the Swastika

:LT)

\ STUDIA IN / Presentedto

THE

LIBRARY

of

VICTORIA UNIVERSITY

Toronto by

Leslie

G.

Kilborn

Cf.

KlUBORJS

PARAGON BOOK GALLERY

7neOriental Bookstore]

ofAmeru 40 EAST59lhSTREEll

THE

_SWASTIKA,

THE EARLIEST

KNOWN

SYMBOL,

AND

ITS MIGRATIONS;

WITH

OBSERVATIONS

ON

THE

MIGRATION OF CERTAIN INDUSTRIES IN PREHISTORIC TIMES.

THOMAS

TVTXSCXN",

Curator, DepartmentofPrehistoric Anthropology,

17. $.Ndtionnl Museum.

THE

_SWASTIKA,

THKEARLIEST K\OW\SYMBOL,AXD ITS _{MIGRATIONS; WITH OBSERVATION OXTIIF}

MIGRATION OF <ERTAIX INDUSTRIES IXPREHISTORIC

TIMES.

By THOMAS WILSOX,

Curator, DepartmentofPrehistoric_{Anthropology,} V. $.NationalMuseum.

PREFACE.

An

_{English gentleman,} versed in_{prehistoric archaeology, visited}

_me

inthe

summer

of 18947 arid during our conversation askedif

we

had

the Swastika in America. I _answered, "

Yes,"

and showed him

two

orthree_specimensofit.

He

demanded

if

we

had any

literatoreonthe

sniyect. I cited

him

De

Mortillet,

De

Morgan, and

Zmigrodzki,

and

he_said, "

Xo, I

mean

Englishor American." I

_began

a searchwhich

proved almostfutile,as even the

word

Swastikadid not_appearinsuch

works asWorcestersor

Webster

s_{dictionaries,}the _{Encyclopedic Dic}

tionary, the Encyclopedia Britannica,

Johnson

s Universal _Cyclo

paedia,thePeoples_{Cyclopedia, nor Smith}s _{Dictionary of}

_{Greek and}

Roman

_Antiquities, his

Greek and

Roman

Biography

and

_Mythology,

or his Classical_Dictionary. I _{also -searched,} with the

same

_results,

Molletts_Dictionaryof

Art and

_Archeology, Fairholts _{Dictionary of}

Terms

in_Art, "LArt

Gothique,"

by

Gonza,Perrot

and

Chipiezsexten

sive histories of

Art

in _Egypt, in Chaldea

and

_Assyria,

and

in

Phe-nicia; also "The _Cross, Ancient

and

Modern,"

by

W. W.

Blake, "The

History of the Cross,"

by John

Ash

ton;

and

areprintofa

Dutch work

by

Wildener. In the

American

_{Encyclopediathe description}iserrone

ous, while all the _{CenturyDictionary says}

is,

"

Same

as fylfot,"

and

"

Compare Crux

Ansata

and

Gammadion." I_{thereupon concluded}that

this

would

_{be a good subject}for_presentation tothe Smithsonian Insti tutionfor "diffusionof

_knowledge

_among

men."

The

_{principal object}of this _{paper has been} to _gather

and

_put ina

compact form suchinformation as is obtainable _concerning the

Swas

tika,leavingto others the task of adjustmentof these facts

and

their

\/\

764

_{REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM,}

1894.

arrangement into an harmonious_theory.

The

only conclusion sought

tobe deduced fromthe facts stated is as to the _possiblemigrationin

prehistorictimes of the Swastika

and

similar objects.

Xo

conclusion is _attempted as to the timeor_{placeof origin, or} the primitive

meaning

of the Swastika,becausethese are consideredtobe

lostin antiquity.

The

straightline, the circle, thecross, thetriangle,

are simple forms, easily made,

and

might have been invented and

re-invented inevery ageof primitive

man

and

in _{every quarter of the} globe, each time being an independent invention,

meaning

much

or little,

meaning

different things

among

different peoples or at different

times

among

the jstime _people; or _they

_may

have

had

no settled or definite_meaning..

But

theSwastika_{w_asj)robably the}first tobe madel witha definiteindention

and

a continuousor consecutive_meaning, the\

<f

knowledge

of which passed from person toperson, from tribe totribe, \

jfrompeople to people,

and

from nation _{to nation,} until, with

possibly-J-changed meanings, ithas finally circled theglobe.

_^^

Thereare

_many

disputable questions broached inthis paper.

The

ithor is aware of the differences of opinion thereon

among

learned

men,

and

he has not attempted to _{dispose of these questions} in the

few sentences _employed in their announcement.

He

has been con servative

and

has _sought to avoid_dogmatic decisions of controverted

questions.

The

antiquityof man, the _locality of _{his origin,} the time of his dispersion

and

the course of his_{migration, theorigin of} bronze

and

the course of its _migration, all of which

_may

be

more

or less

I

involved in a discussion of the _{Swastika, are questions not} to be

settled

_by

the_dogmatic assertionsof

any

individual.

Much

of the information in this_paper is _original,

and

relates to_pre historic

more

thanto

modern

times,

and

extends tonearlyall thecoun

triesof the globe. Itis evident that the author

must depend

on other

discoverers; therefore, all _{books, travels, writers,} and students have

been laid under contributionwithout scruple.

Due

acknowledgment

is _hereby

made

forall_{quotations of textor figures}wherever theyoccur.

Quotations have beenfreelymade,instead ofsiftingthe evidence

and

(

_{giving the substance.}

The

justification is that therehas never been

any

sufficient_marshalingof the evidence on the_subject,

and

that the former deductions have been _{inconclusive; therefore,} quotations of

authors are givenin their

own

_words,tothe end that_{the philosophers}

who

proposetodeal with the_{origin,meaning,}

and

cause of migration of

e Swastikawillhavealltheevidence beforethem.

Assumptions

may

appear as to _{antiquity, origin,}

and

_{migration of}

the Swastika, but it is explained that

many

times these only reflect

the opinion of the writers

who

are quoted, or are _putforthas _working

hypotheses.

The

indulgence of thereader is _asked,

and

itis

_hoped

that hewill

endeavor to harmonize conflicting statements

upon

these disputed

THE

SWASTIKA.

765

I. _DEFINITIONS,

_DESCRIPTION,

AND

ORIGIN.

DIFFERENT

FORMS

OF

THE

CROSS.

The

simplecross

made

with

two

sticksor

marks

_{belongsto prehistoric}

times. Its first_appearance

_{among men}

is lost_{in antiquity.}

One

_may

theorizeas to its _origin, but there is no historical identification of it eitherin_epochor

_by

_{countryor people.}

The

signisitselfso_{simple that} it

_{might have}

_originated

_among

_any

_people,

however

_primitive,

and

in

any

age,

however

remote.

The meaning

given to the earliestcross is

equally

unknown.

Everything concerningits_beginningisintherealm

of speculation.

But

a differentiation

_grew

_up

in _{early times}

_among

nations

_by

whichcertainformsof thecross

have

been

known

undercer tain

names and

with_{specific significations.}

Some

of _these,such as the

Maltese_cross,arehistoric

and

can bewellidentified.

