Anyone care to comment on this wooden weihnacht plate? Heavy construction, slightly bowed. No marks on the back.
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Last edited by Capt. R; 06-17-2009, 08:13 PM. -
Plate
The text translates roughly to War Dedication Night.
Charles Betz -
I have one or two with backs that look just like yours. I wonder if the concentric circles have more meaning than aesthetics?
Maybe represents a glittering celestial object at the end of the year?Comment
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'Originally posted by C. Betz View Post
Huh? Weihen is the German verb "to consecrate" or "to dedicate". Kriegsweihnacht 1939 is simply Wartime Christmas 1939.
Michael, IMO the concentric rings would serve to keep whatever is in the bowl, such as apples or such, raised slightly above the bowl surface. You think something more that a practical application?Comment
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Originally posted by JoeW View Post
I do have a few of these and those dont have anything carved inside the bowl area. The very few I have seen that did have somthing carved in the bowl area were obviously symbolic in nature. While this one is more oblique if it is a symbol, it still just might be.
As an aside, Weihnacht as a word for Christmas is literally without any Christian reference and was a name for the winter holy time in pre-Christian times. A fact that was NOT lost on the nsdap nor the SS.Comment
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Michael,Originally posted by Michael Fay View Post
Oddly enough I have also wondered about the peculiar nature of the concentric circles inside. I also wonder about the 4 nails or something to that effect on the back. You can see them in the pic. Part of the manufacturing process?
Also, I'd like to see at least 1 pic of each of yours to see how they compare to mine. Can you post them? What do they have etched/carved into them?Comment
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Michael, when we made bowls on wood lathes in industrial arts class in high school, we started with a selected block of wood and centered and anchored a metal plate to one side of the wood. This side was attached to the lathe jaws. The other side was held with the axis guide and we went at it with cutting tools. As the lathe turned counter clockwise, the wood was cut in a circular manner. Often the inside of the bowls could be decorated with such circles, but usually it was left smooth. When the anchor plate was removed from the finished opposite side, it usually left three or four marks where the screw holes were.
You are right, we must allow for a Gott Glaubig owner or maker in the equation, besides Evangelical or Katholische.Comment
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thanks for that info, Joe.
A quick bit of research on occult meanings of concentric circles turns up quite a few theories. Some of which include:
1. Protective circles
2. infinite wisdom
3. the symbol for Atlantis
4. symbol of the sun
5. concentric circles also represent passing certain concepts from one generation to the next.
I would think #'s 4 and 5 go hand in hand with the beliefs and teachings of the SS.Comment
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It may mean nothing, it may be utilitarian as you first posited, or it may mean somthing deeper. No way to really know with this bowl. It does not necesarily evoke the SS, to me either.Originally posted by JoeW View Post
Also, this may also not be specifically Gottglaubige, as I first inferred but could be the nsdap's pushing for the use of the term Weihnacht, as it gave less credence to the reigning religions.Comment
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Originally posted by Capt. R View Post
Capt R.,
I strongly warn against giving much credence to today's(pop culture on web, or most books) ideas of occult meanings to much TR or SS items.
What I do believe is viable is to use TR and SS published material of the era to understand these things.
While I know that is in many ways a blind alley, I dont believe today's ideas of occult will be applicable.
But if any it would be no #4 IMOComment
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I would agree with those sentiments. That's why I labeled them as "theories."
Got to have someplace to start, though just to start getting ideas to think over.
Occult thinking is flawed in many regards.
We may be reading too much into it, but I do enjoy the speculation of it all. It may simpy be made to the artist's liking. But, if it was in fact used by an SS family, the sun motif is certainly possible given the general emphasis placed on the sun as a life sustaing symbol during the TR in much the same way as the bread placed on these wooden plates sustained human life. A very Darre-esque notion of blood and soil and harmony with the environment.Comment
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For me this is a typical plate being made by a german soldier for sending it to his family/relatives at home - have in mind that after the war in Poland surely not all soldiers were at home again as well as many were just called into the barracks for the preparations of the ongoing war in the West.
Another possibiliy: could be a work of a HJ-member but if so,that boy must have had talent.Comment
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Saw a similar rune in volkskunst buch...see third from the left at top...
Purposeful or coincidence?
Fun to speculate.
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