Draft – Please do not cite or reproduce anything from this paper without permission from the author. The Evolution of an Emblem: the Arm & Hammer By Kim Munson, presented at the SWTX PCA/ACA conference 2010. The arm & hammer, a dynamic symbol comprised of a muscular male arm grasping a hammer, implying the action of striking an anvil, has been a recognized emblem of labor, skill and the benefits that come from honest hard work for centuries. It was such a ubiquitous emblem of labor that it was incorporated into the Wisconsin state flag in 1848. In 1904, it became the official emblem of the Socialist Party of America, and for this and other reasons, it subsequently fell out of general use in US union labels. It is now best known as Church & Dwight’s commercial trademark for Arm & Hammer baking soda. Many cultures around the world had myths and customs related to fire, hammers or hammer gods. As we are investigating a symbol predominately used in Europe and the United States, I will confine this mythological exploration to Western legends and symbolism, beginning with the hammer itself, which has many symbolic meanings. Traditionally, it represents strength and male creative‐ destructive power. One of the best known wielders of this power was the Norse god Thor with his great stone hammer, who was not only equated with the destructive force of lightning and thunder, but he was also considered the guardian of Midgard (Earth) and a god of fertility. In the Greco‐Roman world the hammer god was called Hephaestus (Greek, meaning fire) or Vulcan (Roman, meaning volcano), the god of fire, the forge and skilled crafts. Because of this, Vulcan, unlike Thor, was often portrayed in the visual arts as a blacksmith striking an anvil with a hammer. i Vulcan and his creations have played an important role in many classical epic tales, like this scene from The Iliad illustrated by the Italian painter and architect Giulio Romano (figure 2), which features Vulcan forging the armor of the Greek hero Achilles, as Achilles’ mother Thetis looks on (notice the position of Vulcan’s arm). A similar scene from The Aeneid, depicting Vulcan forging the armor of the Trojan/Roman hero Aeneas as the hero’s mother Venus looks on was also a popular artistic theme, as well as other scenes set in Vulcan’s forge and workshop. Figures 1 & 2 – Engraving of the arm & hammer emblem from a mid‐ 1800's type founder’s specimen book, as reproduced in Hornung's Handbook of Early American Advertising Art (top). Vulcan Forging Armour for Achilles by Giulio Romano (1492‐1546/Italian), Palazzo Ducale, Mantua. Fire also has a symbolic tradition of its own. Like the hammer, it is considered a male creative‐destructive force. Often thought of as a god‐like living element in its own right, fire can signify renewal (the Phoenix), the Holy Spirit (the fire of God) or purification (trial by fire). Fire can be a protective element, for example fire is one of the attributes of the Archangel Michael, the great warrior who defeated