The defining (定義性的) image of the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6 was undoubtedly that of a bare-chested (袒胸的) man posing resplendent (輝煌的) in a horned fur hat and face paint. Images of him in his weird costume have been shared across the globe—he seems to perfectly encapsulate (概括) the absurdity (荒誕) of the mob (暴徒) takeover of America’s sacred seat of power.
The individual in question has since been identified in the media as a far-right (極右) activist (積極分子) from Arizona by the name of Jacob Chansley (also known as Jake Angeli). He was quickly alleged (聲稱) to be an adherent (支持者) of the QAnon conspiracy theory (陰謀論)—though not before fake rumors spread that he was actually an antifa (安提法，反法西斯主義運動) 「plant.」
One thing that should make it very clear where Angeli’s politics lie are his tattoos. On his torso (軀幹) he has a large Thor’s hammer, known as Mjölnir, and what appears to be an image of the Norse world tree, Yggdrasil.
The Mjölnir: a hammer wielded by Thor, the Norse god of thunder. [Image: Wiki Commons]
Mjölnir is one symbol we can be pretty sure was used by the original adherents of the Norse belief system, perhaps to summon (召喚) the protection of the god Thor. Yggdrasil is the giant ash tree (梣樹) that supports the Norse cosmos (宇宙), its branches reaching into sky realms (天上) inaccessible (無法達到的) to humans, and its roots to the subterranean realm (地下) of the dead. Unlike Thor’s hammer, it was only rarely depicted by the Vikings, and representations (代表) such as the one below are modern interpretations.
Snorri Sturluson, a medieval (中世紀的) Icelandic collector of myths, tells us in his 「Language of Poetry」 that a famous giant called Hrungnir had a stone heart 「pointed with three corners,」 and so the Valknut is sometimes also called 「Hrungnir’s Heart.」 Whatever its original meaning, it has been used in more recent times by various neo-pagan (新異教) groups—and increasingly by some white supremacists (白人至上主義) as a coded (加密的) message of their belief in violent struggle.
Angeli claims that he wears his bizarre (奇怪的) costume to draw attention to himself—but there’s surely another reason for the bare chest and precariously (岌岌可危的) low-slung pants. He is displaying these tattoos to full effect and wants them to be seen.
Many people have similar tattoos that express their neo-pagan belief, Scandinavian heritage (遺產), or interest in the myths. But there is no doubt that these symbols have also been co-opted by a growing far-right movement. A hint at where Angeli lies on this continuum (連續體) is in a tattoo that is less visible on his left shoulder, but which several academics (學者) including archaeologist (考古學家) Kevin Philbrook Smith have pointed out seems to be a version of the Sonnenrad, or sun-wheel (太陽輪).
This is a symbol listed by the Anti-Defamation League (反誹謗聯盟) as 「one of a number of ancient European symbols appropriated (佔用) by the Nazis in their attempt to invent an idealized Aryan (雅利安) or Norse heritage.」 Often it contains a swastika (萬字符) or other hate symbol—but worn with nothing inside, it is very easy for other white supremacists to fill in the blank.
The Norse Sonnenrad or sun-wheel, widely co-opted by far-right groups. [Image: iStock]Dog whistlesThere is, of course, a long history of the co-opting of Norse imagery by the far right. Beloved of Himmler, the runic script (北歐古字字母) inspired the insignia (標誌) of the SS, while the swastika is another of those 「ancient European symbols」 that features in various forms on picture stones and runic inscriptions.
This misappropriation continued after the fall of the Third Reich (第三帝國), though in a more muted (沉默的) form. Neo-Nazis—at least those not brazen enough to wear a swastika—tend to opt for less recognizable symbols. These include numbers representing 「Heil Hitler」 (88—H is the eighth letter of the alphabet) or 「Aryan Brotherhood」 (12—letters one and two). Far-right adherents also favor other characters from the Germanic runic writing system which communicate similar messages.
Othala: an Old Scandinavian runic symbol referring to inherited land that is often used by far-right groups. [Image: iStock]One of these is the Othala runic letter—its name means 「inherited land,」 and so it frequently appears in the emblems (徽標) of white nationalist groups from Ukraine to the U.S.
These 「coded」 symbols, and others newly borrowed from Norse myth, are even harder to spot and condemn (譴責). Sky recently canceled a reality TV show after viewers complained one contestant was covered in tattoos—including on his face—that could be seen as having far-right connotations (含義). But if certain symbols are hard for the general public to spot, they are certainly dog whistles to members of an increasingly global white supremacist movement who know exactly what they mean.
Many scholars argue that the best way to counter far-right misuse (濫用) is to drown it out (淹沒) with positive and accurate representations of Norse myth—the position I took in my recent retelling. But in the wake of (在……之後) the mass shooting in Norway in 2011 by Anders Breivik, who named his guns after (根據) weapons of the Norse gods, as well as the 2019 Christchurch mass shooter Brenton Tarrant, with his allusions (暗示) to Valhalla, and of this latest poster boy of far-right insurrection (造反), we have to think very hard about whether this is the right approach to counter a truly global extremist movement. At the very least, academics—and anyone else with a genuine interest in Norse mythology—need to be far more involved in countering (反對) these abuses of our subject on the ground.
Otherwise, we run the risk of ceding (放棄) the field to those who see the vague concept of 「Norse heritage」 as a way to further unite an international fraternity (兄弟會) of violent white supremacists.
原文連結：https://www.fastcompany.com/90593544/why-far-right-groups-co-opt-norse-symbols?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB