Julleuchter (; "

Yule Yule, actually Yuletide ("Yule time") is a festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples, later undergoing Christianised reformulation resulting in the now better-known Christmastide. The earliest references to Yule are by way of indi ...

lantern") or ''Turmleuchter'' ("tower lantern") are modern terms used to describe a type of earthenware candle-holder originating in 16th-century Sweden, later redesigned and manufactured in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

Swedish artefact

The ''Julleuchter'' housed in the Nordic Museum has a height of 15 cm and a base of 8.2 cm squared. The candle-holder has an incised heart shape and below a six-spoked opening. This artefact was described in 1888 in the magazine of the Swedish literary club Runa (founded by

Johan August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish people, Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote mo ...

), which compared the six-spoked window in its base with the shape of the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

''h''-rune; the 1888 article attributed a 16th-century date to the object (the earliest date of the introduction of candles to Scandinavian households). There are several surviving specimens of this type of candle-holder from Sweden. A comparable specimen was on display in the open-air museum of

Skansen Skansen (; "the Sconce") is the oldest open-air museum and zoo in Sweden located on the island Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. It was opened on 11 October 1891 by Artur Hazelius (1833–1901) to show the way of life in the different parts ...

, based on a photograph kept in the

Detmold Detmold () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of . It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947. Today it is the administrative center of t ...

state archive.

Germanic mysticism and Nazi symbolism

The ''Runa'' article came to the attention of

Herman Wirth Herman may refer to: People * Herman (name), list of people with this name * Saint Herman (disambiguation) * Peter Noone (born 1947), known by the mononym Herman Places in the United States * Herman, Arkansas * Herman, Michigan * Herman, Min ...

because of its supposed " Hagal rune" (the six-spoked window at its base) who mentioned it in his Ura Linda Chronik, whence it passed into Nazi-era

Germanic mysticism Armanism and Ariosophy are esoteric ideological systems that were developed largely by Guido von List and Jörg Lanz von Liebenfels respectively, in Austria between 1890 and 1930. The term 'Ariosophy', which means the wisdom of the Aryans, was ...

. In a 1936 memorandum,

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...

set forth a list of approved holidays, in part supposedly based on "pagan" traditions, including a " Julfest" intended to replace Christian rites. The Julleuchter and other symbols were also meant to serve as a consolation to women who, by having married into the SS, had to renounce the spiritual shelter and service of their church. The SS soldier was instructed to set up a shrine that included a ''Julleuchter'' in the corner of one room of his household. An article about the ''Julleuchter'' was published in the German magazine "Germanien" in December 1936. The author argued that this "millennia old" lantern was to be used as "a memento of the "Year of the Great Migrations of the people of the north"". Another article was published in the SS periodical '' SS-Leitheft'' Jahrgang 7 Folge 8a. In 1939 the ''Julleuchter'' was also mentioned in "Die Gestaltung der Feste im Jahres und Lebenslauf in der SS-Familie"(Celebrations of the SS Family) by Fritz Weitzel. The information about the 1936 issue of ''Germanien'' magazine about the Julleuchter is actually from the later magazine "Der Freiwillige." The article in "Der Freiwillige" reports ''Germanien'' magazine being, ..."the official organ of the German ancestor inheritance registered association, Berlin." The information given in that latter article is from ''Germanien'' magazine. A 1936 issue of ''Germanien'' magazine claimed that the "millennium old" lantern had been used as a memento of the "Year of the Great Migrations" of the people of the north and as the small light of humanity under the stars of the night sky. When used during the 2

Solstice A solstice is an event that occurs when the Sun appears to reach its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around June 21 and December 21. In many countr ...

periods of the year, this is a symbol of the victory of Light over the Darkness, and also as a token of Eternal Circulation. The Julleuchter stands for an inseparable community, its conscience and attitude, and that it was used as a symbol of never ending sunlight. Further, the magazine stated that when the ''Julleuchter'' was used during the holiday of

(what is now known as The 12 Days of

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

), twelve candles are used. One is used each night symbolizing the twelve months, until the 31 of December when the "July Moon shines." On that night a thirteenth candle is used for the new coming month of January. The candles always burn below but on the last night, the candle is again transferred upward – this is the sun, which is spilled in order to return to the earth from the gloom of another peace.

Use in Himmler's SS

The SS-Julleuchter was considered both an award and trophy of the German

Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS; also stylized as ''ᛋᛋ'' with Armanen runes; ; "Protection Squadron") was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe duri ...

that was presented to members of the SS from approximately 1936 until 1944 as a service decoration. Manufactured by the Allach

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises main ...

company, the SS Julleuchter was presented to any SS member who participated in a ''Julfest''.

originally had the intention to make the Julleuchter a standard gift to all SS members and there were no criteria attached to its presentation. For reasons which are not entirely clear, by the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the Julleuchter had begun to be viewed as an SS decoration, and was entered as such in SS

service record A service record is a collection of either electronic or printed material which provides a documentary history of a person's activities and accomplishments while serving as a member of a given organization. Service records are most often associ ...

