The Swastika's Legend - A Brief History of a Former Lucky Charm

Modern times have mutilated one of the world's most ancient and religious symbols. When one thinks of the swastika, many things come to mind: Nazis, fascism, the holocaust, Hitler, Germany, World War II, Aryan, prejudice, hate, genocide, anti-Semitism, and a slew of other not too pleasant facts. What people rarely think of is good luck or enlightenment. However, these are just a couple ideals that the symbol represented pre Nazi-Europe.

Pinpointing the exact origin of the swastika is no easy task due to its long history and simple geometric shape. Many cultures have utilized this symbol, including the ancient Greeks, Chinese, Indians, and even the Sumerians. The swastika is approximately three-thousand years. First discovered on ancient relics in the Euphrates-Tigris valley, the swastika was more commonly found on artifacts in Troy.

In East-Asian cultures, the swastika was and is still associated with Buddhism. Enter a temple in China and it is very possible to find a statue of Buddha with a swastika stamped over his chest. The swastika represents a person who has reached nirvana or enlightenment. Not something terribly fascist in nature.

By the nineteenth century, the swastika began to take on a more nationalistic identity for the German people. Young German nationalists were inspired by the French revolution and began making demands to Prussian King, Frederick William IV and to other heads of German principalities. There was even an assembly, the Frankfurt Assembly, which convened on the premise of uniting Germany into one empire under the rule of the Prussian throne. Frederick William IV denied such an idea since it implied that only a constitution gave him the throne, not divine power. During these sore times, Germans utilized the swastika because of its history with the Indo-European Aryans.