Viking symbols “stolen” by racists
Hate groups and neo-Nazis abuse Norse symbols like the raven flag and Thor’s hammer
Judith Gabriel Vinje
Los Angeles
The look on the lady’s face said it all as she grabbed at the Thor’s hammer dangling from my necklace. “Skinheads wear these,” she snarled. “Racists and Nazis!”
“I do Viking reenactment,” I explained, shocked by the implication.
A flood of relief spread over her face. It was the first sign I was to receive that the Viking garb I had worn at Scandinavian and other festivals for two decades might not be understood by everyone as being purely historical. The very idea that the icons I sported with pride we