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Swastika the Earliest Known Symbol and its Migrations

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since you have called up this information, chances are you already know that the swastika had been in use all over the world ages and ages before adolf hitler started using it for his sad and sick crusade.

it is important to note that this book originally came out in 1894 (no, this is NOT a typing error!), therefore the author was able to approach the subject without the knowledge we all have.

basically, thomas wilson examined where and - if information was available - when the different forms of the swastika appeared in history: on coins, pottery, fabrics, etc.

writing a review that does this book, and especially its subject, justice seems impossible, i must admit. let me just add this: the swastika has been known for milleniums in all parts of the world. furthermore it appears, that it was mainly a symbol of good luck. the term swastika originates in the holy language of sanskrit. it is composed of "su", meaning "good", and "asti", meaning "being": "good being".

what a shame adolf hitler chose this beautiful symbol and managed to make most of us feel uneasy whenever we see it. i hope we will one day overcome this...

_The Swastika: The Earliest Known Symbol, and its Migrations; with Observations on the Migration of Certain Industries in Prehistoric Times_, first published in 1894 and reprinted here by Kessinger Publishing, is a commissioned study of the swastika symbol by Thomas Wilson, Curator in the Department of Prehistoric Anthropology in the U. S. National Museum. This study examines the swastika symbol in its various forms and traces its migrations throughout the globe. This study is obviously highly indebted to Count Goblet d'Alviella, whose important work on symbols (which indeed mentions the role of the swastika symbol) is mentioned extensively herein. In addition, this study includes countless drawings of symbols and artifacts showing the swastika symbol as well as plates showing various artifacts and drawings including the swastika symbol. As such, this study is an important work in archaeological research that traces the development of the swastika symbol in ancient times.

