the more complicated – of the master race superiority), some great changes capable of turning the world upside down. Despite being strongly associated with National Socialists and their followers by people not knowing the whole history of the symbol, it shouldn’t fill the wearer with any negative sense, until he or she is seeking for it. The Black Sun certainly gives the strongest protection and power to the one wearing it, helping to find and develop the new hidden talents of the personality.