The Swastika has been held to many ideologies over the course of its existence. At present, its most widely known and understood message is that of the Nazi regime; a twisted, anti-Semitic movement that brought the entire world to a screeching, weeping halt. Just the sight of the four pronged, askew symbol puts many people on edge. Nowadays, only members of white power gangs affiliate themselves with such a wronged symbol. However, every criminal has a story, and even a criminalized symbol had to have come from somewhere.
Although scholars are not entirely sure of its precise origins, the swastika most likely originated in Neolithic Eurasia and spread throughout the pre-Christianity European cultures (“History”). The word “Swastika” originates …show more content…
A pattern made up of many Swastikas was engraved onto the bottom of the tusk, mimicking the cross-pattern of Ivory in an elephant’s tusk. Once uncovered, the tusk was carbon-dated back to 15,000 years ago, securing the title for ‘earliest known,’ (Campion). The second oldest known Swastika was found “painted on a Paleolithic cave” over 10,000 years ago (“Historical”). Other examples of the Swastika have been found on Greek, Celtic, and Anglo Saxxon artifacts, the oldest found in Eastern Europe, from the Balkans to the Baltic. The symbol has also been found on the collars of Slav princesses, to ward off evil, and on Greek buildings, to bring good fortune (Campion). Other cultures, such as that of ancient Chinese, have created their own version of the Swastika. The ancient Chinese Swastika is called “Sauvastika” and is simply a Swastika turned counterclockwise (“Nazi”). Many of these artifacts can be found in Kiev, where the National Museum of the History of Ukraine has many exhibits dedicated to these sorts of historical objects …show more content…
Since its discoveries in European and Asian location and its uses in Paleolithic and modern times, the Swastika has proven itself a highly versatile, if not highly valued symbol. From the peaceful, luck-inducing religious origins and vague patterns etched into the ivory of giant mammals, to the murals on the sides of war planes and banners on the headquarters of dictators, the Swastika has been through many identities in its extensive and intricate history. Simply discovered and re-discovered in the wrong place and at the wrong time, the Swastika, though intended to be a beautiful etching of peace, prosperity and good luck, has been twisted and tilted, through no fault of its own, into a red, black, and white colored monster that invokes fear in the hearts of an entire people and incites shame in an entire country. The Swastika is proof of the power of persuasion and the impact of color clashing, an example of false assumptions and misuse and, as it too was forced into servitude until its eventual death, it makes for the perfect symbol to embody the ideologies of both the devastating and devastated groups of
Although scholars are not entirely sure of its precise origins, the swastika most likely originated in Neolithic Eurasia and spread throughout the pre-Christianity European cultures (“History”). The word “Swastika” originates …show more content…
A pattern made up of many Swastikas was engraved onto the bottom of the tusk, mimicking the cross-pattern of Ivory in an elephant’s tusk. Once uncovered, the tusk was carbon-dated back to 15,000 years ago, securing the title for ‘earliest known,’ (Campion). The second oldest known Swastika was found “painted on a Paleolithic cave” over 10,000 years ago (“Historical”). Other examples of the Swastika have been found on Greek, Celtic, and Anglo Saxxon artifacts, the oldest found in Eastern Europe, from the Balkans to the Baltic. The symbol has also been found on the collars of Slav princesses, to ward off evil, and on Greek buildings, to bring good fortune (Campion). Other cultures, such as that of ancient Chinese, have created their own version of the Swastika. The ancient Chinese Swastika is called “Sauvastika” and is simply a Swastika turned counterclockwise (“Nazi”). Many of these artifacts can be found in Kiev, where the National Museum of the History of Ukraine has many exhibits dedicated to these sorts of historical objects …show more content…
Since its discoveries in European and Asian location and its uses in Paleolithic and modern times, the Swastika has proven itself a highly versatile, if not highly valued symbol. From the peaceful, luck-inducing religious origins and vague patterns etched into the ivory of giant mammals, to the murals on the sides of war planes and banners on the headquarters of dictators, the Swastika has been through many identities in its extensive and intricate history. Simply discovered and re-discovered in the wrong place and at the wrong time, the Swastika, though intended to be a beautiful etching of peace, prosperity and good luck, has been twisted and tilted, through no fault of its own, into a red, black, and white colored monster that invokes fear in the hearts of an entire people and incites shame in an entire country. The Swastika is proof of the power of persuasion and the impact of color clashing, an example of false assumptions and misuse and, as it too was forced into servitude until its eventual death, it makes for the perfect symbol to embody the ideologies of both the devastating and devastated groups of