Many people, mostly from the West and Europe, fall off their chairs and hide under the table at the sight of a swastika. Why blame them, in recent history the swastika has become an indispensable symbol of fascism. But few people know that for thousands of years, in different cultures around the world, it has been considered a symbol that brings good luck.
The Nazis borrowed the swastika on purpose. While translating texts from Sanskrit, German scientists found similarities between Sanskrit and old German dialects, from which it was concluded that the ancient Indians and the ancient Germans had common ancestors: the godlike race of warriors – Aryans. This idea was enthusiastically taken up by a German nationalist group, who declared that the swastika to be a symbol of the Aryans, and a clear demonstration of the ancient roots of the German nation.
The black cross with curved ends (the so-called “rotating cross” spinning in a clockwise direction), on a white circle was placed on a red square and has become one of the most hated emblems of the 20th century. Will it ever be able to shake off the stigma of Nazism and its associated negative connotations?