To begin with, the author explains how he came to write this study, being prompted by a certain gentleman as to whether the swastika existed in America. The author mentions such individuals as De Mortillet, De Morgan, and Zmigrodzki and their study of the swastika. From this the author turns to the first part of the study entitled "Definitions, Description, and Origins". The author notes the role of the symbol of the Cross, mentioning various forms of the Cross including the Latin Cross, the Greek Cross, St. Andrew's Cross, the Egyptian Cross, and the Celtic Cross. The author then mentions the works of Max Muller in this respect. Following this, the author discusses the forms of the swastika, including the "normal swastika" and the "suavastika". The author then attempts to define the swastika, mentioning the meaning of the word "swastika" in Sanskrit ("of good fortune"), the fylfot, the cross gammee and gammadion, as well as the role of ancient Indian sects. The author notes the theories of Max Muller, d'Alviella, Goodyear, and several other important individuals concerning the origin and migration of this ancient symbol. In addition, the author maintains that this is the most ancient Aryan symbol and that it came to take on a solar significance. The author also explains the difference between the "male swastika" and the "female swastika" as well as relating it to various deities in the Hindu pantheon. The author then explains the origins and migrations of the swastika showing in a detailed chart how this symbol traveled throughout the globe. The second part of this study is entitled "Dispersion of the Swastika". Here the author examines the role of the swastika in the extreme Orient (Japan, Korea, China, and Tibet), the classical Orient (Babylonia, Assyria, Chaldea, and Persia, Phenicia, Lycaonia, Armenia, Caucasus, and Asia Minor - including Troy and mentioning Schliemann), Africa (Egypt, Algeria, Ashantee), classical Occident (Mediterranean - Greece, Cyprus, Rhodes, Milos, and Thera), Europe (the Bronze Age, the Gallo-Roman period, the Anglo-Saxon period, and the swastika on ancient coins), the United States of America (in pre-Columbian times, among the North American Indians, and a "colonial patchwork"), Central America (Nicaragua, Yucatan, and Costa Rica), and South America (Brazil and Paraguay). The author shows various artifacts associated with the swastika including spindle-whorls, coins, vases, and idols. The author also notes the importance of this symbol among both the ancient Buddhists and Hindus. The third part of this study is entitled "Forms Allied to the Swastika". Here, the author notes the ancient symbols embodied in the meanders, ogees, and spirals (bent to both the left and the right) as well as mentioning aboriginal American engravings, various forms of the swastika including triskele, triskelion, and triquetum as designs on shells, and designs on pottery and basketry. The fourth part of this study is entitled "The Cross Among the American Indians". Here, the author notes the importance of the Cross among the American Indians and the various meanings of the Cross for them as well as noting the presence of the Cross on shells, copper, and pottery, and the alliance of the Cross to the swastika. The fifth part of this study is entitled "Significance of the Swastika". Here, the author discusses
the role of the swastika as a symbol (of a religion, of a nation or people, and of a sect with particular tenets), as an amulet or charm (of good luck or fortune or long life, of benediction or blessing, and against the evil eye), and as an ornament or decoration. The author concludes that the swastika was prehistoric in origin and occurred among the Buddhists and Brahmins and was found on common implements indicating that it was likely an amulet or charm. The sixth part of this study is entitled "The Migration of Symbols". Here, the author begins by considering the migration of the swastika noting its Aryan origins and the migrations it underwent as it traveled around the globe. The author also notes the role of myths and fables, habits and customs, etc. as means for transporting the swastika. The author also considers the migration of some of the other classical symbols, particularly as mentioned by Count Goblet d'Alviella in his work _La Migration des Symboles_, including the sacred tree of the Assyrians, the sacred cone of Mesopotamia, the Crux ansata (or the key of life), the winged globe, the caduceus, the trisula, and the double-headed eagle on the escutcheon of Austria and Russia. The seventh part of this study is entitled "Prehistoric Objects Associated with the Swastika, Found in Both Hemispheres, and Believed to Have Passed by Migration". Here, the author mentions such things as spindle-whorls (in Europe, North America, Central America, and South America) and bobbins (in Europe and the United States). The eight part of this study is entitled "Similar Prehistoric Arts, Industries, and Implements in Europe and America as Evidence of the Migration of Culture". Here, the author notes the role of various implements etc. and their role in migrations. The study ends with a Conclusion in which the author notes the role of the swastika and its migrations from the Old World to the New.

This study provides a fascinating account of mankind's earliest symbol and its migrations - the swastika. For primitive peoples, the swastika remained an important symbol found throughout the world on artifacts, implements, and works of art. As such, this study provides a unique archaeological understanding of the role of the swastika throughout the world.

Very well-written book. It could use some updating with more historical information about the topic addressed. For example, the notorious flag symbol of the National Socialist German Workers Party, although an ancient symbol, was altered for use as overlapping S-letters for 'socialism' under the National Socialist German Workers' Party. It was deliberately turned 45 degrees to the horizontal and always oriented in the S-direction. Similar alphabetic symbolism is still visible as Volkswagen logos. American socialists (e.g. Edward Bellamy teamed with the Theosophical Society) bear some blame for using the symbol as alphabetical symbolism for socialism, adopted later by German socialists. Edward Bellamy was the author of an international bestseller that launched the nationalism movement, and his book was translated into every major language, including German. Edward was cousin to Francis Bellamy, author of the Pledge Of Allegiance (1892). The Pledge was the origin of the stiff-arm salute that was adopted later by German socialists. Francis and Edward were both self-proclaimed socialists in the Nationalism movement and they promoted military socialism. They wanted government to take over all schools and impose robotic chanting to flags. The Pledge's early salute was not an ancient Roman salute, and the 'ancient Roman salute' myth came from the Pledge. People were persecuted for refusing to perform robotic chanting to the national flag at the same time in the USA and Germany (to the American flag, and to the German symbol flag). The socialist dogma led to the socialist Wholecost: 60 million dead under the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; 50 million under the Peoples' Republic of China; 20 million under the National Socialist German Workers Party. It might be the most tragic part of world history.