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arethusafellini In reply to goldgold [2007-01-05 12:52:44 +0000 UTC]

I guess so. In this case, that's good because the swastika has so many religious meanings, except of course, when Hitler tarnished its true image - which is kinda sad.

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goldgold In reply to arethusafellini [2007-01-07 01:01:19 +0000 UTC]

First of all thanks for your reply.Secondly, I appreciate your knowledge and erudition regarding my comments, someone of lesser means might have taken umbrage.

I am sure there have been viewers of "Out of the Portal "
who considered this work as such and I'm glad to let future visitors be enlightened on this subject.

The History of the Swastika
[link]

The swastika is an extremely powerful symbol. The Nazis used it to murder millions of people, but for centuries it had positive meanings. What is the history of the swastika? Does it now represent good or evil?

The Oldest Known Symbol
The swastika is an ancient symbol that has been used for over 3,000 years. (That even predates the ancient Egyptian symbol, the Ankh!) Artifacts such as pottery and coins from ancient Troy show that the swastika was a commonly used symbol as far back as 1000 BCE.

During the following thousand years, the image of the swastika was used by many cultures around the world, including in China, Japan, India, and southern Europe. By the Middle Ages, the swastika was a well known, if not commonly used, symbol but was called by many different names:

* China - wan
* England - fylfot
* Germany - Hakenkreuz
* Greece - tetraskelion and gammadion
* India - swastika

Though it is not known for exactly how long, Native Americans also have long used the symbol of the swastika.

The Original Meaning

The word "swastika" comes from the Sanskrit svastika - "su" meaning "good," "asti" meaning "to be," and "ka" as a suffix.

Until the Nazis used this symbol, the swastika was used by many cultures throughout the past 3,000 years to represent life, sun, power, strength, and good luck.

Even in the early twentieth century, the swastika was still a symbol with positive connotations. For instance, the swastika was a common decoration that often adorned cigarette cases, postcards, coins, and buildings. During World War I, the swastika could even be found on the shoulder patches of the American 45th Division and on the Finnish air force until after World War II.

A Change in Meaning

In the 1800s, countries around Germany were growing much larger, forming empires; yet Germany was not a unified country until 1871. To counter the feeling of vulnerability and the stigma of youth, German nationalists in the mid-nineteenth century began to use the swastika, because it had ancient Aryan/Indian origins, to represent a long Germanic/Aryan history.

By the end of the nineteenth century, the swastika could be found on nationalist German volkisch periodicals and was the official emblem of the German Gymnasts' League.

In the beginning of the twentieth century, the swastika was a common symbol of German nationalism and could be found in a multitude of places such as the emblem for the Wandervogel, a German youth movement; on Joerg Lanz von Liebenfels' antisemitic periodical Ostara; on various Freikorps units; and as an emblem of the Thule Society.

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arethusafellini In reply to OrderedChaos1 [2006-08-11 06:37:41 +0000 UTC]

Thank you.

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arethusafellini In reply to Shiyosen [2006-08-02 12:41:44 +0000 UTC]

Erm, okay lang! I guess yung tweaking part and choice of colors yung pinakamahirap. Hmm.. friends list ko kasi puro fractal artists hala laging may 5+ deviations everyday! So madali para sa kanila! @_@

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arethusafellini In reply to NekoNiFuusen [2006-08-02 12:38:56 +0000 UTC]

Haha! Thanks Naomi! I have been a little lazy this couple of months, as in sobrang tinatamad. XD

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NekoNiFuusen In reply to arethusafellini [2006-08-02 12:45:06 +0000 UTC]

Well, I want to see more from ya sa susunod~

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