Dictionary of Symbolism: Cultural Icons & The Meanings Behind Them By Hans Biedermann (1930-1990, born in Vienna) - Translated by James Hulbert Original copyright (C) 1989 by Hans Biedermann Translation copyright (C) 1992 by Facts On File, Inc.

(page) 242 numbers (section heading)

Other cultures also viewed numbers as symbolic principles. For the ancient Chinese "10,000" meant "countless," and the EMPEROR was called "10,000 years" as a way of wishing him long life. From ca. A.D. 700 onward the SWASTIKA was used as a numerical symbol for this "infinity"--like the sideways-eight of the Occident, which presumably goes back to a KNOT symbol.

271 promegranate

political symbols In modern times, simply formed graphic images with immediately recognizable significance have often served as symbols for political movements; their undeniable subconscious impact has yet to be systematically analyzed. Symbols organized around horizontal and vertical axes have conservative, defensive, or static associations; those in which diagonals are emphasized suggest dynamic or aggressive political movements. Those who conceive of or embrace individual symbols have doubtless been unaware of how these correspond "automatically" to the nature of individual movements. The Nazi SWASTIKA provides an example of these principles: traditionally displayed horizontally, it suggests mobility, torsion, rotation, a spirit of aggression. With its severe vertical-horizontal design, the Kruckenkreuz (see CROSS), which the Austrian Fatherland Front sought to oppose to the swastika, seemed immobile and stodgy by contrast. Symbols with zigzags and arrows are typical of radical political movements, whether of the right (the double LIGHTNING bolts of the SS, the arrows of the Phalange) or, traditionally, of the left (the three arrows of the Social Democrats, the sickly in the hammer-and-sickle, the points of the Soviet STAR). In recent times there has been a perceptible move away from the banality of such symbols.

334 swastika

swastika A particular form of CROSS, most familiar as a POLITICAL SYMBOL associated by Adolf Hitler's followers with that which is "Aryan," Germanic, or Teutonic. From 1935 until 1945, the swastika (Black against a WHITE background) with an EAGLE atop it symbolized Nazi Germany. The swastika is found in many different cultures of both the old and New World; it is actually a variation on the cross formed by two axis of a WHEEL. The bending of the ends of the four arms in a single direction suggests a circular or dynamic movement. (The arms can be bent in either clockwise or counterclockwise.) The swastika thus suggests, for example, the recurrence of the seasons of the year. It has been documented in the pre-Aryan civilization of Mohenjo-Daro on the Indus River (ca. 2000 B.C.); in ancient China the swastika (wan tsu) is a symbol of the four points of the compass. Since ca. A.D. 700 the Chinese have also associated it with the NUMBER

10,000, or infinity. In the Buddhist tradition of India it is referred to as the "SEAL on Buddha's HEART"; in Tibet, too, it is associated with good fortune and serves as a talisman. In Indian Jainism the four arms represent the four levels of existence: the world of the gods, of humans, of animals, and the underworld, respectively. In the Mediterranean cultures the perpendicular tips of the four ends were sometimes curled, or further bent to form mazes. Thought of as a quadruplicating of the Greek letter gamma, it was also called the crux gammata. The Old Norse amulet referred to as "Thor's HAMMER" was also formed like a swastika. The symbol appears less frequently in pre-Columbian cultures of the Western hemisphere. Gnostic sects of late antiquity used a sort of swastika, formed by four legs bent at the knee, as a secret symbol, not unlike the (three-legged) TRISKELION.

356 triskelioin

A design dividing a CIRCLE into three parts, not unlike its division into four by the bent arms of the SWASTIKA. Triskelions appear, for example, on prehistoric earthenware vessels of the late Bronze Age, and triadic structures of SPIRALS adorn the walls of Irish megaliths -- surely with symbolic intent and not as mere decoration. There are also triskelions formed from three human legs bent at the knee, ex. on Pamphylian coins or in the arms of the city of Agrigento (Sicily). Armored legs in this configuration appear in the arms of the Isle of Man, with the motto "Stabia quocunque ieceris" ("It will stand erect, wherever it is thrown"). The arms of the city of Fussen (Bavaria) also contain three legs. As in the case of the swastika, the triskelion is associated with rotation. The form of three overlapping circles, frequently found in the WINDOWS of Gothic churches, is associated with the Holy TRINITY. Medieval stained-glass windows often portray three rabbits or HARES chasing one another, with their ears meeting at the centre to form a TRIANGLE.

