Heinrich Himmler, one of the indisputable architects of the Third Reich, did not only have military ambitions but a deeper vision, an obsession that blended ancient Germanic legends with a perverse sense of racial purity. That man, thin and with round glasses, hid behind his insignificant appearance a twisted and dangerous mind. In 1929, when Himmler took control of the SS, it was nothing more than a small group of two hundred and eighty men. However, in Himmler’s mind, this organization was clay he would mold to create a new elite, a military order that would leave its mark on history, just like the Teutonic Knights of the Middle Ages. The latter were born in the twelfth century under the name "Servants of St. Mary of the German House," swearing chastity, poverty, and obedience, while wielding swords under the symbol of a black cross on a white mantle. Himmler was inspired by the brutality of this medieval military order, cloaked in faith, while they destroyed everything that did not align with their divine vision. From the very beginning, Himmler saw the SS as a tool, a vehicle to materialize his fantasies of a pure Aryan race, without mixtures or weaknesses. Under his leadership, the SS grew rapidly. By 1933, it already had fifty-two thousand members, all meticulously selected. It was not enough to be a fervent Nazi. NO! One had to meet the "racial purity" standards that he himself defined. Anyone who didn’t fit the mold was discarded without hesitation. His obsession with Germanic history and mythology led him to seek justification for his actions in the past. For him, the SS were not mere soldiers; they were a new order of knights, a reincarnation of the Teutonic Knights, those Christian warriors who had fought to expand their faith in pagan lands. However, instead of the cross, these new knights fought for the swastika; and their faith was not in a god, but in a Führer. Himmler saw in them the guardians of the Aryan future, those who would protect the purity of the race and ensure Nazi domination over Europe. But he also needed to imbue the SS with a mystical aura, a connection to the supernatural that would give them a sense of purpose beyond the earthly. Himmler promoted a cult of ancestors among his men, believing that by venerating their forefathers, the race would remain pure and the German spirit would remain immortal. In 1939, the SS seized the Church of the Teutonic Order in Vienna, a symbolic act that united the past with the present, consecrating the SS as the heirs of that medieval order. But Himmler didn’t stop there. He created a set of symbols and customs that solidified the identity of the SS as an elite separated from the rest of German society. The logo of the two lightning-shaped runes, adopted in 1932, was one of those symbols.










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'Catalyst' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

'Goliath' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

'The Long Dark' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

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'This Too Shall Pass' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

'Chasing Daylight' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

'Vanguard' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

'Ignis' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

'The Vision' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

'The Spaces Between' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

'Ascension' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

'The Call' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

'Terminus' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au