Swastika

The swastika is a symbol with many styles and meanings and can be found in many cultures.

The glorification of the swastika by the National Socialists and is the most recognizable modern use of the symbol on Earth.

The swastika (or Hakenkreuz) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various European, as well as other cultures, now also widely recognized for its glorification by the National Socialist Party of Germany.

In Hinduism, the right-facing symbol (clockwise) (卐) is called swastika, symbolizing surya ("sun"), prosperity and good luck, while the left-facing symbol (counter-clockwise) (卍) is called sauwastika, symbolising tantric aspects of Kali. In Jain symbolism, it represents Suparshvanatha and the seventh of 24 Tirthankaras (spiritual teachers and saviours), while in Buddhist symbolism it represents the auspicious footprints of the Buddha. In several major Indo-European religions, the swastika symbolises lightning bolts, representing the thunder god and the king of the gods, such as Indra in Vedic Hinduism, Zeus in ancient Greece, Jupiter in ancient Rome, and Thor in the ancient Germanic religion.

It continues to be used as a symbol of divinity and spirituality in many religions, including Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. It generally takes the form of a cross, the arms of which are of equal length and perpendicular to the adjacent arms, each bent midway at a right angle. The word swastika comes from Sanskrit, romanized: svastika, meaning "conducive to well-being". In North American Indian symbolism, it is a sun symbol, just as it was in both ancient Europe and Ancient Egypt and Greece. In more modern Europe and in America, it is a symbol of luck. Nearly every culture on Earth, both ancient and modern, has had a place for this ancient and positive symbol.