286 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



whereby fire was made by the friction of wood, the drill 

 working vertically on the centre of the flat cross, which was 

 held down at its angles. I believe this to be true, but it was 

 only a later and subsidiary use of the sign — nay, probably the 

 fire-drill itself was purposely made in the shape of the 

 stcastika, because fire is the child of the great solar fire-giver. 

 Others think that the swastika cross, like the tau cross and 

 the ankh cross of the Egyptians, was a symbol of reproduction 

 and generation. This also may be true as a late phase, if 

 we consider the ideas associated with the production of fire 

 by friction of wood among all barbaric and therefore poetic 

 peoples. It is unnecessary to detail or attempt here to refute 

 the many theories ; it will be sufficient to briefly state what a 

 few writers of authority have stated as to the connection 

 between the swastika and sun-worship. E. P. Greg''' says 

 that the sivastika was adopted as a solar symbol in Greece, 

 and converted later, about B.C. 650, into the meander or key 

 pattern. Professor Goodyear f writes, " The solar significance 

 of the swastika is proven by the Hindu coins of the Jains." 

 He adds that it is an equivalent of the Egyptian lotus and of 

 the spiral scroll and the Greek key pattern. Birdwood| 

 states, "I believe the sicastika to be the origin of the key- 

 pattern ornament of Greek and Chinese decorative art." 

 Without further quotation, I may affirm that such authorities 

 as Count Goblet d'Alviella, Ludwig Miiller, Percy Gardner, 

 S. Beal, Edward Thomas, Professor F. Max Miiller, H. Gar- 

 doz, and Dr. Max Ohnefalsch-Eichter, all admit that the 

 swastika is a symbol of the sun or sun-worship. Even the 

 sun-worshippers among the North American Indians wear the 

 stvastikas on their ceremonial dress, and these signs appear on 

 the mythological charts drawn on the floors of the Sun-lodge. § 

 I think, then, that with the opinion of these authorities 

 in its favour we may very well- consider the primary connec- 

 tion of sun and sioastika as a fairly tenable hypothesis. A 

 far more certain and positive statement, borne out by evidence 

 obtained among men who use the sicastika to-day, is that it 

 was used for centuries, and is still considered a sign of " good 

 luck." Professor Max Miiller, the profound Orientalist, says 

 that the word " sivastika" bears the meaning of "an aus- 

 picious mark." " In the footprints of Buddha the Buddhists 

 recognise no less than sixty-five auspicious signs, the first of 

 them being the swastika." \\ 



* '• Arcbreologia," xlvii., pt. i., p. 159. 

 t " The Grammar of the Lotus," p. 354. 

 I " Industrial Arts of India," p. 107. 

 g Smith.sonian Report, 1894, p. 895. 



li Professor Max Miiller in his contribution to Dr. Schliemann's 

 " Ilios," pp. 347, 348. 



