What is a swastika? Many, without hesitation, will answer - the swastika was used by fascists. Someone will say - it's an Old Slavic amulet, and both will be right and wrong at the same time. How many around this sign of legends and myths? They say that on the same shield that Prophetic Oleg nailed to the doors of Constantinople, a swastika was depicted.
What is a swastika?
Swastika is the oldest symbol, which appeared even before our era and has a rich history. Many nations contest each other's right to invent. Swastika images were found in China, India. This is a very significant symbol. What does the swastika mean - creation, sun, well-being. Translation of the word "swastika" from Sanskrit means - wish for good and good luck.
Swastika - the origin of the symbol
The swastika symbol is a solar, solar sign. The main meaning is movement. The earth moves around the sun, four seasons constantly replace each other - it's easy to see that the main meaning of the symbol is not just movement, but the eternal movement of the universe. Some researchers declare the swastika a reflection of the eternal rotation of the galaxy. The swastika is a symbol of the sun, all ancient peoples have references to it: on the excavations of the Inca settlements, fabrics with the image of the swastika were found, it is found on ancient Greek coins, even on the stone idols of the Easter Island there are swastika signs.
The original drawing of the sun is a circle. Then, noticing the four-part picture of being, people began to draw a cross with four rays to the mug. However, the picture came out static - and the universe is forever in dynamics, and then the rays curved ends - the cross turned out to be moving. These rays symbolize also four important days for our ancestors in the year - summer / winter solstice, spring and autumn equinox. These days determine the astronomical change of seasons and served as signs when engaged in agriculture, when construction and other important for society affairs.
Swastika left and right
We see how universal this sign is. It is very difficult to explain in monosyllables what the swastika means. It is multifaceted and multivalued, it is a sign of the fundamental principle of being with all its manifestations, and among other things, the swastika is dynamic. It can rotate both to the right and to the left. Very many confuse and regard as the side of rotation the direction in which the ends of the rays are looking. It is not right. The side of rotation is determined by the bending angles. Compare with the human foot - the movement is directed to where the bent knee is directed, and not the heel.
Left-hand swastika
There is a theory that says that clockwise rotation is the right swastika, and against is a bad, dark, swastika on the contrary. However, it would be too banal - right and left, black and white. In nature, everything is justified - the day is replaced at night, summer - in winter, there is no division into good and bad - everything that exists, is necessary for anything. So with the swastika - there is no good or bad, there is a left-sided and right-sided.
Left-hand swastika - rotates counter-clockwise. This is the meaning of purification, restoration. Sometimes it is called a sign of destruction - to build something light, you need to destroy the old and the dark. The swastikas could be worn with the left rotation, it was called the "Heavenly Cross" and was a symbol of the generic unity, offering to the one who wears it, the help of all the ancestors of the family and the protection of the heavenly powers. The left-sided swastika was considered a sign of the autumn sun - collective.
Right-hand swastika
Right-hand swastika rotates clockwise and denotes the beginning of all that exists-birth, development. It is a symbol of the spring sun - creative energy. He was also called - Novorodnik or the Sun cross. He symbolized the power of the sun and the prosperity of the family. The sign of the sun and the swastika are equal in this case. It was believed that it gives the greatest power to the priests. Prophetic Oleg, mentioned at the beginning, had the right to wear this sign on his shield, because he knew, that is, he knew the Ancient Wisdom. From these beliefs and went the theory proving the ancient Slavonic origin of the swastika.
Slavic swastika
The left-sided and right-hand swastika of the Slavs is called Kolovrat and Posolon. Swastika Kolovrat fills with light, protects from darkness, Posolon gives diligence and spiritual stamina, the sign serves as a reminder that man is created for development. These names are only two of a large group of Slavic swastika signs. They shared crosses with curved rays. The rays could be six, and eight, they bent both to the right and to the left, each sign had its own name and was responsible for a certain guard function. The main swastika symbols among the Slavs 144. In addition to the above-mentioned Slavs were:
- Sunflower;
- Inglia;
- Svarozic;
- Wedding;
- Perunov light;
- Heavenly boar and many more variations based on solar elements of the swastika.
Swastika of the Slavs and Fascists - differences
Unlike the fascist, the Slavs did not have strict canons in the image of this sign. The rays could be any number, they could be broken at different angles, they could be rounded. The symbol of the swastika of the Slavs is a greeting, a wish for good luck, whereas at the Nazi congress in 1923, Hitler persuaded supporters that the swastika means fighting against Jews and Communists for the purity of blood and the superiority of the Aryan race. The fascist swastika has its strict requirements. This and only this image is a German swastika:
- The ends of the cross must be broken into the right side;
- All lines intersect strictly at an angle of 90 °;
- The cross must be in a white circle on a red background.
- It is correct to say not "swastika", but Hakkenkreyz
Swastika in Christianity
In early Christianity, often resorted to the image of a swastika. It was called a "crossed cross" because of the similarity with the Greek letter gamma. Swastika masked the cross in times of persecution of Christians - catacomb Christianity. The Swastika or Gammadion was the main emblem of Christ until the end of the Middle Ages. Some specialists draw a direct parallel between the Christian and the cross of the cross, calling the last "whirling cross".
Swastika in Orthodoxy was actively used before the revolution: as part of the ornament of the priestly vestments, in icon painting, in the frescoes with which the walls of the churches are painted. However, there is just the opposite opinion - the gammadion is a broken cross, a pagan symbol, to Orthodoxy having nothing to do with.
Swastika in Buddhism
With a swastika you can encounter everywhere where there are traces of Buddhist culture, it is the footprint of the Buddha's foot. The Buddhist swastika, or "mandzi," means the versatility of the world order. The vertical line is contrasted with the horizontal one, as the sky / earth relation to the relation between male and female. Turning the rays in one direction emphasizes the desire for kindness, softness, in the opposite direction - to hardness, strength. This gives an understanding of the impossibility of the existence of power without compassion, and compassion without power, the denial of any one-sidedness, as a violation of world harmony.
Indian Swastika
Swastika in India is no less common. There are left and right swastika. Clockwise rotation symbolizes the male energy "yin", against - the female "yang". Sometimes this sign denotes all gods and goddesses in Hinduism, then on the line of intersection of rays add the sign "ohm" - a symbol that all gods have a common beginning.
- Right rotation: means the sun, its movement from east to west - the development of the universe.
- The left rotation represents the goddess Kali, magic, night - the folding of the universe.
Is the swastika forbidden?
The sign of the swastika was banned by the Nuremberg Tribunal. Ignorance gave rise to a lot of myths, for example, the swastika designates the four connected letters "G" - Hitler, Himmler, Goering, Goebbels. However, this version was completely untenable. Hitler, Himmler, Göring, Goebbels - no surname does not begin with this letter. There are cases when from the museums the most valuable specimens containing swastika images in embroidery, on ornaments, Old Slav and early Christian amulet were seized and destroyed.
In many European countries there are laws that prohibit fascist symbols, but the principle of freedom of speech is virtually undeniable. Each case of using the symbols of Nazism or swastika has the form of a separate trial.
- In 2015, Roskomnazor authorized the use of swastika images without propaganda purposes.
- In Germany, strict legislation governing the image of the swastika. There are several court decisions that prohibit or permit images.
- In France, a law has been passed prohibiting the public demonstration of Nazi symbols.