Mjolnir as a Symbol of White Supremacism
One of the first things that I noticed in the prison library was a necklace that many of the inmates wore. It was some sort of unknown object or symbol on a silver chain. Only later did I find out that this is Mjolnir, the hammer of the Norse God of thunder, Thor. Inmates were not permitted to wear jewelry in prison but they were allowed a religious exemption to wear a symbol of their faith-- in this case it is Odinism.
Odinism
If you are not familiar with Norse mythology, Odin is considered the God of War and the Dead-- he is the head god over all of the other gods and goddesses. Odinism was well represented in West Virginia prisons which were 85% white. I heard a lot from the inmates about Odinism and how it was not racist but they believed in keeping the races separate. Which is racist. The Odinists were allowed a religious service once a week just like all of the other religions that exist in American prisons in abundance.
Asatru Folk Assembly is also an Old Norse revival religion that embraces polytheism. Asatru was revived by Stephen McNallen who also thinks that Asatru should be reserved for only people of Northern European ancestry. Which is racist. There is a lot of overlap between Odinism and Asatru but Asatru was not allowed in prison since it is regarded more as an anti-government group and less as a religion. You can read more about Asatru at the Southern Poverty Law Center site where they monitor hate groups in the United States.
It should go without saying that all of the members of Odinism, Wotanism, and Asatru were white. Sometimes the African American inmates casually joked that they might apply to be an Odinist and laugh about it.
Wotanism and David Lane
And then there's Wotanism. This white supremacist organization was founded by notorious domestic terrorist David Lane. Lane wrote 14 words that are used as an evil mantra, "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children." Wotanists also have a secondary mantra, "Because the beauty of the White Aryan woman must not perish from the Earth."
When I was a prison librarian I had a young man ask me to photocopy a piece of paper that had these quotes on them along with some other offensive white supremacist rhetoric. Not only did I seize the piece of paper, but I also refused to photocopy it and reported him for spreading hate by having this piece of paper. Wotanism was not acknowledged as a legitimate religion in West Virginia prisons because it was viewed as a security risk in diverse prison populations.
Because I reported him, the offender and I attended an in-prison hearing where the evidence was produced and the inmate had legal representation by a fellow inmate and Odinist. The piece of paper was a clear violation of prison policy and he spent 30 days in solitary confinement for this offense. While reporting an active white supremacist may have been the right thing to do, I feel like I really burnished a white supremacist martyr who had the admiration and support of all of the other similarly afflicted inmates. This challenge and conflict seems to add credibility to these flimsy religions that serve many evil purposes.
But I was also sending a message to all inmates by reporting him-- I was not going to tolerate anyone asking me to photocopy racist materials so that they can recruit new haters. This earned me respect points from the white and BIPOC inmates alike. I had laid down the law in my prison library.
Dead Men Incorporated
When I worked in West Virginia and Maryland prisons I encountered a white supremacist gang called Dead Men Incorporated. This was founded in Maryland prisons and anecdotally I heard it referred to as the white branch of the Black Guerilla Family, another prison and street gang. One of the things that kept the white supremacist religious meetings from becoming gang meetings was the persistent presence of the prison Chaplain whose role was to make sure that the religious ceremony did not degrade into a gang meeting.
When Racism is Wrapped in Religion
Turning white supremacy into a religion makes religions such as Odinism, Asatru, and Wotanism non-taxable. It also grants these organizations religious freedom to say whatever they want. Even further, the United States Department of Defense expanded its Faith and Belief Codes in 2017 to include Heathen which includes Asatru, Wotanism, and Odinism. This doesn't apply to prison but this acceptance by the United States government could be used as an argument in court for inmates to have religious services in prison focused on racist principles. If the US government acknowledges these religions as legitimate for their employees in the military, it follows that these religions should be allowed to worship regularly in prison. Also, you can buy a Mjolnir necklace at Walmart-- it seems Odinism has become mainstream.
Some people or groups who also worship Odin and the other Norse gods say that they are not racists and that not all who wear a Mjolnir are white supremacists. To them, I would say the same thing to those who refer to the contemporary use of the Confederate Flag as heritage not hate-- it is too late to use this symbol. It was allowed to be assimilated by dark forces and these symbols have become powerful symbols of evil to many. While I will acknowledge that the swastika was also a symbol used in India before it became a symbol of the Nazi party, this symbol of evil is not coming back as acceptable in Western culture anytime soon.
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
I first heard of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion in a Maryland prison. In talking with an inmate about books he mentioned a book that talked about how the Jews were bent on world domination and that this is why they controlled the media. I was taken aback by this and I had to Google it. I found he was referring to this anti-Semitic book written in Russia in the early twentieth century. Just like many conspiracy theories, this old hateful book floats around US prisons perpetuating anti-Semitism and helping to fuel a national paranoia of the other. Parts of this book were taught in Germany sowing the seeds of the Holocaust throughout Europe.
Marking the Books With 14/88 tags
One of the most annoying parts of being a prison librarian was all of the books from the men in solitary confinement that came back with 14/88 marked in books. On the cover, inside the covers, on random pages, on page 14, and on page 88. Fourteen stands for the 14 words of Wotanism and eighty-eight represents the eighth letter of the alphabet which is 'H'. Eighty-eight equals 'Heil Hitler.' The prison library clerks would diligently black out the tags with a Sharpie but they came back marked up consistently. It felt like a futile act in the face of such consistent hate tagging on books but we persevered in trying to eliminate these symbols of hate.
Fair Warning: Opinion Zone
While I could see that white supremacism was strong in prisons I never saw too many indicators that this kind of prejudiced thinking might become acceptable and even mainstream. In my opinion, it is this kind of white supremacist lens that is using fear tactics to criticize and demonize critical race theory (CRT). As a nation, we should learn that our country was built with slave labor in all aspects of building the United States. White Americans created institutional racism and redlining to perpetuate Jim Crow in an allegedly post-segregated world, while somewhere in a mythical United States many people believe that racism in America is over because Barrack Obama was elected President. There is still much work to do in the United States to achieve racial and social justice for all.
There are more white supremacist gangs in US prisons including the Aryan Brotherhood, the Nazi Lowriders, and Public Enemy Number One. The reality is that prisons are breeding grounds for violence and extreme beliefs based on a hatred of all that is not white and masculine.
It's important to know how white supremacists think.
This is an uncomfortable video by Stephan McNallen where he talks about the importance of the Norse god Wotan for white people.
This is an uncomfortable video by Stephan McNallen where he talks about the importance of the Norse god Wotan for white people.