The Mammoth Dictionary of Symbols: Understanding the Hidden Language of Symbols By: Madia Julien - Translated by Elfreda Powell Copyright (C) Marabout, Alleur (Belgium) 1989 The English translation copyright (C) Robinson Publishing 1996

(page) 429 (page heading) Swastika

SWASTIKA eternal cycles The symbol of the swastika has been debased by the Nazis but before them it has always been used as a universal symbol, and in linked to turning figures, solar symbols (pre-Christian crosses with three or four arms of equal length), which originally 'reflected the idea of brewing of churning seminal substances in matrix-receptacles, in time with the movement of the sun. The rotation of the sun: the ends of the sun's rays take the shape of feet or paws, an idea that gave rise to the swastika In India, the swastika was the symbol of the sun, fire and light, and often linked to the solar wheel and lightning. As an image of movement rotation around a still centre, the swastika is a symbol of 'action of the Principle in relation to the world', and also symbolic of manifestation, of the cycle and of perpetual renewal. In China, the swastika (Lei-Wen, meaning roll of thunder) is a symbol of the infinite, formerly depicted by the four cardinal points. It was then used to designate the number of 10,000 or the number of infinity. Later it became 'the seal of Buddha's heart'. The swastika has played an important, magical role in the science of the pentacle, as a good-luck talisman. But it is only favourable if the branches bend towards the right; in the opposite direction they exert an evil influence and it is called a Sauvastika. Prehistoric swastika of the North American Indians

Dictionary of Symbols By Carl G. Liungman Original copyright (C) 1991 by Carl G. Liungman English translation of Symboler -- vasterlandska ideogram (C) 1974 by Carl G. Liungman

page vii, Preface

____ A strong parallel can be found between the ancient, ideographic basic forms and the collective archetypes that exist in our subconscious. One cannot discount their influence and correlation with basic psychological functions. The Nazi movement in Germany between 1930 and 1945 would not have had the same success over such a short period of time if its rallying sign had been instead of .

page 14, The development of sign structures through the ages In approximately the year 3000 B.C. the sign emerged in the Indus and Harappa cultures.

page 45, The mystical pentagram [was] a sign denoting power stations on maps and large-scale electric power industries when became the main ideological and military symbol in Germany during the 1930's.

page 47-48, The sign of the cross in Western ideography

____ Apart from all different Christian variations of the cross there exist some 20 or 30 older cross forms in the Greek culture sphere from about 1000 B.C. There is, for example, , which is often found on antique vases decorated with mythological motifs and which is used today on nautical charts to signify breakers or stone bottom at water's edge. Others are , , etc. ____ The sign is of special interest because it has also been used in the Buddhist cultural sphere to signify rebirth and prosperity. is called swastika in Sanskrit, which means well-being or positive being. It is often found on the statues of Buddha and is a common sign of the symbol [feet-outline w/ in each], the footprints of Buddha. The mirror image of this sign, , is called sauvastika in Sanskrit, and is associated with darkness,

misfortune, and suffering. Both these signs are also found in pre-Columbian America. ____ The earliest occurrences of the swastika in Europe are in ancient Greece. There are many variations, such as , used to decorate vases. In Christian symbolism is called Crux Gammata. The name, as does the Greek gammadion, comes from the Greek letter Γ, gamma. It is as if four gamma signs have been put together to make . Another Greek name for it is tetraskele, the four-legged one. In England it is called fylfot. In ancient China the symbol stood for wan, 10,000 (compare this with the single cross +, 10, which was not only a large number, but also a general superlative). ____ It was not until the 1920's that Hitler adopted the swastika,

and (for the first time?) was used drawn within a circle, the symbol for eternity. In Finland the swastika was used from 1918, in connection with the war of liberation from Russian Empire. Even today the swastika is a common Finnish symbol. More will be said about this particular sign's history in Finland and Germany under the heading "The ideographic struggle in Europe during the 1930's." ____ It is clear that is strongly associated with power and energy. In Scandinavia it was once known as Tor's hammer. Today it is used on maps to signify electric power stations [on maps in places like Japan it signifies temples]. ASEA, now ABB, a Swedish manufacturer of electrical machines, used in its logotype until the Second World War.

