Bird Gods in Ancient Europe 



written so learnedly, not to speak of Ameri- 

 cans like Thomas Wilson ("The Swastika": 

 Smithsonian Publications) namely the fylfot 

 or swastika or cross with bent ends. This 

 sign refers to weaving and was a short-hand 

 picture of the spider ! 



The discovery on ancient shell ornaments 

 from the American mounds of carvings of 

 spiders with a cross on their backs gives the 

 opening link in the chain. Schliemann's find 

 of innumerable spinning whorls and weights 

 of terra cotta and stone bearing the cross 

 symbol deep down in the strata of burned 

 cities at Hissarlik gives another link. The 

 beautiful American spiders with crosses on 

 their backs, the European and Asian cross- 

 marked spiders and the form of the central 

 webs of spiders all the world over give yet 

 another. The symbol of the cross has not 

 migrated from India, as Mr. Wilson suggests, 

 because the prophetic web-spinner is every- 

 where. Everywhere men have observed that 



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