History of Swastika
Uploaded by onishikakudemon on Oct 11, 2004
The Swastika is a symbol that at first was a positive meaning to many people around the world. The Swastika was the oldest cross/emblem in the world. The combinations of the four “L’s” stood for Luck, Light, Love, and Life. This symbol has been found in Rome and many other ancient countries. Our own Southwest Indians use it as an amulet. It is said that it is used to drive away evil and bring good luck and long life to the possessor of the Swastika.
The Swastika is a very strong symbol to many. Even though the Nazis had used it to murder millions of people, it was a symbol of positive meaning for many centuries. The Swastika was a positive symbol that had been used for 3,000 years around the world. It was also a notorious uses d symbol far back to the 1000 BCE. Until Hitler gained control over the Swastika, it was a sound symbol.
For the following years, the swastika was used by many other cultures. For instance, Japan, India, China, and southern Europe. Of course there were many different names to be called. For China, it was called “wan,” for England, “fylfot,” and for Greece, either “tetraskelion” or “gammadion.” However, it was not known for how long, our Native Americans have also used the swastika.
Not until the Nazis used this symbol, the swastika was used by many other cultures around the world. It had symbolized strength, sun, life, power, and good luck. It had garnished coins, buildings, cigarette cases, and postcards. While World War I was taking place, it was found even on the shoulder patches of the Finnish Air Force and the American 45th Division. Later in the 1920’s it had a change of meaning. Adolf Hitler later decided that the Nazis party needed it’s own sign and flag. They then also decided on August 7, 1920 that the swastika would be their flag and sign. Since the swastika became the Nazi’s flag, it is now a symbol of hatred, death violence, and murder. As we can see the swastika was a symbol of good meaning, to become one of unfavorable meaning. Since then, the symbol now has a new meaning.
As of now, there is a great debate of what the swastika now means. For thousands of...