page 64-69, The ideographic struggle in Europe during the 1930's

The most successful and in many ways the most conscious attempt to manipulate the masses with the help of ideograms was undertaken in Germany. It might even be true that Nazi Germany never would have come to existence without the use of ideograms. ____ In Mein Kampf Adolf Hitler wrote: "The question of the new banner, i.e., how it should look, occupied our minds considerably. . . . The reason being not only was it to be a symbol for our struggle, but also had to be very effective on posters and placards. Those who have had experience with the masses realize just how important such a seemingly trivial thing is. A working and effective sign can be the deciding factor in hundreds of separate instances as to whether on interest is awoken for a moment."	-2-____ The swastika was already being used in Germany and Austria at the turn of the century. had an anti-Semitic undertone. The advocates of racial purity had used in anti-Semitic journals, in leaflets and on posters. This movement was most likely an expression of aggression against the socioeconomic repression practiced by the capital-owning class, where the number of Jews was disproportionately high considering the relative size of the group. ____ The sign had also been used by a number of the so-called free corps, independent paramilitary units in Germany, such as the Ehrhardt Brigade and the Rossback Free Corps, who used the swastika in their standards.
-3-____ Hitler's main supporter at this time was the air force officer and former commander of the Richthofen Squadron during the First World War, Hermann Göring . After World War I, Göring worked as a taxi pilot in Stockholm. One day he was given a job of flying Swedish explorer Count Erik von Rosen to his castle, Rockelstad. Once they had reached their destination Göring was invited to warm himself against the winter cold in front of the fireplace. In the wrought iron that decorated the fireplace Göring noticed the symbol , a symbol that Erik von Rosen had already made use of as a type of owner's mark when travelling in South America and Africa among primitive peoples.	-4-____ Having eventually warmed up and enjoying a toddy, Göring turned his attention to the rest of the interior. It was then that a beautiful woman made her way down the stairs that led into the hall of the castle, where Göring was sitting in the company of his host. The woman was Carin von Kantzow, a relative of the family through her marriage to a Swedish officer. Göring was struck by amour's arrow where he sat in front of the fire. On this particular night Göring had been struck twice: first by a symbol and second by the love of his life. Both were to follow him and his future commander, Hitler, in the coming years.
-5-____ A few years earlier Erik von Rosen's favorite symbol had spread eastward. Finland had been, since the fifteenth century, a part of Svea Rike, i.e., Sweden. But Russia expanded and challenged the power of Svea Rike and in the seventeenth century conquered the eastern part of the Swedish Empire, which became the Grand Princedom of Finland in the tsar's empire. ____ After the October Revolution many peoples took the opportunity to free themselves from Russian shackles. Among these were the inhabitants of Finland. This resulted in civil war between the Reds - the Communist workers and crafters - and the Whites - the aristocracy, the landowners, and the farmers who owned their fields, the freeholders.	-6-____ It was during this struggle for independence that the embryo for the independent Finnish Air Force was conceived. Its first plane was a gift from Count Erik von Rosen. It was, as a matter of course, decorated with his favorite sign, , painted on the wings of the single-engine ski plane. From this year, 1918, until shortly after World War II, the swastika, blue on a white background, was the symbol of the Finnish Air Force. ____ During the years that preceded Hitler's eventual seizure of power in Germany in 1933, he spent much time in the company of Göring and Göring's wife, Carin. There is hardly any doubt that the Nazi swastika that led the wave of blood and fire over the greater part of Europe between 1930 and 1940 had roots that stretched from South American voyages of discovery to a castle in the Valley of Malaren and then on into the Bavarian Alps, cared for by an addicted German pilot ace and a Swedish woman from an aristocratic family.
-7-____ Hitler made use of this ancient Greek and Indian sign: "The swastika is the symbol of national socialism.... Already in the year before the war (World War I), German groups had taken the swastika as their sign. It stood for their struggle against all that was harmful to a pure race, all that was un-German, and the destructive influence of the Jews. In this way the swastika became a particularly powerful anti-Semetic sign" (Taschenbuch des Nationalsozialismus).	-8-____ Hitler turned into an effective tool of propaganda. He succeeded in this by simplifying the structure and creating a uniformity, ; by perpetual repetition through all possible media; and last, but most important of all, by an almost religious worship of the symbol. We can exemplify this with one cult object, die Blutfahne, the blood banner. This was a swastika banner that had been used in the failed attempt coup in Munich on 9 November 1923. In the ensuing battle, the banner was sprayed with the blood of one of the coup perpetrators. Hitler made a solemn point of touching every new Nazi, SA, and SS banner with this blood-stained cloth.
-9-____ On other occasions a large wagon decorated with flowers and bearing a giant swastika banner was pulled by Aryan people dressed in white cloaks through the centres of the towns unchanged since the Middle Ages. The political sessions in Nuremberg likewise had the Nazi symbol as the cult object. Hitler cried, "Hail my men!" and a hundred thousand Nazi replied, "Hail, my leader!" It was then, to the accompaniment of low drum rolls, that thousands of banners and standards were unfurled. Military music, resounding commands, and straight lines of uniformed soldiers all added to the intensity of the movement.	-10-The swastika banner was red (representing socialism) with a white circular area (for eternity, virginity, and the Aryan ideal) and within this circle ; (for the people, power, the movement, and anti-Semitism). ____ The swastika was officially recognized as the Nazi party's sign 7 August 1920. Hitler wrote: "During the Summer of 1920, the new banner was publicly revealed for the first time. It suited our movement perfectly. It was as young and new as our movement. No one had ever seen it before. The effect was the same as if we had dropped a bomb" (from Mein Kampf). ____ Doctor Joseph Goebbels, head of Nazi propaganda, believed that banners were more valuable and effective than Nazi party newspapers. ____ "Mit einer Fahne fuhrt man Millionenin de Kampf," wrote another prominent Nazi personality, Alfred Rosberg.
