Tim Pyke's Blog - Posts Tagged "buddhism"
The Swastika
In the western world the image of the swastika is now so linked with the Nazi party that it brings revulsion when seen. But in the eastern world the symbol is still commonly seen adorning temples or religious statues of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
The swastika is one of the most ancient symbols and has been found by archaeologists in almost every area of the world. It's probably most widely seen in India in current times but in fact Europe has the highest prevalence of the swastika in the ruins of all its ancient cultures - Romans, Greeks, Celts, Etruscans, etc - where it can be found in mosaic and on pots and jars. The earliest depiction of the swastika ever found was on a 12,000 year old ivory figurine discovered in Ukraine and the earliest culture known to have used the symbol was the Neolithic culture of Southern Europe.
The word swastika is Sanskrit for lucky, auspicious or well being. It has been in use in English since 1870, before that it was known in Europe by its Greek name, gammadion.
In the late 19th century the symbol experienced a resurgence following the work of archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann. He had found the symbol in the ruins of Troy and he connected it with shapes found on ancient pots in Germany and theorized that it was a significant religious symbol of our remote ancestors that linked the Germanic, Greek and indo-Iranian cultures.
After Schliemann's discovery the swastika became very popular all across the western world as an emblem of their European ancestry. It became the symbol of the theorised Aryan race, and because of its widespread usage was adopted by the Nazi party in 1920.
Because of the atrocities committed by the Nazi party the symbol has left the modern western world with very negative connotations. In Germany it is illegal to depict the swastika and in 2007 they tried to impose a Europe-wide ban on its use but dropped it in the face of opposition mainly from Hindu groups that pointed out that the symbol had been around for 5000 years.
The swastika is slowly beginning to shake off its negative meaning as more people recognise the original meaning of this most ancient symbol.
Please check out my novel :)
The Wheels of Samsara
The swastika is one of the most ancient symbols and has been found by archaeologists in almost every area of the world. It's probably most widely seen in India in current times but in fact Europe has the highest prevalence of the swastika in the ruins of all its ancient cultures - Romans, Greeks, Celts, Etruscans, etc - where it can be found in mosaic and on pots and jars. The earliest depiction of the swastika ever found was on a 12,000 year old ivory figurine discovered in Ukraine and the earliest culture known to have used the symbol was the Neolithic culture of Southern Europe.
The word swastika is Sanskrit for lucky, auspicious or well being. It has been in use in English since 1870, before that it was known in Europe by its Greek name, gammadion.
In the late 19th century the symbol experienced a resurgence following the work of archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann. He had found the symbol in the ruins of Troy and he connected it with shapes found on ancient pots in Germany and theorized that it was a significant religious symbol of our remote ancestors that linked the Germanic, Greek and indo-Iranian cultures.
After Schliemann's discovery the swastika became very popular all across the western world as an emblem of their European ancestry. It became the symbol of the theorised Aryan race, and because of its widespread usage was adopted by the Nazi party in 1920.
Because of the atrocities committed by the Nazi party the symbol has left the modern western world with very negative connotations. In Germany it is illegal to depict the swastika and in 2007 they tried to impose a Europe-wide ban on its use but dropped it in the face of opposition mainly from Hindu groups that pointed out that the symbol had been around for 5000 years.
The swastika is slowly beginning to shake off its negative meaning as more people recognise the original meaning of this most ancient symbol.
Please check out my novel :)
The Wheels of Samsara