The

_principalforms of thecross,

known

as symbolsor

ornaments, can

bereducedtoafewclasses,though

when

combined

with heraldryitsuse

extends to385 varieties.1

Fig. 1.

LATIN CKOSS(Cruximmixsa).

Fig.3.

ST. ANDREWSCKOSS (Cruxdecussata.)

Itisnot the purposeof this _paper to _{give a history of thecross,}but

the principalformsare

shown

by way

of introductionto _{a studyof 4ke.} ( Swastika.

The

Latin_cross,

Crux

_{immissa, (fig.}1) isfound on coins,medals,

and

\

( ornaments anterior to the Christian era. It

was

on this cross

_that^j

( Christ issaid tohave beencrucified,

and

thus it

became

accepted as the Christiancross.

The Greek

cross (fig. 2) with

arms

of equal length crossing at right/

angles, is found on Assyrian

and

Persian

monuments

and

_tablets,!

Greek

coins

and

statues.

The

St.

Andrew

s _cross,

Crux

_decussata, (fig. 3) is the

same

as the

Greek

_cross,but turned tostandon

two

_legs. 1_William

766

REPORT

OF NATIONAL

MUSEUM,

1894.

The

Crux ansata (fig. 4) according to Egyptian mythology,

was

Aukh,

the

emblem

of Ka,thespiritualdoubleof man. It

was

also said to indicateaunion of Osiris

and

Isis.

and

was

_regardedas a _symbolof

the generativeprinciple of nature.

The

Tau

cross (fig. 5), so called from its resemblance to the

Greek

letterofthat_name,isof uncertain,thoughancient,

origin-rln Scandinavian mythology it _{passed under} the

name

of aThorshammer," being therein confounded with the

\ Swastika. It

was

also called St.

Anthony

s cross forthe

Egyptian hermit of that _name,

and

Avas _always colored

blue. Clarksonsaysthis

mark

was

received

by

the

Mith-racists on their foreheadsatthetime of their initiation.

0.

W.

_King,in his

work

entitledu_EarlyChristian

Numis-matics"

(p. 214), expresses the opinion thatthe

Tau

cross

was

placedon the foreheads of

men who

cry after

aboiui-nations _{(Ezekiel ix,} 4.) It is spoken of as a phallic

emblem.

Another _variety of the cross _{appeared about} the second _century,

composed

of aunion oftheSt.

Andrew

s cross

and

theletter

P

(fig. 6),

being the first

two

letters of the

Greek word

XPI2T02

(Ohristus).

This, with another variety containing all the foregoing letters, passed

as the

monogram

of Christ _{(fig. 6).}

As

an instrument of _{execution, the} cross, besides being the inter

section of

two beams

with four projecting arms,

was

frequently of

compound

forms as

_Y?

on which the convicted person

was

fastened

_by

thefeet

and

_hung

head

downward.

Another form

|~~|,whereon he

was

Fig.4. EGYPTIAN CROSS

TheKevofLife.

Fig.5.

TAUCROSS,THOE8 HAMMER, ORST.ANTHONYSCROSS.

MONOGRAMOFCHRIST.

LabarumoiConstantino.

MALTESECROSS,

fastened

_by

onefoot

and

one

hand

ateach _{upper corner;} still another

formI

J

I, whereonhis

body was

suspended on thecentralupright with

his

arms

outstretched

_upon

thecrossbeams.

Fig.7 _{represents the} sign of the military order of the Knights of Malta. Itis of medieval origin.

Fig.8(aandb)represents

two

styles of Celtic crosses. Thesebelong

chiefly to Ireland

and

Scotland, are usuallyof stone,

and

_frequently

THE

SWASTIKA.

767

Higgins,in his"Anacalypsis,"arare

and

costlywork, almost anency

clopedia of knowledge,1 says, concerningthe origin of the cross, that

theofficial

name

ofthe_governorof_Tibet,

_Lama,

comes fromthe ancient

Tibetan

word

forthe cross.

The

_{original spelling}

was

L-a-m-h. This

iscitedwith _approval in

_Davenport

s "Aphrodisiacs" (p. 13).

Of

the

_many

forms of the crossJ

the Swastika is the

most

_ancientj

Despite the theories

and

speculations

of students,its_origin is

unknown.

It

Fig.; CELTICCROSSES.

beganbefore _history,

and

is _properly

classed as prehistoric. Its descrip

tion is as follows:

The

bars of the*

normal Swastika _{(frontispiece}

and

fig.9) arestraight, of equal thickness

throughout,

and

cross each other at

right angles,

making

four

arms

_{of equal}size, length,

and

style. Theirk

peculiarity is that alltheendsarebentat_{right angles}

and

in the_same)/

direction, right or left. Prof.

Max

Miiller

makes

the _symbol different

according as the

arms

arebenttothe rightor totheleft.

That

bent tothe right he denominates the true

Swas

tika, that bent to the left he calls

Suavastika (fig. 10),but he gives no

authority for the state

ment,

and

theauthorhas

been unableto _find, ex

ceptin _Burnouf,

_any

_{justification for}adifferenceofnames.

Professor

_Goodyear

_{gives _the}title of "Meander"tothat

form of Swastikawhich belTdsTwo or

more

times(fig. 11).

f

The

Swastika is sometimes represented with dots or

(points in the corners of the intersections (fig.12a),

and

occasionally

j the

same

when

without bent ends (fig. 12fc),to

which

Zmigrodzki gives

Fig.9. NORMALSWASTIKA. 10. SUAVASTIKA.

_ra

Fig.11. SWASTIKA. Meander.

L

1.

b Fig.12.

CROIXSWASTICALE (7MIGUODZKI).

the

name

of CroixSicasticale.

Some

Swastikas

have

_{three dots placed}

equidistantaround each of the four ends _{(fig. 12c).}

768

REPORT

OF

Thereareseveral varietiespossiblyrelated totlieSwastika which_hay(

beenfoundin almost_everypart

oftne

_globe,

and

though the relation

may

appear slight, and at first sight difficult _{to trace, yet} it will

appear

more

or less intimate asthe examination is _{pursued through}

its ramifications/

As

this _paper is an _{investigation into}

and

_report

upon

factsrathertEanconclusionstobe

drawn

from them, itis

deemed

wise to _{give those} forms _bearingeven possible relations tothe

Swas

tika. Certain of

them

have been accepted

by

the author as related to the _{Swastika, while others} have been rejected; but this rejection

Fiji.13a.

HJEKAM)f.PITIALS.VASTIKAS. Tetraskelion (four-armed).

Fig.1M.

SIIRAI.ANDVOUTK. Triskrlion (three-arniod).

Fig.13c. SPIRALANDVOLUTE. (Fivo ormanyarmed.)

PECULIAR FORMSOF SWASTIKA.

Fig.13f/.

OOEE SWASTIKA,WITH

CIRCLE.

has been confined to cases

where

the

known

facts seemed to justify

another_origin for _{the symbol. Speculation} has been avoided.

NAMES AND

DEFINITIONS OF

THE

SWASTIKA.