-11-____ There were, at that time, several other political symbols in current use. One of them was [three arrows pointing down-left], the sign used by Eiserne Front, the Iron Front. This was a union of social democrats during the first half of the 1930's who were working against their main enemy, national socialism. When the Nazi party came into power a law was passed on 28 February 1933 forbidding all other political symbols used on banners. The reason given was that the Nazis wanted to "protect the people and the state." This was less than a month after Hitler had taken office as chancellor of the reich.	-12-____ The swastika was then adopted by several other countries. In 1933, the English fascist party, the Imperial Fascists, swapped another well-known fascist symbol, fasces - with the broad axe - for the swastika. The swastika even appeared in Sweden, Holland, and the United States. The symbol for the American Nazi party is still today , a swastika with a small circle at its middle, suggesting a claim to world domination. ____ The Hungarian fascist movement used their own cross: , the arrow cross. This symbol was used by the Magyarian people when they conquered Hungary around A.D. 1000. It is recognized as the next most anti-Semitic sign after the swastika.
-13-____ Two other symbols also are related to the swastika. In the 1920s the Nazi party had already begun to organize what was called Sturmabteilungen, the SA, groups dressed in brown uniforms who fought for supremacy in the streets and squares. To protect the Nazi speakers attacked by Communists and other hecklers, a group called Schutzstaffeln, the SS, was formed. The SS were protection units in black uniforms bearing the symbol . By the middle of the 1930s the SA and SS together numbered approximately half a million men. ____ The protective symbol . was the rune known in Germany as Sigrune, the victory rune, . Among the Nordic runes it appears as the sign for both an s-sound and an e-sound. It was known as the sun-rune or the yew-rune. The yew tree was formerly used for making battle bows.	-14-____ The SS troops managed the concentration camps, and for this reason their sign, , is associated with the camps. A total of about 53,000 men were involved in the starvation and extermination of several million people. (Of those involved in West Germany, approximately 600 have been tried and convicted.) ____ The sign , black against white background, for instance, on black uniforms, was also used by the Nazis. is the old Nordic rune Tyr. It is associated with law and order, sword and fighting, and victory and death.
-15-____ Another sign that was used to win the favor of the masses in this ideographic struggle during the 1930s was the crutch cross, , which was related to the cross on the standards used by the Order of the Knights of Teutonic Crusade during the fourteenth century, . This sign was used by Dolfuss's anti-Nazi party in Austria. To fight against Nazism it was considered necessary to find a graphic symbol at least as powerful as , and for this reason the crutch cross was chosen. If this was the intention, however, another sign ought to have been used. If one compares the two signs and there is no doubt that is more eye catching. Because of it's asymmetry and diagonal structure, "rotates" while is static.	-16-____ If we look back at the sign , it is self-evident that it was well chosen. It was associated with ancient concepts of power, energy, and prosperity. It was easily distinguished from other signs. It was easy to copy. In Germany it was associated to the old and respected ideograms such as the Christian cross and the Iron cross. It was also related to migration, returns, and rebirth. In addition, it was a new and exotic sign, and consequently it appealed to the masses from the very beginning. ____ It is also worth noting that and have never had much to do with the Germanic and Nordic races. The few swastikas that have been found in the Nordic countries are engraved on a few runic stones, pictorial slabs, and gravestones. None of these are older then A.D. 500. These few examples appear almost 1500 years after their initial occurrences in ancient Greece.
-17-____ There are several in other ideograms associated with fascist movements. For example, stands for the new fascist movement, Mouvement populaire francais. The sun cross or Celtic cross, , is used in Sweden to represent the small Nazi party with the name Nordiska Rikspartiet. In France, the same sign has been adopted by the new fascist party, Jeune Nation. ____ The yoke and arrows is an old fascist symbol that was used by right-wing extremists in several countries, e.g., in Spain by the Falanga. [pic.: bundle of rods] [pic.: lictors bundle]	-18-____ Fasces was the name for the bundle of rods carried as a symbol by the highest public officials in Rome. It symbolized the right to order bodily punishment or death sentences, which was a prerogative only for high officials. The fasces was carried by civil servants, known as lictors, in the retinue of the highest governing officials, and for this reason it is also called a lictor bundle. ____ At a later stage in history faces (from the Latin word for rods) became an emblem for the republican form of state as opposed to the monarchy. As a symbol for republicanism, the sign depicts the executioner's axe in the middle of the bundle of rods.
-19-____ A survey of the ideographic struggle during the 1930s would not be complete without mentioning a couple of other relevant ideograms. The Polish resistance movement in Warsaw used the sign , which stood for Polska Walczy, the struggling Poland. ____ In occupied areas during the Second World War the Germans used ideograms in the form of bits of cloth attached to the clothes to distinguish specific ethnic or sexual groups. Every Jew over six years old was ordered to wear a yellow, six-pointed star, sewn or pinned on the outer garment over his or her chest. Homosexuals were forced to carry pink triangles in the same way.	-20-____ This order, however, was never enforced in the Nordic occupied countries, thanks to King Christian of Denmark. He informed the German authorities that if it was enforced he himself would wear this sign when taking his daily ride through Copenhagen. This was a sufficient deterrent and the Germans never enforced the order. ____ (During the Middle Ages this habit of forcing Jews to wear some sign that separated them from other people was practiced in many cities and towns in Europe. At that time the sign was a special type of hat, and later it became a yellow circle of cloth.) ____ Forced laborers of different nationalities were also made to wear ideograms for their identification. The Poles, for example, wore a P made of cloth.

