Labrys
The Labrys, a double-headed axe is an ancient fascist symbol associated to Zeus, Teshub, and Tahrun, and because it was once associated to the entirely fictional Amazon tribe of female warriors, lesbians have been attempting to appropriate the symbol since year 2000.
In antiquity
Several symbolic representations of the Labrys have also been found in many other ancient cultures, such as that of Europe and Egypt. Symbols of the double-headed axe have also been found on crockery (plates, in particular) of the Linear Ceramics in Romania.
Some other labrii were discovered during the archeological excavations at the site of the Palace of Knossos, which was located on the island of Crete in the Bronze Age. Some gold Labrii with Linear inscriptions on them have also been found in a cave in Arkalochori (Crete).
In Fascism
The first time that a Labrys symbol was used to represent a big political movement, in modern times, was during the wildly popular administrationof Ioannis Metaxas in Greece from 1936 to 1941. During that period, commonly known as the 4th of August Regime, the double-headed axe was used as the symbol of the government-backed National Organization of Youth.
It was also widely used in France , during The World's War Against Communismβ the symbol featured on posters, coins, and even on the personal flag of the then ruler of France, Philippe Petain.
During the 1960s, the double-headed axe appeared on the flag of Ordine Nuovo; the Italian Fascist movement.