The swastika () is an ancient symbol used by many cultures and religions in Eurasia that generally takes the shape of an equilateral cross with four legs, each bent at 90 degrees in either right-facing (卐) form or left-facing (卍) form. For millennia, it has been considered a sacred and auspicious symbol in the Indian religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Depictions of this shape date back at least 11,000 years.

In the Western world, the symbol (also called gammadion or fylfot) became a popular sign of luck in the early 20th century—as it had long been in the Eastern world—and was often used for ornamentation. However, after it was adopted by the Nazi Party in the 1920s and subsequently displayed across Germany and German-occupied Europe before and during World War II, the symbol's usage outside of Nazism and neo-Nazism faded. Many Western countries and some non-Western countries have since banned the swastika through legislation targeting Nazi symbols for suppression, although there are exemptions for displays in historical and religious contexts.

Background

The discovery of the Indo-European language group in the 1790s led to a great effort by European archaeologists to link the pre-history of European people to the hypothesised ancient "Aryans" (variously referring to the Indo-Iranians or the Proto-Indo-Europeans). Following his discovery of objects bearing the swastika square in the ruins of the Greek city of Troy, German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann consulted two leading Sanskrit scholars of the day: French linguist Émile-Louis Burnouf and German-British linguist Friedrich Max Müller. Schliemann concluded that the swastika square was a specifically Indo-European symbol, and associated it with the ancient Proto-Indo-European migrations. He connected it with similar shapes found on ancient pots in Germany, and theorised that the swastika square was a "significant religious symbol of our remote ancestors"—linking Germanic, Greek, and Indo-Iranian cultures. Later discoveries of the motif among the remains of the Hittites and of ancient Iran seemed to confirm this theory, but the symbol was also known for its use by indigenous Americans as well as other unrelated Eastern cultures.

The originally Sanskrit word "swastika" was absorbed into English in the late 19th century.

By the early 20th century it was used worldwide and was regarded as a symbol of good luck. The swastika's worldwide use was well documented in an 1894 publication by the Smithsonian. The symbol appeared in many popular, non-political Western designs from the 1880s to the 1920s, with occasional use continuing into the 1930s.

Western use of the motif was subverted in the early 20th century after it was adopted by the Nazi Party and displayed on the contemporary flag of Germany. The swastika was used as a conveniently eye-catching symbol to emphasise the so-called Aryan–German correspondence and instill racial pride. Since World War II, most Westerners have known the swastika almost exclusively as a Nazi symbol, leading to confusion about its sacred religious and historical status in Asia and parts of Europe.

Europe

Denmark

The Danish brewery company Carlsberg Group used the swastika as a logo from the 19th century until the middle of the 1930s, when it was discontinued because of association with the Nazi Party in neighbouring Germany. However, the swastika carved on elephants at the entrance gates of the company's headquarters in Copenhagen in 1901 can still be seen today.

Finland

In Finland, the swastika () was used as the official national marking of the Finnish Air Force between 1918 and 1945, anti-aircraft troops as a part of the air force, and tank troops at that time.

Its origin is unrelated to Nazis. In March 1918 during the Finnish Civil War a Swedish count Eric von Rosen (who was not a Nazi in 1918 yet) gave the Finnish Whites an aircraft. The aircraft was marked with von Rosen's badge, a blue swastika on a white background. The Finnish Air Force adopted this roundel as their national insignia.

The swastika was also used by the Lotta Svärd organisation, a Finnish paramilitary organisation for women, which was dissolved in 1944 according to the terms of the Moscow Armistice.

The tursaansydän, an elaboration on the swastika, is used by scouts in some instances and by a student organization. The Finnish village of Tursa uses the tursaansydän as a kind of a certificate of authenticity on products made there, and is the origin of this name of the symbol (meaning 'heart of Tursa'), which is also known as the mursunsydän ('walrus-heart'). Traditional textiles are still made in Finland with swastikas as parts of traditional ornaments.

The Finnish Airforce units still wear a swastika on their colours. referenced on 17 November 2006. In addition, the shoulder insignia of the Airforce Headquarters bears a swastika design. In 1945, the Air Force changed its national emblem to a roundel, but the use of swastika in some other insignia was continued. In 1958, the President of Finland Urho Kekkonen inaugurated the colours of the Air Force units which feature a swastika design. The latest colour of this pattern was inaugurated by president Tarja Halonen 25 October 2005 for the newly formed Air Force Academy. Also the Utti Jaeger Regiment, responsible for training special forces, bears a swastika-like emblem (sun cross) on its colour. In January 2017, the Air Force Command replaced its emblem, which had contained a swastika, with a design reminiscent of the Air Force service emblem; a golden eagle and a circle of wings.

The swastika has not disappeared in Finnish medals and decorations. The decorations of the Order of the Cross of Liberty, designed by Akseli Gallen-Kallela – who also designed the emblem of the Finnish Air Force and the Finnish flight mark in 1918 – bears a swastika laid on a George's Cross. The President of Finland uses a Cross of Liberty in the personal flag. However, in the flag is only the 3rd Cross of Liberty, although the highest Finnish decoration is the Grand Cross of the White Rose of Finland with Collar. During the Continuation War and immediately after the wars, 191 soldiers were appointed Knights of the Mannerheim Cross.