s once the Julleuchter had been presented.SS Service record collection, United States National Archives; College Park, Maryland However, as the SS-Julleuchter was considered "non-portable" (much like the Luftwaffe Honor Goblet), there was no outward display on an SS uniform indicating its presentation. Apparently even as the Red Army was advancing and the fall of Berlin was in the foreseeable future, The ''Julleuchter'' was used during the decoration French volunteers in the Waffen-SS. One surviving soldier said, "In the light of a candle burning on a ''Julleuchter'', a Jule Candlestick, symbolizing the never dying sunlight, Fenet decorated a number of comrades with the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

. Although simple, the ceremony that evening seemed all the more extraordinary."For Europe: the French volunteers of the Waffen-SS, by Robert Forbes, page 454.

SS ''Julfest''

::''Not only the presents but the whole celebration should be full of surprises for all members of the family. The father lights the candle in the Jul-Leuchter, or 'Jul Earthenware Candlestick', from which the tree candles in turn get their light. ..The Jul-Leuchter, presented by Reichsführer-SS Himmler to the SS Man, is the most important symbol used throughout the year to mark celebrations and commemorations. Its cut-out Heart represents hearth and home, and the Hagal Rune peace through victory. At midnight, when the candles on the

Yuletide Yule, actually Yuletide ("Yule time") is a festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples, later undergoing Christianised reformulation resulting in the now better-known Christmastide. The earliest references to Yule are by way of indig ...

Tree are burnt down, the SS Man will put the Jul-Leuchter on the table. The Candlestick with its year-long candle has been lit at every family celebration the past year. Its candle has burned down, and it should receive a new one tonight. Just as our ancestors never let the sacred hearth cooking fire extinguish, so our Jul-Leuchter must always have a light. Thus it becomes a symbol of the never dying sunlight. Everyone becomes very thoughtful when the old candle finally burns down and the new one is put in its place." (From "Celebrations of the SS Family" by Fritz Weitzel, 1939)Celebrations of the SS Family, by Fritz Weitzel 1939

Manufacture in the Allach factory

In January 1936, the SS Porzellan Manufaktur Allach was created in Munich under the control of Heinrich Himmler. Well known artists were forced to participate. The output of the factory included over 240 porcelain and ceramic models. Due to a rapid expansion, the factory was not able to meet production targets, and so in October 1937 a part of production was shifted to the SS-operated Allach sub camp of the Dachau concentration camp. Originally the Allach factory manufactured only art ceramic, like plates, jugs and vases, but in the war years they also produced simple utensils like ointment containers and cafeteria table-ware. Special occasion gift items for SS supporters were also made and given away at dinner parties and other events. Starting from 1941 German civilians and about 50 prisoners of the Allach sub camp of the Dachau concentration camp were forced to produce art and porcelain. The Allach sub camp of Dachau remained the main location for porcelain manufacture even after the original factory in the town of Allach was modernized and reopened. The factory in the town of Allach was retrofitted for the production of ceramic products such as household pottery. The fall of the Third Reich brought an end to the Allach factory. The Allach factories were shut down in 1945 and never reopened. Allach porcelain made a variety of candle holders ranging from elaborate gilded baroque candelabras, to the most basic plain white porcelain single candle holder. More candleholders were made than for other Allach items, indicating popularity and interest among the German people. The varying styles and low cost (due to slave labor) of the candleholders produced at Allach allowed most Germans of every class to own them. The Allach factory deposited the ''Julleuchter'' design with the Imperial Patent Office in Berlin on 16 January 1936. The Allach ''Julleuchter'' was unique in that it was made as presentation piece for SS officers to celebrate the

winter solstice The winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere (Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the winter ...

. It was later given to all SS members on the same occasion, 21 December. Made of unglazed stoneware, the ''Julleuchter'' was decorated with early pagan Germanic symbols.

Significant recipients

Hans Baur Hans Baur (19 June 1897 – 17 February 1993) was Adolf Hitler's pilot during the political campaigns of the early 1930s. He later became Hitler's personal pilot and leader of the ''Reichsregierung'' squadron. Apprehended by the Soviet Union a ...

Amon Göth Amon Leopold Göth (; alternative spelling ''Goeth''; 11 December 1908 – 13 September 1946) was an Austrian SS functionary and war criminal. He served as the commandant of the Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp in Płaszów in Germa ...

* Ernst Kaltenbrunner * Josef Albert Meisinger * Oswald Pohl

References

*Heinrich W. Schild, "Der Julleuchter der Porzellan-Manufaktur Allach", ''Militaria.zeitschrift'', 2000, pp. 148–162. *Antonio Scapini, "La Julleuchter, il candeliere delle SS", ''Uniformi e Armi'', 2013.

External links

"JULLEUCHTER TYPE 3"
from www.militariatedesca.it {{Authority control Types of lamp Candles Germanic mysticism Nazi culture Occultism in Nazism Orders, decorations, and medals of Nazi Germany Heinrich Himmler Nazi SS Yule