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Strange Graffiti Appears On Greenpoint Storefronts
By
Jen Chung
Published May 4, 2009
Modified May 4, 2009
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By
Jen Chung
Published May 4, 2009
Modified May 4, 2009
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A New York Shitty reader sent photographs of some spray painted words/symbols on Greenpoint storefronts to Miss Heather, writing, "i think we’re about to be thrust in the middle of some kind of ancient battle of monsters and magic folk… or just an itchy case of dork-rash. some uh- person- is tagging in what looks like elvish. i found the first set on leonard and norman and the second on eckford and nassau. i would have translated these myself with the power of the internet but im a 31 year old man."
Similarly cryptic graffiti was spotted two additional instances of the graffiti in the neighborhood. One commenter offered up a possible Elvish translation, but discussion has now shifted to suggest that the graffiti is based on an Austrian mystic's alphabet—and whose work "is seminal to later currents of Germanic mysticism and Nazi occultism," according to Wikipedia. The image pictured might read "Sal und Sig = Sal-vation and victory [Heil und Sieg (here we see the origins of the chant used by the Germanen Orden, which later became a National Socialist motto: Sieg Heil!, ‘Hail Victory!')]."
If we're seeing calls for help on storefronts, we prefer telling the aliens to move their spaceship.
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strange graffiti
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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