The History of The Swastika

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The swastika is usually associated with the Nazis but do people really know the different meanings behind the swastika. It has been used and given multiple meanings and multiple names. It has also been used in many religions and is still being used by some today. The Nazis were not the only ones who used this symbol. The swastika has a unique history, with a symbolic meaning that has evolved by its religious, Nazi, Aryan, and modern use.
The swastika is one of the earliest known used symbols with a unique history. It is a symbol most recognized as an equilateral cross with its arms bent at 90 degrees. The word "Swastika" comes from the Sanskrit word suastika, "su" meaning "good,""asti" meaning "to be," and “ka” being a suffix. So the true meaning of the swastika is "good to be." The earliest known use of the swastika is in the Upper Paleolithic era, 10,000 years ago, when it was found engraved on a bird figurine made of mammoth ivory near Kiev, Ukraine. The next known usage was for a language. This is the earliest, most frequently used swastika to date. The language was Viňca and what the swastika represented is still unknown. The first known usage of a swastika on a coin was in 315 B.C. It has also been given different names to represent different meanings. One name is the Fylfot. This name was mainly used in Europe pre dating Christianity. It was used in the religion Odinism. It also was a symbol linked to Thor. This is believed because Thor and the symbol were both believed to ward off harmful spirits. Other names for the swastika are the gammadion and tetraskelion. These names were used in Greece. These names were widely distributed in Greece and were placed on their coins. It is believed that this is where Christians found ...

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...caust Memorial Museum., 10 Jun. 2013. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.
Imreh, Alex. "Swastika - in the "Vinca script" 6000-7000 BC." Alex Imreh. The Twenty Ten Theme., 1 Mar. 2011. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.
"Meanings of the Swastika Symbol." Theosophy Northwest. The Theosophical Society., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.
Rosenburg, Jennifer. "The History of the Swastika." about.com. n.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.
"The Indus and the swastika." Indus Valley: What They Did For Us. BBC, n.d. Web.
23 Jan. 2014.
"The Seal of the Theosophical Society." The Theosophical Society in America. n.p., n.d. Web.
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"The Swastika Symbol in Buddhism." ReligionFacts. n.p., 7 Aug. 2013. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.
"The Swastika in Asian Art." Light of Asia. n.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.
Varma, Anuradha. "What the Swastika Means." The Times of India.
Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., 18 Jan. 2005. Web. 26 Jan. 2014.

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