Swastika And Its True Meaning

Wow, I’m sure this is going to generate some ugly comments and maybe even the loss of a few of our followers and members. But after having seen some recent posts on a few different social networks I felt it was important to clarify a few things here about the swastika and its true meaning. At least as far as how generally speaking we as a Norse community and people interpret it. So this post is to educate you, by giving you the historical information about the swastika. How it came to be, where it originated, what the general interpretation of the swastika was. I’m also going to show how it changed over the years as well as how its viewed in general today.

Where The Symbol Came From

In doing my homework for this post I came across numerous sites with a lot of information but the only one that seemed to be credible was a company or site called The Thought Company. They have a great page rank with the search engine has been around for a long time and have many people using them as a credible and reliable source for information.
According to Thought Company, the swastika has been around for more than 3,000 years. and actually predates the ancient Egyptian symbol of the Ankh. That put the dating at 1000 BCE. How awesome is that, to know that something has been around for that long that was created by someone.
This iconic symbol has been used by numerous cultures throughout the centuries. The cultures most commonly known for using the symbol are China, Germany, England, Greece, and India as far as the continents go.

The Swastika’s Meanings

Originally the word “swastika” comes from the Sanskrit svastika: “su” meaning “good,” “asti” meaning “to be,” and “ka” as a suffix.
Back in the days of our Norse brothers and sisters, we used the symbol as an incantation for consecration and blessings. It was commonly used very similarly to the way Mjölnir was amongst our ancestors.
Until it became a symbol of the Nazis, the swastika was used by many cultures throughout the past 3,000 years to represent life, sun, power, strength, and good luck.
And even early into the 20th century, you could find the symbol of the swastika on buildings, coin purses, coins, watches, lighters, and more.
It wasn’t until 1920, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party determined they needed a symbol of their own that would be able to represent them and easily be identified around the world. So Hitler had a flag made with the swastika on it. The Nazi party took to it so well it became the ugly symbol most think it is today.

The Symbol Today

Unfortunately due to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party today the swastika is revered as one of the biggest and most powerful symbols of hate around the world. and that is truly unfortunate. It’s with posts like this that we here at Old Norse Paganism Hope to change this misconception. This symbol for the Norse was not a symbol of hate or ugly prejudices. Instead, it was a symbol of luck, hope, peace, and considered a charm. Unfortunately, there are some “Norse” brothers and sisters who are misguided and I hope this and posts like this find their way to them to point out they hate they are spreading over race is not what the Norse people are about.
If you see someone with a swastika don’t be so quick to judge them. Find out what it means to them. As it obviously takes on different meanings to different people for different reasons. The trick here is to educate and show one another a level of kindness and love and know that maybe you can help someone find the true path that Odin has laid before us by dismissing false hate generated by fear and the Nazi party only 100 years ago when our symbols have been around for over 3,000 years!
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