"KNIFE IN THE SKULL"

THE SYMBOLIC IDENTITY OF THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS POLICE TROOPS IN BRAZIL

Abstract

The article demonstrates, through a theoretical-bibliographical research, a historical perspective on how the use of the symbol of the knife in the skull would have developed among the special operations troops of the Military Police in Brazil. To do so, we resort to theoretical sources that discuss the emergence of the use of the skull and crossbones symbol since the 17th century and how this use unfolded through the Hitler period in Germany until it reached Brazil, being used by a good part of the Military Police. among its members of the special operations troops with the addition of a dagger embedded in the skull. The objective was to reconstruct this historical context in order to have knowledge about how this “modern myth” about the symbol of the knife in the skull was constituted, given the importance it acquired for the military police officers who make up the Special Operations Police Battalion (SOPB) in many Brazilian states.