The motifs seems to have first been used in
Neolithic Eurasia. The swastika is used in religious and civil ceremonies in India. Most Indian temples, entrance of houses, weddings, festivals and celebrations are decorated with swastikas. The symbol was introduced to
Southeast Asia by Hindu kings and remains an integral part of Balinese Hinduism to this day, and it is a common sight in Indonesia. The symbol has an ancient history in Europe, appearing on artifacts from pre-Christian
European cultures. It was also adopted independently by several
Native American cultures.
In the
Western world, the symbol experienced a resurgence following the archaeological work in the late nineteenth century of
Heinrich Schliemann, who discovered the symbol in the site of ancient
Troy and associated it with the ancient migrations of
Proto-Indo-Europeans ("
Aryan" people). He connected it with similar shapes found on ancient pots in Germany, and theorised that the swastika was a "significant religious symbol of our remote ancestors," linking ancient German, Greek and Vedic culture.
[1] [2] By the early 20th century it was widely used worldwide and was regarded as a symbol of good luck and auspiciousness.
The work of Schliemann soon became intertwined with the
völkisch movements, for which the swastika was a symbol of "Aryan" identity, a concept that came to be equated by theorists like
Alfred Rosenberg with a
Nordic master race originating in northern Europe. Since its adoption by the
Nazi Party of
Adolf Hitler, the swastika has been associated with
fascism,
racism (
white supremacy),
World War II, and
the Holocaust in much of the West. The swastika remains a core symbol of
Neo-Nazi groups, and is also regularly used by
activist groups to signify the supposed Nazi-like behaviour of organizations and individuals they oppose.
Outside Opinions Wanted
Originally Posted by Cack5
