The Swastika, the Earliest Known Symbol, and Its Migration: With Observations on the Migration of Certain Industries in Prehistoric TimesWilson, Thomas
Religion
The Swastika, the Earliest Known Symbol, and Its Migration: With Observations on the Migration of Certain Industries in Prehistoric Times
Wilson, Thomas
Industries, Primitive; Swastikas; Symbolism
D'Alviella's next argument[77] is that the triskelion, formed by the same
process as the tetraskelion, is an "incontestable" representation of
solar movement. No evidence is submitted in support of this assertion,
and the investigator of the present day is required, as in prehistoric
objects, to depend entirely upon the object itself. The bent arms contain
no innate evidence (even though they should be held to represent rotary or
gyratory motion) representing the sun or sun gods. It is respectfully
suggested that in times of antiquity, as in modern times, the sun is not
represented as having a rotary motion, but is rather represented by a
circle with diminishing rays projecting from the center or exterior. It
seems unjustifiable, almost ridiculous, to transform the three flexed
human legs, first appearing on the coins of Lycia, into a sun symbol, to
make it the reliable evidence of sun worship, and give it a holy or sacred
character as representing a god. It is surely pushing the argument too far
to say that this is an "incontestable" representation of the solar
movement. The illustrations by d'Alviella on his page 71 are practically
the same as figs. 224 to 226 of this paper.
Count d'Alviella's further argument[78] is that symbols of the sun god
being frequently associated, alternated with, and sometimes replaced by,
the Swastika, proves it to have been a sun symbol. But this is doubted,
and evidence to sustain the proposition is wanting. Undoubtedly the
Swastika was a symbol, was intentional, had a meaning and a degree of
importance, and, while it may have been intended to represent the sun and
have a higher and holier character, yet these mere associations are not
evidence of the fact.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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