Sven von Hedin

Sven Anders Hedin (1865-1952).  Swedish geographer & explorer of Asia.
The last person to receive a Swedish knighthood (in 1902).

Argent, a globe Azure centered on Asia, on a chief Sable three escallops of the first.

The above picture is due to Jochen Wilke   (2004-06-08)
[ © 2004 Jochen Wilke.  This copyrighted image is reproduced here by permission. ]

Sven von Hedin  was a politically active anticommunist Germanophile.  He supported Adolf Hitler early on, and remained an admirer of his throughout the Third Reich.  Hedin was not a nazi himself, though:  In a book funded by the German government, which was later banned in Germany, he had this to say about his own heritage:

In my blood, every sixteenth drop is of Jewish origin.
I cherish this sixteenth drop and I do not want to lose it.

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