The

Swastika has been called _bydifferent

names

in different coun

tries,thoughnearlyallcountrieshavein later_{years accepted the ancient}

Sanskrit

name

of Swastika;

and

this

name

is

recommended

asthemost

definieand _{certain, being}

now

the most _general and, indeed, almost

universal. It

was

formerly spelled s-v-a-s-t-i-c-a

and

_{s-ti-a-s-t-i-k-a,} but yfehe later spelling, both English

and

French, is s-w-a-s-t-i-k-a.

The

definition

and

_etymology of the

word

is _{thus given} in Littres French

Dictionary:

.

Svastika,orSivasiiTca, amysticfigureused byseveral (East) Indian sects. It was

equally well known to the Brahmins as to the Buddhists. Most of the rock

inscriptions in theBuddhistcavernsinthewestofIndiaare_precededorfollowedhy

the holy (sacramcnteUc) sign of the Swastika. (Eug. Burnouf,"LeLotus delabonne

loi." _{Paris, 1852,p.625.;} Itwasseenonthe vases and pottery ofRhodes(Cyprus)

andEtruria. (F.Delaunay,Jour.Off.,Nov.18,1873,p.7024,3dCol.)

Etymology:

A

Sanskritword_{signifying happiness,pleasure,good}luck. Itis

com-pop.edof&it_{(equivalent of}Greekev),"good,"andasti,"being," "goodbeing,"with

THE

SWASTIKA.

7f>9

Iii the "Revue d_{Ethnographie"} (TV, 1885, p. 329), Mr.

Dumoutier

gives the following analysisof the Sanskrit swastika:

Su, radical, signifyinggood,well, excellent,or snvidas, prosperity.

Asti, third person, singular, indicative present of theverb as, to be, whichissum inLatin.

Ka,suffix_formingthe substantive.

Professor

_Whitney

in the _{CenturyDictionary says,} Swastika _[San

skrit, lit., "of_goodfortune/

7

Svsisti _(8w. well,-|-asti, being), welfare.]

Same

as_fylfot.

_Compare

Cru.v

amata and

fjfimmadion.

In "Ilios"

(p.347),

Max

Muller says:

Ethnologically,srastikaisderived from svasti,and svasf.i fromsu, "well," andas,

"tobe." Svastioccurs frequentlyinthe_{Veda, both}asar.ouiiinasense of happiness,

andasan adverb in the sense of "well" or "hail!" It _correspondstotheGreek

evedr&i. ThederivationSvaxti-kaisof_{later date,}anditalwaysmeansan_auspicious sign,suchasarefoundmostfrequentlyamongBuddhists andJainas.

M. Eugene

Bjurnouf1

defines the

mark

Swastika as follows:

A

monogrammatic sign of four branches, of which theends are curved at right

angles,thenamesignifying,literally,the sign of benediction orgood augury.

The

foregoing explanationsrelate _onlyto_{the present accepted}

name

"Swastika."

The

_sif/n Swastika

must have

existed long "before the

name

was

given toit. It

must

have been in _{existence long before the}

Buddhist religion orthe Sanskrit language.

InGreatBritainthe

common name

given tothe_{Swastika from}

Anglo-Saxon

times

_by

those

who

_apparently

had

no

_{knowledge whence}

it_came, orthatit

came

from

_any

otherthantheir

own

_country,

was

_{Fylfot, said}

to

have

been derived from the

_Anglo-Saxon

fotccrfot,

meaning

four-footed, ormany-footed.2

George

Waring,in his

work

entitled "Ceramic

Art

in

Remote

Ages" (p. 10), says:

Theword[Fylfot]isScandinavianandis_compounue~ to theAnglo-Saxonfela, Germanviel, many, andfotr

Itisdesirabletohavesomesettledname

takethe simplestandmostdescriptive, the"Fylfot.

7

iue~ofOld Norsefiil,equivalent;/

><;, foot,the many-footed figure.

1

bywhiob.todescribeit- wewill I

He

thus transgresses oneof the oldest

and

soundest rules of scien tific_{nomenclature,}

and

_{ignores the}factthat the

name

Swastika has been

employed for _{this sign in}theSanskrit _{language(the etymology}of the

word

_{naturally gave} it the

name

_Svastika, sv _good or _{well, asti} to

be or_being, orit_is)

and

that

two

tliousand

and

more

years of usein

Asia

_{and Europe had}

sanctioned

and

sanctified that asits name.

The

use of Fylfotis confined to comparatively fewpersons inGreatBritain

1

"Des Scienceset_{Religion,"p.}256.

2

R. P.Greg,"The_Fylfot and _{Swastika,"Arch;eologia, XLVIII,part2,1885, p.298;}

Goblet dAlviella, "MigrationdcsSymboles,"p. 50. II. Mis. _{90, pt.} 2 49

770

REPORT

OF NATIONAL

MUSEUM,

1894.

and,possibly, Scandinavia. Outside of these countries it is scarcely

known,used, orunderstood.

The

Swastika

was

_occasionally called in the French language, in

earliertimes, Croix f/ammce or

Gammadion,

from its resemblance to a

combination of four of the

Greek

letters of that name,

and

it is so

named

_{by Count}

Goblet dAlviella in his late work, "La_Migration des

Symboles." It

was

also called Croix cramponiK

^

Croixpattee, Croix u

crochet.

But

the consensus even of French etymologists favors the

name

Swastika.

Some

_foreignauthorshavecalleditThors

_hammer,

orThors

hammer-mark, but the correctness of this has been disputed.

1

Waring, in his

elaborate

work

, "Ceramic

Art

in

Kernote Ages," 2

says:

"""The

,^-Jusedto

l>evulgarlycalled inScandinaviathehammerof Thor,and Thor

s

hammer-mark,orthehammer-mark,butthisname_properlybelongstothemark

y

Ludwig

Miiller_givesitas hisopinion that theSwastika has no connec tionwiththe

Thor hammer.

The

bestScandinavianauthors report the

"Thorhammer"tobethe

same

as the

Greek

tan(fig.5),the

same

form

asthe

Eoman

and

_Englishcapital T.

The

Scandinavian

name

is Miol

ner or IMjolner, the crusheror mallet.

P

The

Greek,Latin,

and Tan

crossesare representedin Egyptian

hiero-\ _glyphics

_by

a

hammer

or mallet,giving the ideaofcrushing,pounding, \ or _striking, and so an instrument of justice, an avenger of _wrong,:! \Jience standingfor

Morns and

other gods.4 Similar symbolic

meanings

have been given to these crosses in ancient classic countries of the

Orient.5

SYMBOLISM

AND

INTERPRETATION.

Many

theorieshave beenpresented concerning the symbolismof the

Swastika,itsrelation to ancientdeities

and

its_{representation of}certain

qualities. In the estimation of certainwritersithas beenrespectively^ the

emblem

_{of Zeus, of Baal,} of the sun, of the sun-god, of

the^sunj

chariot of

Agni

the _fire-god, of Indrathe_rain-god, of the_sky,the

sky-god,

and

finallythe deityof alldeities,the great God, the

Maker

and

-

^Rulerof the Universe. Ithas alsobeen heldto symbolizelight orthe

god

of _light, of the forkedlightning,

and

of wae,r. It is believed

_by

some

to

have

been the oldest

_{Aryan symboLJ}

In the estimation of

others it _represents

_Brahma,

_Vishnu,

and

Siva, Creator, Preserver, Destroyer. Itappearsinthefootprints of

Buddha,

engraved

upon

the

Stephens, "Old Northern Runic Monuments,"part u, p. 509; Ludwig Miiller, quoted onp. 778 ofthis paper; Goblet dAlviella, "La _Migration des Symboles/

p. 45; Haddon, "EvolutioninArt/7

p. 288.

