swastika
Also known as fylfot, gammadion
thumb|The swastika is a symbol with many styles and meanings and has been used in many cultures and religions around the world for millennia. thumb|The Cultural appropriation|appropriation of the swastika by the [[Nazi Party (1920–1945) is the most recognisable modern usage of the symbol in the Western world.]]
AI overview
The swastika is an ancient symbol that has been used across many cultures and religions for thousands of years, with various styles and meanings in each tradition. In the Western world today, it is most widely recognized because of its appropriation by the Nazi Party, though this represents only one modern use of a symbol with a much longer and more diverse history.
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Article
42 sectionsContents
- Etymology and nomenclature
- Appearance
- Written characters
- Origin
- North Pole
- Comet
- Four winds
- Historical uses
- Prehistory
- Caucasus
- Europe
- Southern and eastern Asia
- Hinduism
- Buddhism
- Jainism
- Prevalence in southern Asia
- Spread to eastern Asia
- Classical Europe
- Medieval and early modern Europe
- Middle Ages
- Rediscovery by Heinrich Schliemann
- German occultism and pan-German nationalism
- Post-Schliemann popularity
- New religious movements
- Nazism
- Americas
- Africa
- Modern adoptions
- Modern controversy
- Germany
- Legislation in other European countries
- Outside Europe
- Media
- Use by neo-Nazis <span class="anchor" id="Neo-Nazism"></span>
- Western misinterpretation of Asian use
- Swastika as distinct from ''Hakenkreuz'' debate <span class="anchor" id="Hakenkreuz"></span>
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Sources
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|The swastika is a symbol with many styles and meanings and has been used in many cultures and religions around the world for millennia. thumb|The Cultural appropriation|appropriation of the swastika by the [[Nazi Party (1920–1945) is the most recognisable modern usage of the symbol in the Western world.]]
The swastika ( , ; 卐 or 卍) is a symbol that has been used in many cultures and religions of Eurasia, as well as a few in Africa and the Americas, for thousands of years. The swastika was and continues to be used as a symbol of divinity and spirituality in several religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. In the Western world, however, it is predominantly associated with the Nazi Party, which appropriated and widely displayed it on the flag of Germany and in other official capacities. This appropriation continues with the symbol's popularity among neo-Nazis around the world.