I own a long dagger/short sword. The hilt is in the design of the German eagle with its wings spread out as the hand guard and in the middle of the hand guard is a swastika. The scabbard is also adorned with swastikas on the top, mid section, and bottom.

I don’t want to own this piece as I don’t want to be seen as a Nazi sympathizer or anything of the sort, but I don’t want to sell it to someone who actually is a Nazi sympathizer or something like that.

What do I do with it besides trash it? I don’t want to trash it because it’s decent quality. It’s not historic in any way (which disturbs me to think about) but it’s well made.

What can I do with it?

*The item in question is not historical

  • @[email protected]
    44•6 months ago

    Seconding the dremmel approach. Worst case scenario: You destroy a nazi sword. Best case: You end up with with a cool denazified sword.

    Grind down the swastika, and change to a smaller grit to get a nice and polished finish.

    Not sure, but I think the eagle predates the nazis.

    EDIT: Nope, the eagle is also a nazi and needs a dremel. There, that’s gotta be a brand new sentence.

    EDIT2: Seems to be one of the many symbols that have been hijacked by nazis. Keep at your own risk.

    • WhiteHotaru
      15•6 months ago

      The eagle as a symbol predates the nazis - a lot. The „Reichsadler“ has been used since 800 A.D. as in the region that is now Germany:

      The Reichsadler, i. e. the German Imperial Eagle, originated from a proto-heraldic emblem that was believed to have been used by Charlemagne, the first Frankish ruler whom the Pope crowned as Holy Roman Emperor in AD 800, and derived ultimately from the Aquila, i. e. eagle standard, of the ancient Roman army.

      Edit: of course the Nazis twisted this as well. To decide, if the eagle has to go, we need more details:

      During Nazi rule, a stylised eagle combined with the Nazi swastika was made the national emblem (Hoheitszeichen) by order of Adolf Hitler in 1935.

      Despite its medieval origin, the term “Reichsadler” in common English understanding is mostly associated with this specific Nazi-era version. The Nazi Party had used a very similar symbol for itself, called the Parteiadler (“Party’s eagle”). These two insignia can be distinguished as the Reichsadler looks to its right shoulder whereas the Parteiadler looks to its left shoulder.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichsadler

      • @[email protected]
        9•6 months ago

        Of course the swastika itself is also much older than the Nazis. They ruined plenty of otherwise fine symbolism.