What's the origin of the Swastika?
- Thread starter Zcylen
- Start date
- Status
Parmenion
Warlord
I was in Dharamsala in India recently (the home to the Tibetan government in exile and the Dalai Lama), and the swastika was everywhere.
When I asked a monk about it he said he always gets asked that by Westerners. He said that the 2 variants of the swastika represented 'light' and 'dark'. It is representive of the sun in the form of light, and also it's antithesis. Both versions were predominant in all the monasteries I visited.
There was a TV documentary recently about a young Hindu girl living in London (she moved here from Calcutta) who had a swastika in her living room window. She was bombarded with hate mail labelling her a racist and a bigot. Whenever she was confronted about it, the complainers were astonished to find a young Indian girl answering the door. They were also shocked to learn it's significance as a symbol of light.
Thus I reasoned if the origins were both Hindu and Bhuddist, then the assumption that they were connected to Indo-European Vedic sources was likely.
(I use a thick hand-made notebook from India to make notes in. There are swastikas on the cover and people give me funny looks when I'm on the train and open my book to jot my thoughts in. I'd love one of them to confront me about it, but they never do. Maybe because I'm 6'3" and 220lbs has something to do with it.)
When I asked a monk about it he said he always gets asked that by Westerners. He said that the 2 variants of the swastika represented 'light' and 'dark'. It is representive of the sun in the form of light, and also it's antithesis. Both versions were predominant in all the monasteries I visited.
There was a TV documentary recently about a young Hindu girl living in London (she moved here from Calcutta) who had a swastika in her living room window. She was bombarded with hate mail labelling her a racist and a bigot. Whenever she was confronted about it, the complainers were astonished to find a young Indian girl answering the door. They were also shocked to learn it's significance as a symbol of light.
Thus I reasoned if the origins were both Hindu and Bhuddist, then the assumption that they were connected to Indo-European Vedic sources was likely.
(I use a thick hand-made notebook from India to make notes in. There are swastikas on the cover and people give me funny looks when I'm on the train and open my book to jot my thoughts in. I'd love one of them to confront me about it, but they never do. Maybe because I'm 6'3" and 220lbs has something to do with it.)
The Swastika is one of the two symbols of Hinduism (the other being the Aum). It is a Sanskrit word, that means "auspicious" or "holy."
As Parmenion said, the Swastika can be seen all over India. Its so commonplace, no one thinks much about it, or associates it with the Nazi connotation.
As Parmenion said, the Swastika can be seen all over India. Its so commonplace, no one thinks much about it, or associates it with the Nazi connotation.
Stefan Haertel
Title
"Aryan" also has a different meaning in India. From "Hinduism" by K.M.Sen (London, 1961):
Another thing, before and during the Third Reich, "Aryan" was also a common description on what is now called "Indo-European", particularly "Indo-Iranian", or "Iranian". The word "Iran" derives from that, too; in the city I live next to, there's a big Persian carpet store called "Aryana".
The word "Aryan" must be frowned upon in the Western civilization, but we must also not ignore the fact that to other people, it means something different, and that's the same case with the swastika.
Another thing, before and during the Third Reich, "Aryan" was also a common description on what is now called "Indo-European", particularly "Indo-Iranian", or "Iranian". The word "Iran" derives from that, too; in the city I live next to, there's a big Persian carpet store called "Aryana".
The word "Aryan" must be frowned upon in the Western civilization, but we must also not ignore the fact that to other people, it means something different, and that's the same case with the swastika.
floppa21
Crusty Manhole
Without going too into this, I will say that I have heard similar to previous posters here. Eastern. It is unfortunately associated with Nazism but did not originate with it.
Maybe people think it is Celtic like people associate the Iron Cross with Celt?
Maybe people think it is Celtic like people associate the Iron Cross with Celt?
allhailIndia
Deity
With regards to the term Aryan it is actually a misnomer since it refers to a group of languages, not people.
When one speaks of Aryan, one refers to anyone who speaks any of the Indo-European languages, stretching from Sanskrit and Persian to Greek and Latin, from which most modern European languages are derived from.