page 162 Group 13

This variation of the fylfoot or swastika has been found, among other places, on a rune stone in Lund, Sweden. The swastika is often called a tetraskele, and this variation is a sign for repeat in music. the sign for repetition is more usually drawn [dot,vertical-line,dot], [two v-dots,v-line, two v-dots], [circle with cross going through it], and otherwise. A Greek variation of the sauvastika drawn around 500 B.C.

page 171 Group 14 This structure is closely related to the Celts, the people who populated Western Europe 5000 or 6000 years ago and later were forced west to Brittany, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland by Gauls and Germanic tribes. ____ Today, the variation [space in centre] is used to symbolize Jeune Bretagane, a separatist movement in the Celtic Region of France. The sign is associated with migrations and independent movements. Frank Walters, an anthropologist who has studied the Hopi Indians and their culture, writes that the above sign reversed was used by the Hopis in Arizona. It seem to have had a range of meanings centred around the idea of several returns or homecomings. ____ Waters has interpreted as tribal migration, cyclical in nature, by a people consisting of a few large tribes or clans.

page 178-181 Group 15

The swastika is a very old ideogram. The first examples are found in Sumeria and earlier cultures that existed in what is now Pakistan about 3000 B.C. Yet it was not until around the year 1000 B.C. that the swastika became a commonly used sign. ____ Neither the Assyrian-Babylonian nor the Egyptian cultural spheres seem to have used the swastika as a symbol. Most other ancient cultures in Eurasia, however, did use it. Count Goblet d' Alviella (see bibliography), who conducted research in the distribution and migration of symbols, put forth the theory that certain symbols were mutually exclusive, i.e., they could not appear in the same culture. This was more or less the case with the signs and for Jerusalem in Europe during the Middle Ages. According to this theory the same applied to the swastika and the round disk with horizontally spread-out wings and the disk with the four-pointed star (see [sun/sun god symbol] in Group [25]). In this case, would have been the symbol for the sun, the highest god, power, and life force. ____ The swastika was used before the birth of Christ in China, India, Japan, and Southern Europe. Whether it was used in the Americas, however, is not clear. There are no examples of it on the oldest rock carvings there, and neither the Mayans, the Incas, nor the Aztecs used it. It did, however, appear a couple hundred years ago among many Indian tribes [that would be the native tribes of South America] and was probably brought over by the Spanish and Portuguese colonists. ____ The swastika is often associated with Buddha in India, China, and Japan. In the earliest Chinese symbolism was known as wan and was a superlative of the highest degree. In Japan it was said to be a sign for the magnificent number 10,000. In Japan of the Middle Ages was manji, a sign for enormous luck and protection against evil powers. In India, according to d' Alviella, the swastika was given its name from su = good, and asti = to be, with the suffix ka. Its were angles in a clockwise direction (from the centre). The reversed swastika, , was associated with misfortune and bad luck. ____ The sign was common among the Hittites and in Greece around 1000 B.C.. It was used to decorate ceramic pots, vases, coins, and buildings. However, it did not appear in the Nordic countries until after the birth of Christ and then only on a few runic stones, often combined with a cross as in . The swastika was used in Northern Europe well before that, for instance, in pre-Christian Ireland. After the birth of Christ, however, seems to have lost its popularity in most of Europe, with the exception of the Nordic countries, until the nineteenth century -- most likely because it became known as a sign representing Buddha and therefore considered anti-Christian. This disappearance might also have been due to its widespread use in ancient Greece, which was a pagan[*] society. Although it was not common in Europe during this time, it was not totally unknown. It had many different names: Hekenkreuz in Germanic princedoms, fylfoot in England, Crux gammata in Rome, and tetraskelion or gammadion in Greece. [*the word pagan, as now used by religious people to denote those that do not follow their religion/cult, actually comes from words meaning: peasant, country area, village, civilian, country dweller then progressed to heathen - uncivilized, non-Christian, non-religious. I wonder if non-Christians were ever forced to wear a symbol on their breast? Cult doesn't mean what people like to think it means either, for every religious person is a part of a cult. Cult derived from words meaning such things as: move around, turn; be busy, inhabiting a place, making a wild place suitable for crops; inhabit, cultivate, worship.] ____ The swastika's spectrum of meaning is centred around power, energy, and migration. It is closely associated with and in the context of tribal migrations. The sign is used in cartography to indicate electric power stations [temple in places like Japan] and was part of the logotype used by the Swedish company ASEA, now the multinational ABB, producing electric machinery, until Hitler monopolized as a national symbol. In the section "The ideographic struggle in Europe during the 1930s" in Part I you can read more about the way the swastika was introduced and used in Germany. ____ The swastika is a common sign in Finland. The victory of the "Whites" during the civil war of 1918 was the victory of the farmers, the middle class, and squires [landowners?] over the Communist workers' movement. can be seen on the Finnish Cross of Freedom, a medal created by the winning side in 1918; as a sign for Finnish women's voluntary defense; and on army unit standards. ____ There is some confusion as to whether the clockwise angled swastika, or the counter-clockwise angled variation, , is the most positive. Both types have appeared quite regularly in many different contexts, except when the sign is used as an official or national symbol, in which case is always preferred. An ancient Greek variation of the swastika An ancient Greek variation of the swastika A variation of the swastika found on a runic stone from the time of the Norwegian Vikings. A variation of the swastika used in Christian symbolism. Koch (see bibliography) writes that this is the sign of the Vehmic Courts. ____ Vehmgerichte was a system of secret tribunals origination from ancient Germanic criminal law. These courts were especially common in Westphalia during the Middle Ages. Frequent wars had made the normal judiciary system useless. In time the Vehmic Courts began to be abused to obtain personal vengeance, etc., and the princes and governments tried to annihilate them. The last Vehmic tribunal was held in Zell in 1568. Known as the cross of Christ in Christian symbolism.