In December 2007, a silver replica of the World War II -period Finnish air defence's relief ring decorated with a swastika became available as a part of a charity campaign. The original war-time idea was that the public swap their precious metal rings for the state air defence's relief ring, made of iron.

France In 1917, René Croste identified the swastika and the Basque lauburu. (Quoted in de Pablo, Santiago (2009)) The tourism industry and promoters of Basque culture in the French Basque Country used both for souvenirs and general Basque symbolism. In 1935, the Musée Basque of Bayonne asked to avoid the swastika for its Nazi association and use the lauburu. It was however contested by Ph. Aranart who saw both as Christian crosses. The success of the campaign was not total and the German occupiers of the French Basque Country were surprised to find swastikas in tombs, frontons, and houses. Basque collaborationists attempted to take advantage of the similarity. After the Second World War, the swastika was not considered a Basque symbol any more.

Germany

The Swastika saw use by nationalist movements before the Nazis emerged into prominence. It was the battle sign of the Reich Hammer League, that was founded in 1912 by Theodor Fritsch. Ferdinand Werner's German Folkish Party (), an antisemitic and Völkisch entity started using the swastika for its party publication German Folkish Paper (Deutschvölkische Blätter) in January 1917.Werner Maser: Der Sturm auf die Republik. Frühgeschichte der NSDAP (i.e. Early History of the NSDAP), ECON Verlag, 1994, ISBN 3-430-16373-0. P. 141, 142.

The Bundesarchiv has photos from the 1920 Kapp Putsch showing Marinebrigade Ehrhardt Freikorps using the symbol, however, it was not the most important symbol of the putschists.

Iceland

Eimskipafélag Íslands (founded in 1914), a major shipping company in Iceland, once used a variation on the swastika as their company logo. The appearance was similar to a blue fylfot on a white circle. Usage continued after World War II – in service from 1950 to 1972 had the symbol in a roundel on the ship's prow. Although they have since replaced their logo, the swastika remained on their old headquarters, located in downtown Reykjavík. When the Radisson SAS hotel franchise bought the building, the company was banned from destroying the symbol since the building was on the list of historical sites in Iceland. A compromise was made when the company was allowed to cover the symbol with the numbers 1919 which was the year when the building was erected.

Ireland Ancient swastikas are found sparingly throughout Ireland, starting in the 5th-7th centuries AD.

In Dublin, Ireland, a laundry company known as the Swastika Laundry existed for many years in Dartry and Ballsbridge (both on the river Dodder) on the south side of the city. It was founded in 1888 as the Dublin Laundry Company. Upon the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the company's customers were concerned about the company's name. Accordingly, it was changed to "Swastika Laundry (1912) Ltd". The company's fleet of electric delivery vans were red, and featured a black swastika on a white background.

The business started in 1912 and continued up until 1987. The Laundry's tall chimneystack was emblazoned with a large white swastika, a protected structure, which was clearly visible from the surrounding streets. The name and logo eventually disappeared when the laundry was absorbed into the Spring Grove company.

In his Irisches Tagebuch (Irish Journal), the future Nobel Laureate, Heinrich Böll writes about a year spent living in the west of Ireland in the 1950s. While in Dublin before heading to Co. Mayo, he:

Latvia

In Latvia, the swastika (known as Fire Cross, , or Thunder Cross, ) was used as the marking of the Latvian Air Force between 1918 and 1934, as well as in insignias of some military units. It was also used as a symbol by the Latvian fascist movement Pērkonkrusts, as well as by other organisations.

The Latvian left-facing swastika or Thunder Cross dates back to Bronze Age. It is widely seen scratched on surfaces like rocks, and on weapons and pottery as a protector sign.

Norway The iron balconies of the building facing Veiten in Bergen are also decorated with swastikas. While it may appear that they date back to World War II, as they face the old Gestapo headquarters, they are actually twenty years older.

The headquarters of the Oslo Municipal Power station was designed by architects Bjercke and Eliassen in 1928–1931. The architects knew the swastika as a symbol of electricity and were not yet aware that it had been usurped by the German Nazi party, having swastikas adorn its wrought iron gates. Notably, the gates survived the cleanup after the German occupation of Norway during World War II.Knut Are Tvedt (ed.) (2010). Oslo Byleksikon. Kunnskapsforlaget. Entry: Sommerrogata, p. 527.

Mikal Sylten took up the swastika as a symbol in 1917 for his antisemitic periodical Nationalt Tidsskrift.

Poland

Since the early Middle Ages the sign of the swastika was well established among all Slavic lands. Known as swarzyca, it was primarily associated with one of the Slavic gods named Svarog.

With time the association with Slavic gods faded, but the swastika was preserved both as a personal symbol of various personalities, such as the Boreyko Coat of Arms, and in folk culture, for example, in the region of Podhale, where the swastika was used as a talisman well into the 20th century. As a solar symbol, it was painted or carved on various parts of houses in the Tatra Mountains and was thought to save the household from evil.