2

Page12.

s

"La_{Migration des Symboles/} pp.21, 22.

4"LeCulto delaCroixavaiitJc"sus-Christ/ intheCorrespondant, October25,1889,

andinScience Catholique,February15,1890, p. 163.

THE

SWASTIKA.

771

solid rockonthemountains of India(fig.32). It stoodforthe Jupiter!

Tonans

and

Pluviusof the

Latinspaud the

Thor

ofthe Scandinavians.^

Inthelattercaseithasbeenconsidered _erroneously,

however

a vari ety of the

Thor

hammer.

Fn _{the opinion of} at least one author it

had

an intimate relation to _{the__Lotus_}

sigji^ oO5|?yii-t

and

PfraiTj^

Some

authors have attributed a phallic

meaning

toit. Others

have

_recog

nized it as _{representing the generativeprinciple}of _mankind,

making-itthe _symbol of the female. Its _{appearance on} the _person of certain

goddesses, Artemis, Hera, Demeter, Astarte,

and

theChaldean Kana, the leaden_{goddess from} Hissarlik _{(fig. 125),}has causedittobe claimed

as_{a sign of fecundity.}

In _{forming the foregoing} theoriesItheir authors

have

been _largely

controlled

_by

_{the alleged} fact of tie substitution

and

permutation

_/

ofthe Swastika _sign on various objects with recognized symbols of

V

these.different_ideitief;.

The

claims of these theorists are

somewhat

clouded in _obsethsjfe^

and

lost in _{the antiquity of the subject.}

What

seems to have*been at all times,aii attribute of the Swastikaisits {

characteras a

charm

oT _{amiiTe^lts a sign of benediction,}blessing,long

life^^gjXHlfortune, good luck. Thischaracter has continued into

mod

ern_times,

and

while the Swastika jsrp{o<niiy;e^ *>s

\\ holy

and

sacred

.symbol

by

at least one Buddhisticreligious sect, itis still used

by

the

common

peopleof India, China,

and Japan

as a sign of longlife,

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

j^ajways ornamentalas well.

rv

The

Swastika _sign

had

_{great extension}

ancl^S])readitself practically

over the world,largely, ifnot _{entirely, in prehistoric times, though}

its, e in

some

countries has continuedinto

modern

times.

.

The

elaboration of the

meanings of the Swastika indicated

alpyvjfe

and

its _dispersion ormigrationsform the subject of this _paper.

V

^

Dr. Schliemann found

_many

_specimens of Swastika in his excava

tions at the site of ancient

_Troy

on the hillof Hissarlik.

_They

were

mostly on spindle whorls,

and

will be described in due course.

He

appealed to Prof.

Max

Miiller for an_{explanation, who, in reply,} wrote

an elaborate_description,

which

Dr. Schliemann published in "Ilios.1

"

He

commences

with _{a protest against the}

word

Swastika _being

applied generallyto _{the sign Swastika,} because it

_may

_{prejudice the}

reader or_{the public}in favor of itsIndian origin.

He

says:

I do not like the use of the word srastika outside of India. It is a word of Indianoriginand hasitshistoryanddefinite_meaninginIndia. Theoccur rence ofsuchcrosses in different_{parts of the}world_mayor_maynot_pointtoacom

monorigin, but if _{they are} once called tivaxtika_{the vulyusprofanum} willat once

772

REPORT OF

NATIONAL

_MUSEUM,

1894.

^^

jumptothe conclusion thattheyallcomefromIndia,anditwill takesometimeto

weedoutsuch_prejudice.

Verylittle isknownofIndianartbeforethe thirdcenturyB. C.,the periodwhen

theBuddhist_sovereignsbegantheir_{public buildings.}1

Thename Svastika,however, can be traced (in India) a little farther back. It

occursasthenameof_{a particular sign in the oldgrammarof Panani,} about acen tury earlier. Certain compounds are mentioned there in whichthe last word is karna, "ear."

* *

Oneof_{the signs}for_marking cattlewasthe Svastika [fig. 41],and whatPananiteachesinhisgrammaristhatwhenthe compoundis_formed, gvastika-karna,i.e., "havingthe ear marked withthe sign of a Svastika/ thefinal a of Svastikais not to be _lengthened,whileit is _lengthened in othercompounds, suchasdatra-karna,i._{e., "having}the earmarkedwiththe sign of asickle.7

D

Alviella2_reinforces

_Max

_{Miillersstatementthat Paninilived}

during

themiddle ofthe fourth century, B.C.

Thus

it is

shown

that the

word

Swastika

had

been in useatthat _{earlyperiod long}

_enough

toform an

integral part of the Sanskrit language

and

that it

was

_employed to

illustratethe_particularsoundsof the letter ain its

grammar.

Max

Miillercontinueshis _explanation:3

It[the Swastika] occurs oftenatthe beginningoftheBuddhist inscriptions,oil st coinsVand in Buddhist _manuscripts. Historically, the Svastika is first Pattested on a coin of_{Krauanda, supposing}Kranauda to bethe _{same king}as

Xan-j drames, the predecessor ofSandrokyptos,

whosereign came toan end in 315B. C.

(SeeThomas onthe Identity ofXandrames andKrananda.) Thepalcographic evi

dence,however, seemsrather againstso early adate. _{In the footprints of} Buddha

theBuddhists_recognizenolessthatsixty-fiveauspicioussigns,thefirst(ifthem_being the Srasiika [see fig. 32],(EugeneBurnouf, "Lotus de labonne loi,"p. 625); the

fourth is the Suavaspka,or thatwith the arms turned tothe left _{[seefig. 10]}

; the

third,theNandydvarta[seefig.14],is a _{mere development}of thetivastika. _Among

the Jainas theSrastika was the sign oftheir seventhJiua, Supfirsva(Colebrooke "Miscellaneous_{Essays,"}n,p. 188;IndianAntiquary,vol. 2,p. 135).

In the later Sanskrit literature, /Svastika retains the _meaningofan _auspicious

mark; thus we see in the RA_mayana(ed.Gorresio, n, p. 348)thatBharata selects ashipmarkedwiththe sign of the Svastika. Varahamihirainthe Brihat-samhitfi (Med.Sa>c.,vi, p.Ch.)mentionscertain buildings called Svastikaand _Naudyavarta

(53.34, seq.),but their outline does not correspondveryexactly with the form of

thesigns. Some Sthupas,however, are saidtohave beenbuilton the _planof the Svastika. :

Originally, scastika _mayhave been intendedfor no morethan

twolinescrossing eachother, oracross. Thuswefinditused iu latertimes refer

ringto awoman _{covering her breast}withcrossedarms_(Balaram,75.16),

tsvahastas-vastika-stani,andlikewisewithreferencetopersons sittingcroeslegged.

Dr.

