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	Topics SS-Ehrenring Topic Home The SS-Ehrenring ("SS Honour Ring"), unofficially called Totenkopfring (English "Death's head ring"), was an awardAward An award is something given to a person or group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field.... of Heinrich HimmlerHeinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was the commander of the German Schutzstaffel and one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germa... 's SchutzstaffelSchutzstaffel The *Schutzstaffel* , abbreviated... (SS). It was not a state decoration, but rather a personal gift bestowed by Himmler. Award The ring was initially presented to senior officerOfficer (armed forces) An officer is a member of a military or naval service who holds a position of responsibility.... s of the Old Guard (of which there were fewer than 5,000) who had displayed extraordinary valor and leadership skill in battleBattle Generally, a battle is an instance of combat in warfare between two or more parties wherein each group will seek to defeat t... . An additional requirement was a clean disciplinary record, and a subsequent blemish on it would require the wearer to return the ring. By 1939, disciplinary issues aside, it was available to any officer with 3 years service in the SS, and in WWII virtually the entire SS leadership, including the Waffen-SSWaffen-SS The Waffen-SS was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel.... and GestapoGestapo The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany.... , had the ring. On October 17, 1944 production of the rings by Gahr & Co. of Munich was cancelled due to the increasing economic stresses of the final stages of the war. 14,500 were made altogether, the rings were cast in two halves with the recipients name inside along with other inscriptions, then fused together and finished, it was cast in Silver. In addition every recipient got a standard letter of Himmler which described the meaning of the ring. The name of the recipient and the conferment date was added on the letter. Design The design of the ring reflects Himmler's interest in Germanic mysticism. The ring shows skull and crossed bones on its top. The skull (or TotenkopfTotenkopf *Totenkopf* is the German word for "death head" or "death's head" and is used to describe a military insignia featuring a ... ) was the traditional symbol of the SS, taken from other German and Prussian military units of the past. Armanen runesArmanen runes The Armanen runes are a row of 18 runes closely based on the Younger Futhark invented by, or according to his claim "reveale... appear prominently on the ring. The two Sig RunesSig Rune Sig Rune is the name given by Guido von List for the Sigel or s rune of the futhark.... represent the lightning flash runes of the Schutzstaffel, while the HagalHagal (Armanen rune) Hagal is the 7th rune of Armanen Futharkh of Guido von List, derived from the Younger Futhark Hagal rune .... rune represents the faith and camaraderie that was idealised by the leaders of the organisation. The SS liked to portray the SwastikaSwastika he swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles in either left-facing or right-facing direction.... as another influential symbol of the power of the Aryan raceAryan race The "Aryan race" is a concept in European culture that was influential in the period of the late nineteenth and early twenti... . The Heilszeichen (literally: symbols of salvation), on the rear of the ring, was a creation of the SS designers rather than a historical rune. It symbolised all the ideals of the SS, from camaraderie to their belief that SS men should sacrifice all for their brothers. According to Himmler's accompanying letter the skull itself was to be a reminder for the wearer of the ring to be prepared anytime to risk their own life for the life of the community. On the inside of the ring was engraved the name of the bearer, initial followed by full surname, the date of presentation, and a facsimile of Himmler's signature, plus the abbreviations S Lb. for "Seinem Lieben" or "His Beloved." Recipients also received a specially designed box decorated with the SS runes for storage or carrying. Karl Maria WiligutKarl Maria Wiligut Guido von List ... has been credited with the design. Post-Nazi era After all further awards of the ring were halted in 1944, Himmler ordered all the remaining rings blast-sealed inside a mountain near Wewelsburg CastleWewelsburg Overview Wewelsburg* is a Renaissance castle located in the northwest of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.... . Their present location is unknown. All rings were to be returned to Himmler upon the bearer's death or when they left the SS, to be kept at Wewelsburg as a kind of individual memorial to the holder. When a ring-holder was killed in battle, his SS comrades were to make every effort to retrieve the ring and prevent its falling into enemy hands. By January 1945, 64% of the 14,500 rings made had been returned to Himmler. After the end of the war, many rings were also (per Himmler's instructions) buried with the people who were awarded them. Around 3,500 rings are thought to be in existence today, and therefore are very rare, collectable items. Copies and fakes are also common. There appears to be difficulty in verifying the authenticity of examples bearing the name "Müller" and "Maier". Trivia US musician Lowell GeorgeLowell George Lowell George was an American musician, singer and guitarist, with the rock group Little Feat and as a solo artist.... recorded a song called Himmler's Ring (written by Fred TackettFred Tackett Fred Tackett, a native of Arkansas, is a member of the band Little Feat.... ) on his album Thanks I'll Eat It Here. Literature Patzwall, Klaus D.: Der SS-Totenkopfring (in German) publisher: Patzwall, 4th edition 2002. ISBN 3931533476 External links