The SS-Ehrenring ("SS Honour Ring"), unofficially called Totenkopfring (English "Death's head ring"), was an award of Heinrich Himmler's Schutzstaffel (SS). An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize Excellence in a certain field a certificate of excellence Heinrich Luitpold Himmler ( 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945 was a Nazi German politician and head of the Schutzstaffel (SS. The ( German for "Protective Squadron" abbreviated SS - or ( Runic)- was a major Nazi organization under Adolf Hitler and the It was not a state decoration, but rather a personal gift bestowed by Himmler. Awards and Decorations of Nazi Germany were military political and civilian decorations which were bestowed between 1923 and 1945 by the Nazi Party and later the state of
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Award
The ring was initially presented to senior officers of the Old Guard (of which there were fewer than 5,000) who had displayed extraordinary valor and leadership skill in battle. Jewellery (also spelled jewelry, see spelling differences) is a personal Ornament, such as a necklace ring or bracelet made from Gemstones An officer is a member of an armed force who holds a position of authority An additional requirement was a clean disciplinary record, and a subsequent blemish on it would require the wearer to return the ring. By 1939, disciplinary issues aside, it was available to any officer with 3 years service in the SS, and in WWII virtually the entire SS leadership, including the Waffen-SS and Gestapo, had the ring. The Waffen-SS ( German for "Armed SS" literally "Weapons SS" was the Combat arm of the Schutzstaffel ("Protective Squadron" The ( contraction of ge heime Sta ats' po' lizei: "Secret State Police" was the official Secret police of Nazi Germany
On October 17, 1944 production of the rings by Gahr & Co. Events 539 BC - King Cyrus The Great of Persia marches into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. of Munich was cancelled due to the increasing economic stresses of the final stages of the war. 14,500 were made altogether, the rings were cast in two halves with the recipients name inside along with other inscriptions, then fused together and finished, it was cast in Silver.
In addition every recipient got a standard letter of Himmler which described the meaning of the ring. The name of the recipient and the conferment date was added on the letter.
Design
The design of the ring reflects Himmler's interest in Germanic mysticism. Armanism and Ariosophy are the names of ideological systems of an Esoteric nature pioneered by Guido von List and Jörg Lanz von Liebenfels
The ring shows skull and crossed bones on its top. The skull (or Totenkopf) was the traditional symbol of the SS, taken from other German and Prussian military units of the past. Totenkopf (Plural Totenköpfe) is the German word for "skull" (literally "dead man's head" and is used to describe a military Armanen runes appear prominently on the ring. The Armanen runes, or Armanen 'Futharkh' as List referred to them are a row of 18 Runes that are closely based on the Younger Futhark which were "revealed The two Sig Runes represent the lightning flash runes of the Schutzstaffel, while the Hagal rune represents the faith and camaraderie that was idealised by the leaders of the organisation. Sig is the name given by Guido von List for the Sigel or s Rune of the Armanen Futharkh, and is also used by Karl Maria Wiligut Hagal is the 7th rune of Armanen Futharkh of Guido von List, derived from the Younger Futhark Hagal rune. The SS liked to portray the Swastika as another influential symbol of the power of the Aryan race. The swastika (from Sanskrit: svástika sa स्वस्तिक Hindu IS CORRECT if 'ि' is positioned incorrectly see -->) is The " Aryan race " is a concept in European culture that was influential in the period of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
The Heilszeichen (literally: symbols of salvation), on the rear of the ring, was a creation of the SS designers rather than a historical rune. It symbolised all the ideals of the SS, from camaraderie to their belief that SS men should sacrifice all for their brothers.
According to Himmler's accompanying letter the skull itself was to be a reminder for the wearer of the ring to be prepared anytime to risk the life of the own I for the life of the community.
On the inside of the ring was engraved the name of the bearer, initial followed by full surname, the date of presentation, and a facsimile of Himmler's signature, plus the abbreviations S Lb. for "Seinem Lieben" or "His Beloved. " Recipients also received a specially designed box decorated with the SS runes for storage or carrying.
Karl Maria Wiligut has been credited with the design. Karl Maria Wiligut (alias Weisthor, Jarl Widar, Lobesam and Karl Maria Weisthor) ( December 10, 1866 - January 3
Post-Nazi era
After all further awards of the ring were halted in 1944, Himmler ordered all the remaining rings blast-sealed inside a mountain near Wewelsburg Castle. For the village of Wewelsburg see Village of Wewelsburg Wewelsburg (ˈveːvəlsˌbʊɐ̯k is a Renaissance castle located in the northeast of North For the village of Wewelsburg see Village of Wewelsburg Wewelsburg (ˈveːvəlsˌbʊɐ̯k is a Renaissance castle located in the northeast of North Their present location is unknown.
All rings were to be returned to Himmler upon the bearer's death or when they left the SS, to be kept at Wewelsburg as a kind of individual memorial to the holder. When a ring-holder was killed in battle, his SS comrades were to make every effort to retrieve the ring and prevent its falling into enemy hands. By January 1945, 64% of the 14,500 rings made had been returned to Himmler. After the end of the war, many rings were also (per Himmler's instructions) buried with the people who were awarded them.
Around 3,500 rings are thought to be in existence today, and therefore are very rare, collectable items. Copies and fakes are also common. There appears to be difficulty in verifying the authenticity of examples bearing the name "Müller" and "Maier".
Trivia
US musician Lowell George recorded a song called Himmler's Ring (written by Fred Tackett) on his album Thanks I'll Eat It Here. Lowell Thomas George or Lowell George ( April 13, 1945 - June 29, 1979) was an American Singer-songwriter Fred Tackett, a native of the US state of Arkansas, is the guitarist mandolinist and trumpeter with the band Little Feat.
Literature
- Patzwall, Klaus D. : Der SS-Totenkopfring (in German) publisher: Patzwall, 4th edition 2002. ISBN 3931533476
External links
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