Yoel Feinberg
Period 1
Origin of the Swastika
When we see a swastika we are automatically reminded of the the Nazi party and how they massacred millions and led one of the worst wars of all time. This image is misleading to the meaning of the actual symbol. The symbol of the swastika is has been used in many cultures that can be traced back to almost 12,000 years. In most cultures the sacred symbol means “well being” in sanskrit or “good luck” in buddhism.. And even though some remote countries still use these definitions with a swastika, after the Nazi’s made the swastika the symbol of a pure Aryan race, the meaning of the symbol for most people changed forever. German archaeologists found many ancient items bearing the symbols, and during the 1900s the German race decided that this symbol must have been important within German ancestry. With this attention, the swastika became the clear candidate to represent the idea of the German pure race. The Nazis did not care for the meaning behind the symbol, they adopted and abused the symbol because of a misconception on its history.
Sources:
http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/symbol-swastika-and-its-12000-year-old-history-001312
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007453
This is a very interesting post that shows how something that is initially meant to be peaceful and calming can turn into something that is looked down on by the world. It is strange that the Nazis wanted to use this symbol, unless they believed that they were making the world a safer place by getting rid of certain ethnicities. Nevertheless, this is an interesting post taking a look at one of the hallmarks of Nazism
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting topic that isn't very widely discussed. Most people most likely have never even considered that the swastika ever meant something else. It's seems extremely unfitting that the Nazi's would use a symbol to represent the purity of their race, even though the symbol came from people of a completely different race and culture. I wonder if there are any other widely known emblems that have been adopted from other origins.
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