Growing up during and after World War II, I had a stamp collection that included wartime German stamps that featured large swastikas printed on them, as shown here. For me and most of humanity, that symbol was and continues to be linked with Hitler and the Nazi horrors.
That is why it was a surprise -- and something of a shock -- to come across a pre-Prohibition brand of liquor called Swastika Whiskey. The liquor was produced by the Paul Jones Distillery of Frankfort KY and the trademark registered with the federal government in the early 1900s. Its slogan was “Pride of the Capital.” Moreover, Sunny Brook Whiskey, a Chicago-based outfit with a distillery in Louisville, issued a Pre-Prohibition good luck piece with a rampant. swastika.
These discoveries led me to do some additional research. It revealed that the symbol of the swastika -- until the Nazis appropriated it -- had been considered a harbinger of good luck. The swastika is an ancient symbol, dating back 3,000 years to India. It also is an Native American icon, with origins in prehistory. .
A postcard produced by the E. Philips Company, an American publisher, emphasized the “good luck” aspect of the swastika. It copyrighted the image in 1907. That firm may also have produced the startling (by today’s sensibilities) postcard image of the American flag in tandem with the swastika. American pilots reportedly used the icon on their planes when they fought for the French in World War One. It also was the symbol for the Ladies Home Journal-sponsored Girls' Club. A town in Ontario, Canada, was named Swastika in 1911 because of a lucky gold strike.
Given its positive history, it is no wonder that organizations like Coca Cola, and the Boy Scouts found it an appropriate symbol. Coke used it as the shape for a key chain or watch fob and the Scouts displayed it with an ax on the spine of their 1903 “Handy Book.”
Note that swastikas can bend to the left or the right. Legends from India tell a story that the left-bending kind are beneficial and the right-bending are evil. It may be just a coincidence but the Nazis chose the right-bending kind.
A stroll through the Internet reveals that some people are trying to rehabilitate the symbol as one involving peace and good luck My comment: “Lotsa luck!” Given the tragic events of the last century, I have a hunch is that the swastika will not be reborn anytime soon.
I recently came across the 1911 Boy Scouts charm. Pretty cool find.
ReplyDeleteMr. Anyone: Good find.
ReplyDeleteHi there~ I was here looking at your Nordhausen Kornschnapps bottles and blog b/c I found one here in Wisconsin, but then I saw this little write up about the swastika and wanted to add to your knowledge sharing
ReplyDeleteI too, grew up with a stamp collection and it had a lot of WWII swastikas. My grandfather, who was a USArmy tank mechanic in WWII, caught me drawing swastikas on a piece of paper one day and had a talk with me about it.
He had the same understanding about the swastika as you had indicated. The swastika was tilted 45 degrees onto it's point and used and corrupted by the Nazis. "But", he said in closing, "it wasn't always known as a bad thing." And that is where he left me hanging with it. Something to think about. I was around six or seven years old at that time.
I have learned a lot about the swastika since I was a kid. It is an ancient symbol you can find around the World and it has been tainted for many people, but not for all of the World. It has never ceased use in South / East Asia or parts of Africa. That's over 5 billion people that can see it and understand its differences.
The best way to end prejudice is with education and history. Some the best examples I can think of; astronomy, Swahili, Kipling, Asia, and the Allies of WWII.
* The author Rudyard Kipling wanted the swastika to be printed in all of his books. (the Boy Scouts did this too)
* Swahili is known as the earliest written definition for the swastika and it meant "well-being".
* In astronomy, what we know as "The Big Dipper" or "Ursa Major". This constellation rotates around the North Star. (we use the outer edge of the dipper bowl to find the North Star) For each season it is in a different position. In Spring the dipper is upside down and handle pointing to the right, Summer the handle is up and bowl sideways, Fall the bowl is up and handle to the left, Winter the bowl is sideways and handle pointing down. This progression indicates planting, growing, harvesting and resting seasons for some, but the progression when drawn out yields the shape of a swastika.
*Most of Asia never stopped using the swastika, even during WWII. It's still a major part of their cultures. From henna inking on hands, swastikas on Buddha, and Pokemon cards, it is here to stay.
* Then there are the Allies during WWII. The swastika, in fact, was used by the U.S.Army 45th Infantry Division and some ROTC groups. It was also in use by the AirForce of Finland and hasn't yet stopped its usage in full.
You said that the swastika will not be reborn any time soon, but it doesn't have to be. Recognizing which swastika is being used is necessary. Jumping to the Nazi issue when billions of people still have it in their lives is a bummer. The reality though is that the swastika has never gone away and with eyes to the sky, it never will.
This is the first time I think I've ever spoken about the knowledge of the swastika in public, but we have a couple of generations that will have to pass before the swastika of good vs evil can be recognized without fear or loathing.
~Don in Wisconsin
The swastika