New Post
Search
Help
ArchivesRe: How is Edelweiß used in German-speaking countries?
in reply to a message by Felie
A lot of symbols are used in different cultures and countries, sometimes with the original meaning intact and sometimes with a different one. A good example of this is the swastika: we all know what it meant to the Nazis, but in e.g. Buddhism it symbolises the footprints of the Buddha.
With that in mind, it makes perfect sense that the Edelweiß meant something different to the Nazis than it did (and still does) to the Austrians. For the latter, it is their national flower, which symbolises both the purity of the Alp mountains and the bravery of those who manage to get their hands on the flower (since it isn't easy to find and pick one). For the Nazis, it symbolised the purity of the Aryan race (partly because the flower's name literally means "noble white") as well as Adolf Hitler, since it was his favourite flower.
Now, in The Sound of Music, Captain von Trapp is an Austrian naval officer who didn't want to join the Nazis, because he was a patriotic man and also because he didn't agree with the Nazi ideology and politics. As such, he sang the song about the Edelweiß as an expression of both his love for Austria and resistance towards the Nazis. Had he been a Nazi sympathiser instead, him singing the song would have represented his agreement with the Nazi ideology. So basically, in the musical, the meaning of the flower and the song entirely depends on Captain von Trapp's personal views. They would have been used in the musical no matter what his views were, but of course, the song would never have become so iconic if Von Trapp had been a Nazi sympathiser.
All in all, I don't see anything nonsensical or contradictory about the use of the Edelweiß in the musical.
"It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society." ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986)
With that in mind, it makes perfect sense that the Edelweiß meant something different to the Nazis than it did (and still does) to the Austrians. For the latter, it is their national flower, which symbolises both the purity of the Alp mountains and the bravery of those who manage to get their hands on the flower (since it isn't easy to find and pick one). For the Nazis, it symbolised the purity of the Aryan race (partly because the flower's name literally means "noble white") as well as Adolf Hitler, since it was his favourite flower.
Now, in The Sound of Music, Captain von Trapp is an Austrian naval officer who didn't want to join the Nazis, because he was a patriotic man and also because he didn't agree with the Nazi ideology and politics. As such, he sang the song about the Edelweiß as an expression of both his love for Austria and resistance towards the Nazis. Had he been a Nazi sympathiser instead, him singing the song would have represented his agreement with the Nazi ideology. So basically, in the musical, the meaning of the flower and the song entirely depends on Captain von Trapp's personal views. They would have been used in the musical no matter what his views were, but of course, the song would never have become so iconic if Von Trapp had been a Nazi sympathiser.
All in all, I don't see anything nonsensical or contradictory about the use of the Edelweiß in the musical.
1