page 207 Group 17

This variation of the cross is know as a Roman holy cross. It has a swastika at its centre, and it perhaps alludes to the return of Christ or to Christ as a source of energy.

page 194 Group 16

A stylized triskelion, Greek for three-leg . ____ This sign is associated with progress and competition and originated in ancient Greece, where it was used on coins. ____ Nowadays one can find on the coat of arms of the Isle of Man, the island between Great Britain and Ireland. ____ The Isle of Man is inhabited by Celts, and is related to , an early Celtic sign. ____ A similar structure, [same without hooks on the end], is used in electrical contexts to signify a certain type of transformer winding

page 360 Group 32 Signs of this type are called triskelion, three-leg. This one is from a sheild that was used as a prize at competitions in Athens around 500 B.C.

page 367-369 Group 34

Fascists[*] in all parts of the world have in one way or another been fascinated by , the ideogram for lightning. As this sign is a symbol for the s-sound in the runic alphabet it has become associated in Germanic countries with sun, strength, battle, victory, etc. [*The word fascist: The early 20th-century Italian fascisti, under Benito Mussolini, took their name from Italian fascio, literally 'bundle' but figuratively 'group, association'. Its source was Latin fascis 'bundle'. So, to be a fascist one adheres to the doctrines, methods, or movements of the Fascisti, or a system of government characterized by dictatorship, belligerent nationalism and racism, glorification of war, etc..] ____ The sign , appeared on the uniforms worn by certain South Vietnamese troops before the Communist seizure of power. , In Germany, this sign is known as the Sig-rune ahnlich, i.e., similar to the victory rune, . This variation is called Donnerkeil, thinderbolt. It has been used by the Dutch Nazi party and one of the two English Nazi parties. ____ The original form is , in Group 16, the rune for yew tree, from the earliest runic alphabet. Because of its long growing period, it was used to make the battle bow, the most dangerous weapon during the Viking area. ____ Note that the rune , is sometimes carved , , the old sign for battle, victory, and danger. Hitler's Nazi party was, in it's early days, subject to violence and resistance in the form of fights, the breaking up of meetings, etc. As a result, the Schutz Staffeln, SS, were formed. They were protection units that fought against other political groups, preferably the Communists. ____ Compare with [two lightning bolts through a rectangle], cooling system with several levels, in Group 52, and [single bolt in a rectangle] below. Sign on an SS ring. This form of swastika, the closed, diagonally positioned, square-formed variation, was the emblem used by Nazism and the men around Hitler. It was in 1920 that the swastika was officially recognized and used in the party banner. ____ It had already appeared earlier in the twentieth century as an anti-Semitic and uniting symbol in Germany and Austria. ____ The swastika form is associated with the sun and power. The swastika moving in a clockwise direction is related to the form and also to its meaning, reincarnation, return, etc. . symbolizes, therefore, national reincarnation. The American Nazi party uses the same sign but with a circle at its centre: . ____ In China we find the form as a superlative in general terms and as a sign for the magnificent number 10,000. Compare with the staff of god used in Euphrates-Tigris cultures and ancient Egypt, [h-line w/circle on top], which in Egypt had illustrated the magnificent number 10,000,000.

