Swastika - history and meaning

[mistergray1]

The old Carlsberg breweries in Denmark have a few swastikas as well.

This is the elephant gate at Carlsberg breweries (not my picture):

[Peeter]

Red army 1919
http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy340/ruusserg/

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[murx]

Not to speak about the 45th US Infantry (see attachment)

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[PanzerGrenadier88]

I remember reading somewhere that the swastika was alleged to have some kind of hypnotic or occult characteristic. I'm skeptical but curious about the concept. Anyone know about this?

[nobodyofnote]

Raelians aim to reclaim swastika

TORONTO - A religious sect that believes the swastika was hijacked by the Nazis will try to "remove the negativity attached to it" at the Gay Pride parade Sunday.

Members of the Quebec-based International Raelian Movement will staff an information booth at the annual event in the hopes of raising awareness of "the true meaning of the swastika, which is more positive," Diane Brisebois, a spokeswoman for the Raelians told QMI.

"For religions like Jainism and Buddhism, the swastika represented luck, well-being, harmony and peace," Brisebois said. "When people think of the swastika, they immediately think of the Nazis and we want to change that."

The Raelian symbol features a swastika intertwined with two overlapping triangles that form a six-pointed star.

Brisebois expressed disappointment that the group was not allowed to participate in the parade, but said the Raelians are planning to hold a parade next year "to reclaim the swastika."

Source: http://www.torontosun.com/2011/07/03/ra ... m-swastika (Toronto Sun, July 2011)

Disclaimer: I am not involved with the Raelian movement.

[Ecam]

From Lullingstone Roman villa, about 30 miles southeast of London. Lullingstone is an AD100 excavated Roman villa.

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[Aquarius1011]

The Nazis gave the Swastika a bad name.

I recently saw in a documentary film that historians were wondering why did Hitler reverse it, thus turning its creative meaning into the destructive meaning. It was recently found in documents that Hitler did it, so as to follow the apparent clockwise movement of the sun. That's pagan influence, and would be anti-clockwise in the southern hemisphere.

[J. Duncan]

Best book on the subject is Thomas Wilson's "The Swastika: Earliest Known Symbol and it's Migrations".
More modern books are (author?) "Swastika: Symbol Beyond Redemption" and Malcolm Quinn's "Swastika: Constructing the Symbol".

[Marcus]

Some photos old the swastikas from my visit to Carlsberg in Copenhagen:

/Marcus

[Marcus]

Some more:

Carlsberg buildings near the museum

/Marcus