Written by Andrea Weisser
My ELA class recently started a Holocaust unit, and I decided I wanted to learn more about some aspects that will not be covered. The origins of the swastika interested me. I had heard that it existed before the Nazi Party adopted it and wanted to know how it was used. Here is what I learned:
The name of the swastika originates from Sanskrit. It is derived from the word “svastika,” which means “conducive to well-being” or “good luck.” The roots of this word are “su,” meaning “good,” and “asti,” meaning “to be.” Based on its origin, the swastika literally meant “to be good.” As a result, the word has ancient roots and meaning, and the symbol traces back to ancient times.
The earliest use of the swastika is not actually known, but thousands of ancient artifacts depicting the symbol have been found. The earliest known swastika dates from 10,000 to 15,000 BCE. In this instance, an intricate pattern of joined swastikas was carved into a late Paleolithic bird figurine made of mammoth ivory, which was found in Mezine, Ukraine. Some researchers have suggested that the swastika may very well be a stylized picture of a stork in flight. This artifact was found near other objects that imply it was used as a symbol of fertility.
Another example of the swastika was found on artifacts in the mountains of Iran, where spinning wheels were inscribed on stone walls. These inscriptions are estimated to be more than 7,000 years old. One of these is in Khorashad, Birjand, on the holy wall of Lakh Mazar. These examples—along with clockwise and counterclockwise mirrored swastikas found on Bulgarian pottery dating back to 6,000 BCE—prove that the symbol has existed for millennia.
That meaning changed entirely with the rise of Hitler’s Nazi Party in the 1920s and throughout World War II-era Germany. As Hitler gained power, the Nazis appropriated the swastika—turning a traditional symbol of good fortune into an emblem of their “master race” and the Aryan supremacy that defined his regime.
As a result, a symbol once widely viewed as positive was now used for evil. It appeared everywhere—on German uniforms, brochures, and pamphlets, as well as on planes, military vehicles, and weaponry—and was flown proudly on Nazi flags. Displaying the swastika no longer meant “to be good.” It now meant aligning with hatred, and Germans were expected to conform.
Modern Nazi uses of the swastika are rightfully met with scorn, and the symbol remains banned in Germany, France, Poland, Hungary, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden, Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. Other countries, such as Canada, Brazil, and Israel, have strict rules about when and how the symbol can be publicly used. The swastika is legal in America due to our First Amendment right to free speech; however, its use is widely rejected and denounced.
This once-great symbol is often blurred out or recognized as horrible. I understand that it obviously cannot be used again in the West, but after reading this, I hope you understand the swastika’s full history. It was not always a symbol of hate; it was once peaceful and good-natured. We should not celebrate this symbol, but we should know that the Nazis bastardized an ancient icon of peace.
About the cover photo: Swastika patterns were found in the ancient mosaic floor at the Byzantine church ruins in Shavei- Zion, Israel (circa 360s CE to 636 CE).
