It is not known exactly which people used this sign for the first time, but it is certain that it has a very ancient origin, at least 5 thousand years old. The word itself comes from the Sanskrit svastika, which means “conductor of well-being”. Known as a symbol of good luck by most cultures, the swastika adorned Mesopotamian coins 3,000 years before Christ and also appeared in the art of peoples such as the Byzantines and early Christians. The Mayan Indians, from Central America, and the Navajos, from North America, also portrayed it – and even today it continues to be used as a symbol of fortune by the Hindus. There are two types of swastikas: one with the arms facing clockwise, the other facing the opposite direction. The latter, considered nocturnal, would be used in black magic rituals. The first – considered a solar and therefore daytime symbol – is that of good luck.
When the German National Socialist Party was founded in 1920, the solar swastika was adopted as its main emblem at the suggestion of the poet Guido von List. With the end of World War II, in 1945, the symbol was officially retired, but it continues to be used by neo-Nazi groups.
Read too:
– What was the Nuremberg trial?
– Nazi Hunt: Doctor Death’s Exile in Egypt
– What was the favorite dish of several historical figures?