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Anson Road
kayes
Registered: July 2008
Posts: 2,793
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Penang Buddhist Association
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| · Date: December 23, 2008 · Views: 5767 ·
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Phoebe
Phoebe
Registered: October 2008
Location: Land Down Under
Posts: 152
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I've always found it fascinating that the Buddhist symbol ("Wan Zi") is the reverse of the Swastika. Wonder which came first.
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kayes
Registered: July 2008
Posts: 2,793
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Phoebe, I have also wondered about that. I will try a Google search and see what I come up with but I think Wan Zi is earlier than the Swastika.
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Bomoh
Registered: September 2008
Location: Mount Gambier, Limestone coast, South Australia
Posts: 77
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The Swastika is actually an equilateral cross with the arms bent. Earliest examples are Neolithic (Circa 9000BCE). Indo Aryans adopted it for Hinduism. Interestingly believed used by some Red Indians of N America. Believed to be a natural shape that will arise in any basket weaving culture. Adopted by Nazis in 1930's as they believed in Aryan descent of modern German tribes. Reversed swastika of nazis is one of the first examples of logo or branding of a political ideal. Sources: Wikipedia (so some of it may even be true)
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Phoebe
Phoebe
Registered: October 2008
Location: Land Down Under
Posts: 152
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Hello, Kayes and Mike. Here's some interesting information regarding the history of the Swastika:
"The swastika is an ancient symbol that has been used for over 3,000 years. (That even predates the ancient Egyptian symbol, the Ankh!) Artifacts such as pottery and coins from ancient Troy show that the swastika was a commonly used symbol as far back as 1000 BCE. During the following thousand years, the image of the swastika was used by many cultures around the world, including in China, Japan, India, and southern Europe. By the Middle Ages, the swastika was a well known, if not commonly used, symbol but was called by many different names:
China - wan
England - fylfot
Germany - Hakenkreuz
Greece - tetraskelion and gammadion
India - swastika
Though it is not known for exactly how long, Native Americans also have long used the symbol of the swastika.
The Original Meaning
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The word "swastika" comes from the Sanskrit svastika - "su" meaning "good," "asti" meaning "to be," and "ka" as a suffix. Until the Nazis used this symbol, the swastika was used by many cultures throughout the past 3,000 years to represent life, sun, power, strength, and good luck. Even in the early twentieth century, the swastika was still a symbol with positive connotations. For instance, the swastika was a common decoration that often adorned cigarette cases, postcards, coins, and buildings. During World War I, the swastika could even be found on the shoulder patches of the American 45th Division and on the Finnish air force until after World War II."
SOURCE: http://history1900s.about.com/cs/swastika/a/swastikahistory.htm
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