In India, the word "Arya" was originally used by the INdo European peoples who migrated from the Central Asian plateaus, to distinguish themselves from the darker-skinned natives of India. Ultimately, with the formation of the first kingdoms and states, the word Arya came to mean the nobles or the Kshatriyas who ruled over them.
In a sense, several European scholars made a gross mistake when referring to Germans or Nordic peoples as "Aryans", since this term has to do with people speaking an "Aryan" or "indo-European language"
When one speaks of Aryan, one refers to anyone who speaks any of the Indo-European languages, stretching from Sanskrit and Persian to Greek and Latin, from which most modern European languages are derived from.
In India, the word "Arya" was originally used by the INdo European peoples who migrated from the Central Asian plateaus, to distinguish themselves from the darker-skinned natives of India. Ultimately, with the formation of the first kingdoms and states, the word Arya came to mean the nobles or the Kshatriyas who ruled over them.
In a sense, several European scholars made a gross mistake when referring to Germans or Nordic peoples as "Aryans", since this term has to do with people speaking an "Aryan" or "indo-European language"
Stefan Haertel
Title
You can hardly call those people speaking of an Aryan race when referring to German/Nordic peoples "scholars".
civilleader
Prince
Those German "Scholars" starting with Max Muller then proclaimed that Sanskrit's similarity to Latin, Greek, was since the "Aryans" came from the same place. This Aryan theory thus allowed for Hitler to build up his crap about the Aryan race
Johann MacLeod
Duc de Lorraine
heres a good site for swastika history, i was resarching it last year for a tolerence clud we had at my school.
Swastika History
Swastika History
Sims2789
Fool me once...
I have heard of the Indo-Aryan version most often. We have a copy of The Jungle Book that is about 100 years old and it has a swastika in it.
fazzoletti
Warlord
-------------------------------------------------------------
It is interesting to note that the original designer of the insignia of the NSDAP, Dr. Freidrich Krohn (see below), initially drew it right-handed, but Hitler insisted on its being changed to the left-handed version.
------------------------------------------------------------
Incredible! Interesting site MacLeod!
It is interesting to note that the original designer of the insignia of the NSDAP, Dr. Freidrich Krohn (see below), initially drew it right-handed, but Hitler insisted on its being changed to the left-handed version.
------------------------------------------------------------
Incredible! Interesting site MacLeod!
Mescalhead
Vincebus Eruptum
AFAIK Swastika was widely spread over various cultures as the symbol of the sun. As for me I know it to be one in German, Celtic and Russian cultures. In Ancient India it symbolized four worlds - the world of humans, gods, animals and daemons.
Johann MacLeod
Duc de Lorraine
and many people use the soviet symbols even though they killed many more people than the Germans did. i think part of it may be the cold German efficiency used in the holocaust.
First off everyone, sorry for harping on about this but I'm intruiged. Bifrost you said
Whats the Celtic connection? The swaztica is four armed and angular, a more likely Celtic symbol would be three armed and swirled. It really doesnt match Celtic style but a number of people have said they think its Celtic. The only angular Celtic symbology I'm familiar with is Ogham and that has nothing that looks like a swaztica. But then again I'm more familiar with Goidelic Celts than with Brythonic, have I missed something?
I'm not trying to say anybody is wrong, but could someone point me in the right direction. A picture, a link or even an example. I've never heard of the swaztica being Celtic before and I am one.
Thanks, Tathy
Whats the Celtic connection? The swaztica is four armed and angular, a more likely Celtic symbol would be three armed and swirled. It really doesnt match Celtic style but a number of people have said they think its Celtic. The only angular Celtic symbology I'm familiar with is Ogham and that has nothing that looks like a swaztica. But then again I'm more familiar with Goidelic Celts than with Brythonic, have I missed something?
I'm not trying to say anybody is wrong, but could someone point me in the right direction. A picture, a link or even an example. I've never heard of the swaztica being Celtic before and I am one.
Thanks, Tathy
- Status
Similar threads