page 378 Group 36

This sign is the logo for Afrikaaner Weerstandsbeweging, a white organization in South Africa opposed to ending the policy of apartheid. ____ Compare with in Group 14.

page 506 Group 50 The ancient structure has been found both in pre-Columbian America and in the Bronze Age Europe. In Europe it is especially associated with the Celtic tribes. ____ In this variation, , it appears in modern times in France as a sign for Jeune Bretagne, a separatist movement in the Celtic part of Bretagne. ____ The basic symbol is associated with migrations or independent movements of tribes or clans. For more information look up this symbol in Group 14.

page 501 Group 51

This is a Greek variation of the fylfot or the sauvastika form. It was found on an amphora around 500B.C.

Illustrated Dictionary of Symbols in Eastern and Western Art By James Hall (1917- ) Copyright (C) 1994 by James Hall.

page 6 Abstract Signs

Swastika (Sk. 'well-being'). ____ An ancient and very widespread symbol, believed by many authorities to have been originally a representation of the SUN, indicating its course through the heavens. According to some it represents a wheel of the sun-god's chariot. Hence it shares some of the sun's symbolism: light, fertility and, particularly, good fortune. It was found at Troy, and was a popular motif on Greek coinage, which contributed to its wide circulation. It was virtually unknown in Assyria and Babylon and appeared in Egypt only from Ptolemaic period. In India the swastika was also known to the Indus Valley peoples and was subsequently associated with VISHNU and SHIVA. It is seen in the sculpture of Jain temples dating from 2nd -- 1st cents. BC, and is an attribute of Suparshva, one of the twenty-four founding teachers of the sect. In China the swastika (wan) was originally a Taoist emblem and may be seen in the hand of Lao-tzu, founder of Taoism, and other Taoist immortals, symbolizing their divine power. A swastika is one of the 'auspicious signs' on the Buddha's FOOT and, when represented on the breast of Shakyamuni, symbolizes his heart, which holds all his thinking. It was introduced into Japan through Buddhism and is seen on numerous Chinese and Japanese deities, as well as those of Tibetan Lamaism. As an auspicious sign swastikas are used for ornamental borders on eastern carpets, silks, and woodwork. On Chinese ceramics, with a JU-I sceptre it expresses the wish for a long and happy life. The Chinese character wan later denoted the number 10,000. ____ The swastika has two forms. The end-stroke may turn either clockwise, like the Greek gamma ( Γ ), when it is called a gammadion, or aniticlockwise [ii]. They can denote respectively male and female, yang and yin, sun and moon. The anticlockwise version is the Buddhist and Taoist form and was sometimes associated with the Greek goddesses Artemis, Demeter, and Hera. The same form sometimes accompanies early Christian inscriptions, as a version of the cross.

____ Reading all this stuff about the meaning behind the swastika and how Hitler had used it to his advantage, you would think that the Nazis did a considerable amount of research in creating a symbol, but a number of years ago I saw a documentary about W.W.II propaganda where one of the people involved in helping find a symbol said that Hitler liked the way the swastika looked and wanted to use it somehow. It was already being used by various other groups so he wanted it to look different from their's. The propaganda team simply had a cut-out of it and turned it around, flipped it over, and pondered over what to do with it. They tried many different thing: drawing different shapes around it, different colours, etc.. According to this person in the documentary, it was just through pure experimentation how they came up with the end result. They tried a bunch of variations and asked people which one looked the best, and all that regular stuff businesses go through today to create a company logo. I'd like to see that documentary again to get some direct quotes. Anyone know the title of the documentary? Mostly it was about the behind-the-scenes propaganda war between the allies and the Nazis through posters, leaflets, movies, and the such, each trying to outdo the other.

