Eagle catching Fish or Eagle catching Ichthys ''(

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: Adler fängt Fisch'' or ''Adler fängt Ichthys)'' is a

anti-Christian Anti-Christian sentiment or Christophobia constitutes opposition or objections to Christians, the Christian religion, and/or its practices. Anti-Christian sentiment is sometimes referred to as Christophobia or Christianophobia, although these term ...

and

neo-pagan Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of North Afric ...

symbol. It depicts an

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

catching an

Ichthys The ichthys or ichthus (), from the Greek (, 1st cent. AD Koine Greek pronunciation: , "fish") is (in its modern rendition) a symbol consisting of two intersecting arcs, the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point so as to res ...

, a fish symbol associated with

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesu ...

. The symbol is supposed to represent pagan strength and victory over

. The symbol was first created in

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker ru ...

, and later registered as a trademark in 2003 by

Holocaust denier Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements: ...

Jürgen Rieger Jürgen Hans Paul Rieger (11 May 1946, Blexen, Lower Saxony – 29 October 2009) was a Hamburg lawyer, avowed anti-semite, and deputy chairman of the National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) (as of October 2009), known for his Holocaust de ...

for the

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of bein ...

German

organisation ''Artgemeinschaft Germanische Glaubens-Gemeinschaft''. Another anti-Christian symbol known as "''Odins Raben''" ( Odins Ravens) similarly depicts two

raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned ...

s attacking an Ichthys. While the symbol originated from, and also mostly associated with, far-right pagan circles, this association is not always the case.

Usage

The design of the symbol can often vary. A variant of the symbol was used on a

hoodie A hoodie (in some cases spelled hoody and alternatively known as a hooded sweatshirt) is a sweatshirt with a hood. Hoodies with zippers usually include two pockets on the lower front, one on either side of the zipper, while "pullover" hoodi ...

named "No Inquisition" produced by the clothing brand

Thor Steinar Thor Steinar is a German clothing brand manufactured by Thor Steinar Mediatex GmbH, a subsidiary of International Brands General Trading, a Dubai-based company. In Germany, the brand is considered closely associated to neo-Nazism by the '' Ve ...

, which is popular among the far-right in Germany. Some German

pagan metal Pagan metal is a genre of heavy metal music which fuses extreme metal with " the pre-Christian traditions of a specific culture or region" through thematic concept, rustic melodies, unusual instruments or archaic languages, Wiederhorn 2009, p. ...

bands, such as XIV Dark Centuries, e/sup> also have previously used the symbol.{{Cite web, title=Aufkleber Adler-Fisch from XIV Dark Centuries on bandcamp (in German), url=https://xivdarkcenturies.bandcamp.com/merch/aufkleber-adler-fisch-ws-sw-11x9-cm, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127053527/https://xivdarkcenturies.bandcamp.com/merch/aufkleber-adler-fisch-ws-sw-11x9-cm , archive-date=2020-11-27

Assessments

The

Evangelical Association The Evangelical Church or Evangelical Association, also known in the early 1800s as the Albright Brethren, was a "body of American Christians chiefly of German descent", Arminian in doctrine and theology; in its form of church government, Methodi ...

of Saxony and the Office for Worldview and Sect Issues of the

Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony The Evangelical-Lutheran Church of Saxony (''Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche Sachsens'') is one of 20 member Churches of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), covering most of the state of Saxony. Its headquarters are in Dresden, and its b ...

recognizes the symbol as clearly anti-Christian symbolism. It did not, however, conclude an inherent and clear association to the far-right extremist scene.

References

Religious symbols Anti-Christian sentiment in Germany Modern paganism in Germany Far-right politics in Germany 1980s in modern paganism

Usage

Assessments

See also

References