Markup View

Author: surgoshan

Aug 22nd 2012 at 7:24:59 PM

RealLife
* Here's a list of cultures and religions that have used the swastika.
** Hinduism: A representation of the god Ganesh, as an emblem of good fortune, to evoke "Shakti".
** Buddhism: As a representation of eternity. 
** China and Japan: Eternity and the number 10,000. Also used in Japan to mark the locations of Buddhist temples on maps.
** Jainism: Even more prominent than in Buddhism or Hinduism; all holy books and temples must bear the swastika.
** Iran: A golden necklace of three swastikas at least three thousand years old was found.
** Ural Mountains: The Bashkir people feature the swastika prominently in their ancient iconography.
** Armenia: The swastika was prominent in medieval architecture, such as churches and fortresses.
** Pre-Columbian America: The swastika has been found associated with cultures throughout North and South America, including the First Nations of Canada, the Navajo and Hopi of the southwestern US, the Mississippian culture of the east and southeast US, and the Kuna people of Panama. Some of these, are still in use today, though efforts are made to distance them from the Nazis.
** AncientGrome: A symbol of eternal motion, representing a windmill or watermill. Typically not found alone, but rather as part of a repeating design.
** Celtic: Pre-Christian Celts used swastikas on their metalwork and stonework.
** Germans: Bore special importance in funerary symbols, possibly as an emblem of Thor.
** Illyria (South-eastern Europe): Represented the sun.
** Baltics: Pre-Christian. The two versions were called the fire cross and the thunder cross, and represented the Thunder God Perkons and the sun.
** Slavic: Pre-Christian. Found in ornamentation. 
** Sami (Arctic Europeans): A double cross or double axe is found on their drums, thought to represent the thunder god, a derivation of Thor.