Shorinji Kenpo Textbook By Kongo Zen Sohozan Shorinji -- World Shorinji Kenpo Organization Copyright (C) 1991 World Shorinji Kenpo Organization Copyright (C) 1991 Kongo Zen Sohozan Shorinji

Shorinji Kenpo is a non-profit Japanese martial art. The symbol of their organization is the swastika, often displayed in various forms and colours. The rotating image seen here utilizes the official logo, a manji (swastika) in a circle, with representations of the lotus flower on each side. ____Although the excerpt below comes from the English language text book, countries such as Canada, U.S.A., and many in Europe (basically those with strong feelings towards Hitler and W.W.II) have been given a different 'alternative' symbol to wear in place of the manji. This alternative symbol is the Chinese character for "fist" -- a symbol of fighting, which is totally opposite from Shorinji Kenpo's self-defence-only philosophies. All other countries wear the manji. I take great offence at Shorinji Kenpo headquarters assuming that I am a simpleminded barbarian who cannot understand the difference between the (defunct) Nazis and the ancient symbol which is the subject of this document. The Shorinji Kenpo Manji Chapter 3: Omote Manji and Ura Manji [ ] What are the meaning and structure of the manji? ____ In the East, manji are often used to represent Buddhist temples on maps, and it is commonly understood as a symbol for Buddhism. The symbol itself, however, is older than Buddhism, and it possesses profound meaning. ____ The manji represents the fluidity of the universe and the foundation of life. The opposites which organize our thoughts -- heaven and earth, day and night, and many others -- stand in apparent opposition. Yet each maintains its own distinct nature while finding harmonious relations with its opposite. The shape of the manji reflects this. The perpendicular line symbolically connects heaven and earth, while the horizontal line unites lightness and darkness. The two combined to form a cross represents the universe in harmony beyond the limits of time and space, and from which comes the power that creates and nurtures all things. The trailing lines of the cross represent the wisdom that the universe and all things in it change constantly, never reaching a stage of permanence. [ ] Manji becomes a circle. ____ After extensive practice, one may awaken to the fact that one is a vital part of the flow and change of the universe, and discover deep value and significance in living. This provides one with an immovably peaceful state of mind known in Zen as satori. It comes through union with the foundation of the universe. When a person reaches satori, or enlightenment, the interrelations which manji represents can be seen as complete, and the manji becomes a circle. [ ] What are the differences between omote manji and ura manji? ____ The omote ("front side," or since it is customarily on the left side, left) [clockwise moving] manji represents infinite mercy, or the love of Dharma which permeates the universe and nurtures all things. The ura ("back side," or right) manji represents intellect and strength. The Chinese are said to have derived their symbol for strength [symbol at very top of this page] from the ura manji. Although omote manji and ura manji are customarily used side by side in Buddhism, the manji worn on Shorinji Kenpo uniforms in Japan and many foreign countries, is set as the omote manji. ____ The spirit of caring for others as well as oneself is shown by the original teachings of Buddha. This path can be followed by using the intellect and strength symbolized by the ura manji to develop oneself into a person who can be relied on, and who can serve humankind as an expression of the mercy and love represented by the omote manji [ ] The manji symbolizes the spirit of riki ai funi ____ The harmony of opposites symbolized in the manji includes the harmony of intellect with mercy, and strength with love. This harmony lies at the heart of Kongo Zen's principle or riki ai funi, a principle which also gives guidance to us in how we are meant to practice and to use the techniques of Shorinji Kenpo. Understanding the truths represented by the manji are vital to understanding the heart of Kongo Zen. NOTES: (1) From ancient Sanskirt The manji was originally a Sanskrit symbol meaning "whirlwind," "good fortune," "foundation of life," and "ever-changing universe." After the death of Buddha, it was engraved on stone footprints marking places where he was supposed to have stood and on statues representing him. (2) Its use in the West The manji was also used in the West as a symbol of good fortune. In its religious usage it referred to the four L's: Light, Life, Love, and Liberty. (3) The Nazi swastika The Nazis were a political party headed by Adolf Hitler in Germany. In 1933 they came to power in Germany and initiated an autocracy which led the country into initiating World War II in Europe and Africa. The Nazi party advocated anti-individualism, anti-communism, and anti-Semetism. During the war they directed the execution of over 6 million people belonging to groups such as the Jewish and Gypsy peoples as well as communists, homosexuals and others whom they planned to persecute into extinction. This party turned the ura manji of strength on its side and used it as a symbol for themselves. This twisted use of the manji has led those who came into contact with the Nazis to feel uncomfortable with it. Adequate study of the history of the manji, however, will reveal that its meaning is completely different from that of the [Nazi] swastika.

Yes, it's true. The swastika is all over the place. Even in China! Wow! Yes, sarcasm - can you handle it? For all the goodness people could be doing with their lives, they waste it on ignorant pointless things such as riding the world of the swastika. Well, in certain parts of the world, such as in China and most of Asia, the swastika is commonly a symbol of Buddhism. And, since Buddhists do not believe in killing, they do not eat food derived from such practices. Therefore, the swastika is also associated with Buddhist food. In the West it may be called vegetarian food; food free of animal or other living creature's parts or by-products (Click cans for larger image. Note: recycling symbol also looks like a swastika - wow!).

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