Max

Ohnefalsch-llichter4

speaking of the Swastika _position,

either of crossed _legs or _arms,

_among

the _Hindus,5

suggests as _{a pos}

sible _{explanation that these}

women

bore the Swastikas

upon

their

1_{The native Buddhist monarchs}

ruled from about B. C. 500 to the conquest of

Alexander,B. C. 330. See"

TheSwastikaon ancient_{coins, Chapter}

n

ofthispaper,

andWaring, "

Ceramic ArtinRemote_Ages/ p. 83.

-"La_Migrationdessymboles,"p. 104.

:t

"Ilios,"pp.347,348.

BulletinsdelaSocietedAiithropologie,1888,p. 678.

5_{Mr.Gandhimakesthesameremarkin his letter}

ontheBuddhashellstatueshown

THE

SWASTIKA.

₇₇₃

armsasdid the_{goddess Aphrodite,}in _fig.8 ofliis

Avritings, (seefig.180

in _{the present paper),}

_and

_when

they

assumed

the _position of

arms

crossedover_{their breast,} the _{Swastikas being brought}into _prominent

view, possiblygavethe

name

tothe_position as _{being a representative} ofthe_sign.

Max

Milller continues1

:

Quite anotherquestion is,

why

the sign

L^

shouldhavehadanauspiciousmean

ing, and whyin Sanskrit, it shouldhave, heencalled Svastika. The _similaritybe tweenthegroupofletterssvinthe ancientIndian alphabet andthe sign of Svastika

is_{not verystriking,}and_{seems purely}accidental.

A

remarkof_{yours [Sehliemann]}

(Troy,p.38)that theSvastikaresembles awheel

hijw)tHm,jt,hodirectionof the motion being indicatedbythe _crampons,contains a useful_hint,which"hasbeen confirmed_{by some}

importantobservations of_{Mr. Thomas,} the distinguished Oriental numismatist:, whohascalled attentiontothefactthatin

tno _longlistof_{the recognized devices of the}

twenty-four .JainaTirthankaras the

simis_absent,butthatwhile_{the eighth}Tirthankara hasthe"_{sign of the half-moon,}

these

^

n

_%/ijj^

nk

^a

is marked"witirthe

SyastjEa",1. e., llm Hun. Here, then,

we have cTerrF_{indications that the Svastika,}withthehands _pointing in_{the right} direction, was originally asymbolof the sun, perhapsof the vernalsunas_opposed totheautumnal sun, thefinaraatika, and, therefore,a natural _symbolof_{light,lii e,}

Itealth,andwealth.

Hut, wliile from these indicationswo are_{justified in supposing} that _among the

Aryannations theSvastika_mayhave been anoldemblem_{of the sun, there are other}

indications to showthat in_{other parts of the}world the sameora~similaremblem was

useto

indicatetheearth. Mr.Beal hasshown *

that the simp!e~cross(

+

)occurs as a

sif>n for earth in.certain ideographic_^rm^.Q itwas

probaTJTyintendedto_{indicate the four quarters north,south,}

east, west or, itmay be,moregenerally, extensionin_lengthandbreadth.

That the cross is usedas _{a sign} for -four"in _{the Bactro-Pali inscriptions(Max} Miiller,

"

Chips fromaGerman_{Workshop,"Vol. n,}

p.298)iswellknown; butthefact

that the same signhasthe_{same power elsewhere,}

as,for instance,inthe Hieratic

numerals, does not proveby any means that the one _figurewas derived from the

other.

We

_{forget tooeasily}thatwhat was _possible in one_placewas possible also in_{other places;} andthemoreweextend_{our researches, the}moreweshalllearn that the_chapterof accidentsis_largerthanweimagine.

The

"Suavastika" which

Max

Miiiler

names and

believes

was

_applied

to the Swastikasign, with the ends bentto theleft _{(fig. 10),} seemsnot

to bereportedwith that

_{meaning by any}

other_{author except Burnouf.}2

Therefore the normal Swastika

would seem

to be thatwith the ends benttothe_right.

Burnouf

says the

word

Suavastika

_may

bea

deriva^

tive or_development of the

Svastikaya,

and

oughtto signify "he_who,/J? or, that which, bearsor carriesthe Swastikaor a_species ofSwastika."

Greg,3underthetitle _{Sovastikaya, gives}itas his_{opinion that thereis}

nodifferencebetweenit

and

the Swastika. Colonel

Low

4

mentionsthe

word

_{Sawattheko,which, according} to

Burnouf

5

is _{only a variation}of

i"Ilioa,"p.348. 2

"LotusdelaBonneLoi,"App. viu,p. 626,note4.

3_Archa

ologia, p.36.

4

Transaction* of the_{RoyalAsiatic Society of}Great_{Britain, rn, p. 120.}

6

774

REPORT OF

NATIONAL

MUSEUM,

1894.

the Pali

word

Sotthikaor_{Suvatthika, the Pali} translation of the

San

skritSwastika.

Burnouf

translatesitas Svastikaya.

M. Eugene Burnouf

1

speaksofa third sign of thefootprintofQakya,

called _{Nandavartaya,} a _{goodaugury, the}

meaning

beingthe "circleof

fortune,

1

which,isthe Swastika inclosed within a squarewith avenues

radiating fromthe corners(fig. 14).

Burnouf

says theabove sign has

many

significations. Itis a sacredtempleoredifice, aspecies of laby rinth, a garden of _diamonds, a_chain, a _goldenwaistor shoulder_belt,

and

_{a conique}with spiresturningtotheright.

Colonel _Sykes2_concludes

that,accordingtothe Chinese authorities

Fa-hian,

Soung Young, Hiuan

thsang, the "Doctorsof reason, _Tao-sse, orfollowers of the mystic cross

^

were diffused in China

and

India before the advent of

_Sakya

in the sixth century B. C. _(according to

Chinese, Japanese,

and

Buddhistauthorities,the eleventh centuryB.C.),

continuing until Fa-hians _time;

and

that they

were _professors of a _qualified

Buddhism,

which,

it is _stated,

was

the universal religion of Tibet

before

_Sakya

s advent.3

_and

_{continued until}

the-introduction of orthodox

Buddhism

in the ninth centuryA. D.4

Klaproth5calls attention to _{the frequent}

men

tion

_by

Fa-hian, of the _{Tao-sse, sectaries} of the

14.

mystic cross

M^

(Sanskrit Swastika),

and

totheir

NANDAVARTAYA, A THIRD ., ,

SIGNOFTHEFOOTPRINT OF existence in Central Asia

and

India; while he

BUDDHA.

saysthey werediffused over the countries to the

^^

and

soutilwest of _China,

and came

annually

fromall

_{kingdoms and}

countriestoadore Kassapo,

Buddha

s _predecessor. Mr.

James

Burgess7mentionsthe

Tirthanka-rasorJainas asbeing sectariansof theMysticCross, _{the~gwastika.}

""The_Cyclopaedia

oT

India_{(title Swastika), coinciding}with Prof.

