Many theories have been presented concerning the symbolism of the
Swastika, its relation to ancient deities and its representation of
certain qualities. In the estimation of certain writers it has been
respectively the emblem of Zeus, of Baal, of the sun, of the sun-god, of
the sun-chariot of Agni the fire-god, of Indra the rain-god, of the sky,
the sky-god, and finally the deity of all deities, the great God, the
Maker and Ruler of the Universe. It has also been held to symbolize light
or the god of light, of the forked lightning, and of water. It is believed
by some to have been the oldest Aryan symbol. In the estimation of others
it represents Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva, Creator, Preserver, Destroyer. It
appears in the footprints of Buddha, engraved upon the solid rock on the
mountains of India (fig. 32). It stood for the Jupiter Tonans and Pluvius
of the Latins, and the Thor of the Scandinavians. In the latter case it
has been considered--erroneously, however--a variety of the Thor hammer.
In the opinion of at least one author it had an intimate relation to the
Lotus sign of Egypt and Persia. Some authors have attributed a phallic
meaning to it. Others have recognized it as representing the generative
principle of mankind, making it the symbol of the female. Its appearance
on the person of certain goddesses, Artemis, Hera, Demeter, Astarte, and
the Chaldean Nana, the leaden goddess from Hissarlik (fig. 125), has
caused it to be claimed as a sign of fecundity.
In forming the foregoing theories their authors have been largely
controlled by the alleged fact of the substitution and permutation of the
Swastika sign on various objects with recognized symbols of these
different deities. The claims of these theorists are somewhat clouded in
obscurity and lost in the antiquity of the subject. What seems to have
been at all times an attribute of the Swastika is its character as a charm
or amulet, as a sign of benediction, blessing, long life, good fortune,
good luck. This character has continued into modern times, and while the
Swastika is recognized as a holy and sacred symbol by at least one
Buddhistic religious sect, it is still used by the common people of India,
China, and Japan as a sign of long life, good wishes, and good fortune.
Whatever else the sign Swastika may have stood for, and however many
meanings it may have had, it was always ornamental. It may have been used
with any or all the above significations, but it was always ornamental as
well.
The Swastika sign had great extension and spread itself practically over
the world, largely, if not entirely, in prehistoric times, though its use
in some countries has continued into modern times.
The elaboration of the meanings of the Swastika indicated above and its
dispersion or migrations form the subject of this paper.
Dr. Schliemann found many specimens of Swastika in his excavations at the
site of ancient Troy on the hill of Hissarlik. They were mostly on spindle
whorls, and will be described in due course. He appealed to Prof. Max
Müller for an explanation, who, in reply, wrote an elaborate description,
which Dr. Schliemann published in "Ilios.[10]"
He commences with a protest against the word Swastika being applied
generally to the sign Swastika, because it may prejudice the reader or the
public in favor of its Indian origin. He says:
I do not like the use of the _word svastika_ outside of India. It is a
_word_ of Indian origin and has its history and definite meaning in
India. * * * The occurrence of such crosses in different parts of the
world may or may not point to a common origin, but if they are once
called _Svastika_ the _vulgus profanum_ will at once jump to the
conclusion that they all come from India, and it will take some time
to weed out such prejudice.
Very little is known of Indian art before the third century B. C., the
period when the Buddhist sovereigns began their public buildings.[11]
The name Svastika, however, can be traced (in India) a little farther
back. It occurs as the name of a particular sign in the old grammar of
Pânani, about a century earlier. Certain compounds are mentioned there
in which the last word is _karna_, "ear." * * * One of the signs for
marking cattle was the Svastika [fig. 41], and what Pânani teaches in
his grammar is that when the compound is formed, _svastika-karna_, i.
e., "having the ear marked with the sign of a Svastika," the final _a_
of Svastika is not to be lengthened, while it is lengthened in other
compounds, such as _datra-karna_, i. e., "having the ear marked with
the sign of a sickle."
D'Alviella[12] reinforces Max Müller's statement that Panini lived during
the middle of the fourth century, B. C. Thus it is shown that the word
Swastika had been in use at that early period long enough to form an
integral part of the Sanskrit language and that it was employed to
illustrate the particular sounds of the letter _a_ in its grammar.