The swastika has been around for a very long time. It's from the big dipper's position in each of the 4 seasons.

Its one of most widespread and oldest symbols in human history and probably still would have been if not for one failed painter.

Thank you very much for the speedy responses. I always dislike it when people use pieces of history that have stood the test of time for their own cruel means.

I think it is from Indian culture and history and is possibly a good luck symbol. The Nazi`s inverted it.

Its was basically present all over the globe, from Native American up to Japanese cultures.

It was very popular even in military of none Nazi countries in first months of WW2 too.

Triskelon is also similar, in that it was very much widespread even among cultures that were not aware of each other for millenia.

There's an old swastika that had 2 lines coming off at 90 degrees from the central arm instead of the 1 most people are familiar with.

If you note the big dipper has 4 stars that form the "spoon" this could easily be seen as 2 lines running perpendicular rather than 1 big line.

The point is, these shapes we know as "swastikas" come from something basically every human has been staring at for longer than civilisation has existed. So should be no surprise that it has no true "origin" to spread from as it independently crops up *everywhere* - it is no more an "Indian symbol" or a "German" symbol. It is a human symbol. Symbolising the passage of time.

For another 50 years people will continue to clutch pearls about it, but as time marches on that will begin to fade and it will once again return to its little niche, ignored by the vast majority of people and enjoyed by spatterings of artists and those who seek visual stimulation the world over.

It's my belief that it's a seasonal gauge. In spring the Big Dipper is in the upper position and it rotates counter clockwise. 90 degrees each season.... Oddly enough if you make more captures of where the dipper is between those positions you also get a shape that looks an awful lot like a sunwheel too. I think this may even be the inspiration for the invention of the wheel - though that's a big assumption.

Thats actually really interesting info, thanks for it.