Max

Miiller, says:

The Swastika symbolis not to be confounded with tlie Swastika sect in Tibet

whichtookthe symbolforits name as typical of thebeliefofitsmembers. They

render the SanskritSwastika as _composedof su "well" and asti"itis,"meaning,

asProfessorWilsonexpressesit,"sobeit,"and implying completeresignationunder

allcircumstances. They claimed the Swastikaof Sanskrit as the 8-utiof_Pali,and

that theSwastikacrosswas acombinationofthetwo symbolssutti-auti. _Theyare

rationalists,holdingthatcontentmentandpeaceofmindshould botheonlyobjects

oflife. Thesecthas_preserveditsexistencein different localitiesandunderdifferent names,Thirthankara, Ter,Mnsteg, Pou,thelastnamemeaningpurity,underwhich aremnantarestillin_{the farthest parts of the}mosteastern_provinceof Tibet.

i Bonne Lo

"LotusdelaBonneLoi,"p. 626.

2

"Noteson_{the Religious, Moral,}andPoliticalstateofIndia,"Journ. AsiaticSoc.

GreatBritain, vi, pp.310-334. 3

Low,Trans.Roy.AsiaticSoc. ofGreatBritain

_m,

pp.334, 310.

4

Ibid., p. 299.

5

Ibid.,p. 299. 6

Low,Trans.RoyalAsiaticSoc.ofGreatBritain,

m,

p. 310.

7

THE

SWASTIKA.

775

General

Cunningham

l

adds his assertionof the _{Swastika being}the

symbol used

by

theBuddhist sectof thatname.

He

_says ina note:

Thefounderofthissectflourishedaboutthe year 604to523B.C.,andthat themystic crossisa_{symbol formedby}thecombinationofthetwo_{Sanskrit syllables}suandti-suti.

Waring

2

proceeds to demolish, these statements of a sect

named

Swastika as _pureinventions,

and

"

consulting Professor

Wilson

sinval

uable

work

onthe

Hindoo

religious sects in the _{Asiatic Besearches,}

we

find

na

accountof

any

sect

named

Swastika/7

Mr. Y. fi. _Gandhi, a learned legal gentleman of

_Bombay,

_{a repre}

sentativeof the Jain sect of Buddhists to the

World

s Parliamentof

ReligionsatChicago, 1893,deniesthat thereisin eitherIndia or Tibet

a sectof Buddhists

named

"Swastika."

He

_{suggests that thesegen}

tlemen probably

mean

the sectsof Jains _(of which Mr.

Gandhi

is a

member), becausethissect uses the Swastikaas a sign of benediction

and

blessing. Thiswillbetreated further on. _{(Seep. 804.)}

Zmigrodzki,

commenting

on the _frequenc^rof the Swastika on the7

objects found

by

Dr. Schliemann_(aj^Hissarlik,\givesitas his _opinion3

]-that these representations of the Swastika

have

relation to a

human

cult_indicating a

supreme

beingfilledwithgoodness"toward

man.

The

sun, stars, etc.. indicate him"as a

god

of _light.

This, in connection

with _{the _jdol_of_Ycnus,} with its _triangular shield _engraved with a

Swastika(fig.125),

and

thegrowingtrees

and

_palms,withtheirincreas

ing

and

multiplying branches

and

leaves, represent to

him

the idea of

fecundity, multiplication, increase,

and

hence the

god

of lifeas well as of light.

The

Swastika signon

j

lineral vasesindicates to

him

abelief

in a divine _spirit in

man

which

lives after _death,

and

hence he con

cludes that the people of Hissarlik, in the "

Burnt

City" (the"thirdof

Schliemaun),adored a

supreme

being, the

god

of light

and

oflife,

and

believedin_{the immortality of the} soul.

E. P.

_Greg

_says:4

Originallyit [the Swastika] would appear to have been an earlyAryan

atmos-pheric device orsymbolindicativeofbothrainandlightning,phenomenaappertain ing to the god Indra, subsequently or _{collaterally developing, possibly, into the} Snastika, or sacredfirechurninIndia,andatastilllater_periodinGreece,adopted

rather as a solar _symbol, or converted about 15. C. 050 into the meanderor_key pattern.

Waring,

while hetestifies to the extension of the Swastika bothin

time

and

area, says:

5

But neither in the _{hideous jumble}ofPantheism the wild _{speculative thought,} mystic fables, and perverted philosophy of life _amongthe Buddhists nor in the equallywildandfalse_theosophyof theBrahmins,to

whom

this_symbol, as

distiuc-"BilsaToivs/ p. 17.

a"

Ceramic ArtinRemoteAges/ p.12.

3

Tenth Congress International_{d Anthropologie} et d_{Arclueologie Prehistoriques,} Paris, 1889, p. 474.

4

Archaeologia, XLVII,pt. 1, p. 159.

5_{"CeramicArtinRemote}

776

,

REPORT OF

NATIONAL

MUSEUM,

1894.

tive of the Vishuavas, sectarian devotees of Vishnu, is ascribed by Moor in his

Indian Pantheon,"nor yet in tlio tenets of the Jains,1 _dowe _find

any decisive explanation of themeaningattachedto thissymbol, althoughits allegoricalinten tionisindubitable.

He

mentions the Swastika of the Buddhists, the cross, the circle,

theircombination, the three-foot

Y

{iud adds: "They exhibitformsof

those olden

and

widely spread

pagan

symbolsof Deity

and

sanctity, eternallife

and

blessing."

Professor_Saycesays:2

TheCyprianvase figured in Di Cesuolas

"Cyprus,"pi.XLV,fig. 36 [seefig.156], which associates the Swastika withthe_figureofananimal,is a strikinganalogue

of theTrojan whorls on whichitisassociatedwiththe_figuresof_stags. Thefactthat itisdrawnwithinthevulvaofthe leadenimageof tho_Asiaticgoddess [seefig.125] seems toshowthat itwas a _{symbol of generation.} I believe that it is identical

withtheCypriancharacter{ftor l| (ne),which has theform )\\ inthe inscription

of Golgi,andalsowiththellittite

|[f or

|j|

whichDr._HydeClarke once suggested tomewasintendedtorepresent theorgansof generation.

Mr. Waller,in his

work

entitled "Monumental Crosses," describes

the Swastikaas _{having been}

known

in Indiaas a sacred symbol

many

centuries before our Lord,

and

used as the distinguishing badge of a

religious sect calling themselves "Followers of the Mystic Cross."

Subsequently, he says, it

was

_{adopted by} the followers of

Buddha

vand

was

still later used

by

Christians at a _{very early period,} being j^first introduced on Christian

monuments

in the sixth century.

But

Mr.

Waring

says thatin thisheis not correct, asit

was

found in

some

of the early paintings in the

Roman

catacombs, _particularly on the

habTFof a_{Fossor, or} gravedigger, given

by

D

Agincourt.

Pugin, inhis "Glossary ofOrnament,"underthetitle "Fylfot,"says

thatin Tibet the Swastika

was

used as a representation of

God

cruci

fied forthe

human

race, citing as his authority F. Augustini Antonii Georgii.3 lieremarks:

Fromthese accounts itwould appeal-that thefylfot is _{a mystical}ornament, not onlyadoptedamongChristiansfrom _primitivetimes, butused, as ifprophetically,

forcenturies before the coining ofourLord. Todescendto latertimes,we iiud it constantly introduced in ecclesiastical vestments, tilltheend of the fif teenth century, a periodmarked bygreat departurefromtraditionalsymbolism.

Its use

was

continuedinTibetinto

modern

times,thoughits

meaning

is notgiven.4 (Seep.SOU.)

The

Kev. G. Cox, in his"Aryan Mythology,"says:

We

recognize themaleand thefemale symbol in the trident of Poseidon,and in thefylfotorhammerof Thor, whichassumestheformof a cross-patteein thevari

ous legendswhichturnonthe rings of Freya, llolda,Venus,or Aphrodite.

See explanation of the Swastika by Mr.Gandhi according to tl^e Juin tenets, p.804.

2"Ilios,

v p. 353.

:5

"Alphabetuin Tibetarium,"Rome, 1762,pp.211, 460, 725.

4

T?ocl- hill, "Diary ofaJourney through MongoliaandTibet,"SmithsonianInsti tution,Washington,1894, p. 67.

THE

SWASTIKA.

777

Here

again

we

findthe_fylfot

and

_{cross-patteespoken} of as the

same

symbol,

and

as being emblematic of the reproductive principles, in

which view of its

_meaning

Dr. _Ininan, in his "Ancient _Faiths

Embodied

inAncient j^aines," concurs.

Burnouf

1

recounts the

_myth

of

_Agni

_(from which conies, through

the Latinignis,the English

word

igneous),the

god

of Sacred _Fire, as

told inthe

Veda:

2

The young queen, the mother of_Fire,carried_{the royal infant mysteriously}con

cealed iiTITer bosom. Shewas awoman of the people,whose common name was "Arani" thatis, theinstrumentofwood(the Swastika) fromwhichfirewasmade

or_{btoughtbyrubbing.} * * * _The

origin of the sign [Swastika] isnow_easyto

recognize. It represents the two pieces ofwood which compose Varani, ofwhich

the extremitieswere benttoberetained _bythe four nails. At thejunctionofthe

twopieces ofwoodwasafossetto _{or cup-like hole,}andthere they placed a piece of

wood upright, inform of_{a lance (the Pramaiitha), violent rotation of}which, by

whipping(afterthe fashion oftop-whipping),produced"fire,asdidPrometheus,the pbrteurdiTfeu, inGreece.

And

this

_myth

was

_made, as have been _{others, probably}

_by

the

priestsand poets of succeeding times, to do dutyfordifferent philoso

phies.

The

Swastika

was

made

to _represent

Arani

_(the female _prin-~

ciple); the

Pramantha

or upright fire _{stake representing Agni,}thefire

god (themale);

and

sothe

myth

servedits parttoaccount forthebirtlS

of fire.

Burnouf

hints that the

_{myth grew}

out of the _production of(

holyfirefor thesacred altars

_by

the useof the

Pramantha and Swas

tika, after the

manner

of savages in all times. _{Zmigrod/ki accepts}

this_myth,

and

claims all_{specimens with} dots or_{points supposed}nail

holes as Swastikas.

The

Count

Goblet dAlviella:t

argues in _opposition to the _theory

announced by Burnouf and by

Zmigrodzki, that the Swastikaor croix swasticale,

when

presenting dots or points,

had

relation tofire_making.

He

_{denies that the points represent nails,}or that nails were

made

or

necessary either for the Swastika or the Arani,

and

concludes that there is

no

evidence to _support the _theory,

and

_nothing to

show

the

Swastikatohave been used as _{a fire-making apparatus, Avhether} Avith

or without the dots or_points.

Mr.

_Greg

4

opposes this_{entire theory, saying:}

ThedifficultyabouttheSwastika andits _supposed connection with fire_appears to me to lie in notknowingpreciselywhat the oldfiredrillandcharkwerelike. Imuchdoubtwhetherthe Swastika hadoriginallyany connectioneither withthe fire-charkorwith the sun. * * _The

best authorities consider

Hur-uonfis inerroras totheearlieruseofthetwolowercrosspieces ofwoodandthefour

nailssaidtohave been usedtofixor_steadytheframework.

He

quotes fromTylors_description5_{of the old}

firedrillused in India 1

"Des SciencesetReligion,"pp.252, 257.

2_Vol.

xi.

3"

LaMigrationdesSymboles,"pp.61-63.

<Archa>ologia, XLVIII, pt.2,pp. 322, 323.

fl"

778

REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM,

1894.

forkindling the sacrificial fire

_by

_{the process} called "churning," asit

resembles that in India

_by

which butter is separated from milk. It

consists in drilling one piece of Arani

wood by

pulling a cord with

one

hand

while the other is _slackened,

and

so, alternately (the strap

drill), tillthe

wood

takes fire. Mr.

Greg

states that the

Eskimos

use

similar_means,

and

the ancientGreeks used thedrill

and

cord,

and

he

adds hisconclusions: "

Thereis _nothingofthe Swastika

and

four nails

inconnection withthefire-churn."

Burton1

also criticisesJBurnoufs _theory:

Ifused onsacrificial altars toreproducethe holylire,the practiceispeculiarand not derivedfrom everyday life; for asearlyas Pliny theyknewthat the savages usedtwo, andneverthree, liresticks.

Burnouf

continues hisdiscussion of

_myths

concerning the originof fire:

Accordingto _Hymnes,the discoverer oflire was Atharau,whose name signifies lire,but Bhrigon itwaswho madethe sacredfire, producingresplendent flames

on

theearthenaltar. _{In theory of physics, Agni,} whowasthelireresidingwithinthe "onction,"(?)came from the milk ofthe cow, which,

in itsturn, came from the

plants thathadnourishedher;andthese plantsin theirturngrew byreceivingand appropriating the heatorlire of the sun. Therefore, the virtue of the

"

onction"

camefrom_{the god.}

One

of the

Yedas

saysof Agni, thegod of fire:2

Agni,tliou artasage, apriest, a king,

Protector, father of thesacrifice;

Commissionedbyourmenthoudostascend

A

messenger,conveyingtothesky

Ourhymnsandoll_{erings, though thy}origin

Bethreefold,now fromairandnowfromwater,

Now

fromthemystic double

Count

Goblet

d

Alviella combatsthe hypothesis of

Burnouf

that the

Swastika

when

turnedto_{right orleft,}passed, the oneforthemale

and

the otherforthe femaleprinciple,

and

declares, on the authority ofSir

George Bird wood,thatit_is,in

modern

India,a popular customto

name

ctswhich appearin_couplesas_havingdifferent sexes, sothatto_say

"themaleSwastika"

and

the "female Swastika," indicating

them by

the_pronouns "he" or "she," would be expressed

in the

same manner

when

_speaking of the

hammer

and

the anvil or of

any

other _objects

usedin_pairs.4

Ludwig

Miiller, inhiselaboratetreatise,givesitashis_{opinion that the}

Swastika

had

noconnectionwiththe

Tau

cross or withthe

Crux

ansatdj

orwiththefire_wheel,orwitharaui, oragui,orwiththemysticoralpha

beticletters, nor with the so-calledspokes of the solar wheel,nor the

forked_lightning, northe

hammer

of Thor.

He

considers that the

tris-1"

The BookoftheSword/ p. 202,note2.

2

Burnouf, "PeaScienceset Religion,"p. 18.

3_Thetwo

pieces ofwoodof Ficuvreliyiosa,usedforkindlinglire.

4

"La_Migrationdes_Symboles, ;7

THE

SWASTIKA.

779

kelion

_might

throwlight onits _{origin, asindicating}

perpetual whirling

or circular

_movement,

_which, in certain parts of southern Asia asthe

emblem

ofZeus,

was

assimilatedto_{that of Baal,}aninference which he

draws

fromcertain Asiaticcoins of400 B. C.

Mr. R. P.

_Greg

1

opposesthis _theory

and

_{expresses the opinion that}

theSwastika is farolder

and

wider _spread as a _{symbol than} the

tris-kelion, as wellas being a

more

purely

Aryan

symbol.

Greg

says that

Ludwig

Miiller"attaches quite too

much

_importance to the sunin con

nectionwith _{the earlyAryans,}

and

_{lays too great}stress

_upon

the _sup

posedrelationof the Swastikaas asolar_symbol.

The

_{Aryans, hesays,}

were a race not given to _{sun worship}

; and, whilehe

may

agree with

|

Miiller that theSwastikais an

emblem

of Zeus

and

_{Jupiter merely}as

j

the

_Supreme

_{God, yet} hebelieves that the _{origin of} the Swastika

had^

no reference to a

movement

of the _{sun through} theheavens5

and

he

prefers his

own

theory that it

was

a device _suggested

_by

the forked lightning as thechief

_weapon

of the air _god.

Mr.

_Greg

s _paper is _{of great elaboration,}

and

_{highly complicated.}

He

devotes an entire

_page

_{or plate}

(21) to a chart showing the older

Aryan

fire,water,

and

sun gods, according tothe

Brahmin

orBuddhist

system.

The

earliest

was

_{Dyaus,the bright sky}or theair _{god; Adyti,}

the infinite _expanse,

mother

_{of bright}

gods,- Varuna,the covering of

the shining firmament.

Out

of _{this trinity}

came

_{another, Zeus, being}

the descendantof _Dyaus, the _{sky god; Agni,}the _{fire; Sulya, thesun,}

and

_{Indra, the rain god.} These in their turn formed _{the great}

Hindu

trinity,

Brahma,

Vishnu,

and

Siva creator, preserver,

and

destroyer; and, in his opinion, the.Swastika

was

the_symbol or_{ordinary device}of

Indraas AYell as of Zeus.

He

continues histableof descentfromthese

gods, withtheir

_accompanying

_{devices, to} the_{sun, lightning, fire,}

and

water,

and makes

almosta _complete

scheme

of the

_mythology

of that

period, intowhichitis_{not possible}tofollowhim.

_However,

hedeclines to _{accept the theory of}

_Max

Miiller of

_any

difference of formor

mean

ing between the Suavastika and the Swastika because the ends or

arms

turnedto the_{right or to}the _left,

and

hethinks the

two

_symbolsto

be_{substantially the same.}

_He

considers it to

have

_been, in the first instance, exclusively of early

_{Ary^iijmgm^and}

use,

and

that

down

to

about _{OOP B._C1jjrwas the}

emblem

or _symbol ofthe sjrj3reme

Aryan

goj.1; that it so continued

down

through the various steps of descent

(according tothe chart mentioned),iiiiti]J^boca^

and^finally of

Buddha.

He

thinks that it

_may

have

been _jjie

ojjgiofJh^

or meanderj)attern. Later still it;

was

_{adopted even}

_by

the _earlyChristians a!Ta~sui_{table variety of} their,

cross,

and became

variously modifiedin form

and was

used as acharm.\

D

Alviella2

expresses his_{doubts concerning the theory}advanced

_by

Greg

3totheeffectthat the Swastikaisto be _interpreted as a_symbol

1

Archaeologia, XLIII, pt.2, pp.324, 325.

2

"La_Migrationdes_{Symboles,"p.}64.

3

780

REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM,

1891.

"ofthe airor of the god

who

dwells inthe air, operating sometimes to

producelight,other timesrain,then water,

and

so on, as is represented

by

the _{god Indra}

among

the _Hindus,

Thor

_among

the

Germans and

\ Scandinavians,

Perkun

among

the Slavs, Zeus

among

the Pelasgi

and

greeks, Jupiter Tonans,

and

Pluvius

among

the Latins.

He

disputes

the theory that the association of the Swastika sign with various

others on the

same

_object proves its _relationship with thatobject or \ sign. That it appears onvasesor similar objects associated with

what

"is _{evidently a} solar disk is no evidence to

him

that the Swastika

belongstothe _{sun, or}

when

associated with the zigzags of lightning that it _{represents the}

_god

_{of lightning,} nor the

same

with thegodof leaven.

The

fact of its _appearing either above or below

any

one of

theseis,in his opinion,ofno importance

and

has nosignification,either

general or special.

D

Alviella says1

that the onlyexample

known

to

him

of a Swastika

nprmp, uuuiirmeiit causeiratedto2a^UL_or Jupiter ison a Celto-Koman

altar,erected,accordingtoall_appearances,

_by

theDaci duringthetime

they weregarrisoned at

Ambloganna.

in Britain.

The

altar bears the

lettersI._{O. M.,}which have been thought to standforJupiter

Optimus

Maximus.

The

Swastika thereon is flanked

by two

disksor rouelles,

with four rays, a sign which

M.

Gaido>r believes to have been a

representativeof thesun

among

the Gaulois.

2

Dr. Brinton3_{considers the Swastikaas}

beingrelated tothecross

and

notto the circle,

and

assertsthat the

Ta

Ki

or Triskeles, the Swastika

and the _Cross, were originally of the

same

signification, or at least closely alliedin _meaning.

Waring,4 after citing his authorities,

sums up

his _{opinion thus:}

/

We

have given remarksofthe various writersonthis_{symbol, and}it willbe seen ) that,though theyaremoreor lessvague, uncertain, andconfused

in their descrip

tionofit, still,with oneexception, theyall_{agree that}it isa_{mystic symbol,pecul}

iarto somedeityor other, bearinga special signification,andgenerally believed to

havesomeconnectionwith oneof theelements water.

BurtQii_says:5

I-TheSvastikais_{apparentlythe simplest} form of the Guilloche [scroll pattern or

spiral]. AccordingtoWilkinson_{(11, Chap.} IX), themost complicated form ofthe Guilloche coveredan Egyptianceiling upward of athousand _{years older} than the objectsfoundatNineveh. TheSvastikaspreadfarandwide,everywhere assuming

some fresh _mythological andmysterious significance. In the north of Europe it

becamethe FylfotorCrutchedcross.

Count

Goblet dAlviella is of _{the opinion (p. 57)}that the Swastika

was

"above_all an

amulet, talisman, orphylactere,"while (p.5G) " it is

incontestable that a great

number

ofthe Swastikas were

siiuplvjTiotifs

1"

LaMigrationdesSyrnboles,"p. 65.

"

"LeDieu_gauloisduSoleil etle_{symbolisme de}larone,"Paris, 1886.

3_Proc.Amer.

Philosoph.Soc., 1889, pp.177-187.

4 _{Ceramic ArtinRemote}

Ages/

5